Debruyckere Law Offices is a professional law corporation that specializes in elder law, probate, wills, trusts and conservatorships. We counsel clients on the unique legal issues relating to advancing age. Whenever possible, we prefer to help clients plan for the future, avoid probate, minimize taxes and solidify their legacy. We also help clients plan for possible incapacity and long-term care. We help our clients deal with issues of aging with independence and dignity. In addition to estate planning, our firm has considerable experience helping victims of elder abuse. Our firm has aggressively pursued remedies and recovered assets belonging to our elderly clients where unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of the elderly because of diminished capacity or other impairments.
- Asset & Business Planning
- Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
- LGBT Estate Planning
- Legacy Planning Services
- Loss Of A Loved One
- Power Of Attorney
- Special Needs Planning
- Young Families
- Probate and Trust Administration
- Pet Planning
Asset & Business Planning
When you work hard to acquire assets, you must take steps to protect what you’ve earned, and business owners are especially vulnerable to litigation. An experienced attorney can assist you in choosing an appropriate structure for your organization, set up contracts to protect your personal investment in the business, and keep your personal assets safe. Don’t leave the future of your business—your personal future—to chance.
Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
You have worked hard for your entire life to leave behind a legacy, but unfortunately, more than 70% of family businesses won’t survive a transition to the next generation. The probate process and fighting among heirs can both undermine business operations, but the one issue that most commonly plagues a business are estate taxes. By using strategic methods of transferring ownership, Medicaid planning, incorporation, trusts, and joint-ownership, we can help to prevent your loved ones having to face selling off what they inherited in order to pay taxes for it. We can help you to create a plan today that will protect your family legacy tomorrow.
LGBT Estate Planning
For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, the question of what is available to you when you decide to create an estate plan is often complicated. Not only are the laws surrounding this area changing on a nearly daily basis, but LGBT individuals and couples often have issues they must make sure they adequately address in their estate plans that heterosexual individuals and couples do not have to worry about. Be 100% prepared for whatever comes your way with incapacity planning and inheritance planning designed by the pros.
Legacy Planning Services
Perhaps your goal is to leave a strong and stable family with generational wealth, or perhaps you want to give to a charity that is important to you so you can make a difference in many lives. The bottom line is that when you pass away, you do not just want to leave behind money and assets—you want to leave behind a legacy. We know that you have clear ideas on what you want to be remembered for and how you hope to take care of your family, friends, and causes you care about long after you are gone, so by listening carefully to your dreams and applying our unique knowledge of the law, we can help to make your legacy a strong one.
Loss Of A Loved One
Death is a traumatic experience for those who are left behind, but unfortunately there may be legal issues to address—we want to take that burden off your shoulders. A knowledgeable attorney can give you the legal tools necessary to protect the interests of the deceased, and to protect your own interests as an heir by going through probate court for estate administration, administer a trust, contest of challenge a will, and deal with insurance companies and financial institutions so you can stay focused on yourself and your loved ones during this difficult time.
Power Of Attorney
A power of attorney is the single most important legal tool that gives you control over what happens to you when you can no longer speak for yourself. A power of attorney lawyer at Debruyckere Law Offices can help you to take action now, creating a power of attorney that will let you determine who acts on your behalf to manage things quickly and privately when you can no longer manage your own affairs. Everyone should have a power of attorney in place long before they ever need one.
Special Needs Planning
When someone you care about is disabled, planning for their future is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, providing for the needs of someone who is disabled can be complicated for many reasons, so a qualified attorney to help you ensure the money is used appropriately for the benefit of the disabled individual, ensure you are leaving enough money behind, and ensure the money and assets you leave to the disabled individual do not jeopardize government benefits. Make sure they are provided for tomorrow and start planning today. There are strict requirements and specific steps to take to create a special needs trust, so you should get in touch with a legal professional today who can help you to provide for a disabled relative or loved one.
Young Families
It’s a common misconception that estate planning is something only the elderly need to consider, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, it is essential for families with young children to consider their options for caregivers and to have their financial affairs in order in the event they are unable to continue providing for their small kids. Be prepared, come what may, and set your children up for success today with a solid estate plan.
Probate and Trust Administration
Dealing with the death of a loved one is never easy. It is also a situation that can become far more stressful when a probate or trust administration issue arises. Most people have little experience with, or knowledge of, either probate or trust administration. These two areas of the law can require a lot of time, attention, and expertise.
Pet Planning
If you are a pet owner, the thought that you might die or become incapacitated and leave your pets uncared for is something you never want to seriously entertain. Unlike most of the people in your life, your pet will not be able to provide for his or her own care after you are gone, so now is the time to prepare with a pet trust. By creating a pet trust you can set aside some money that will be exclusively devoted to ensuring that your pet’s needs are cared for in the future, and only a local and experienced attorney can help you do it.
