Miami Estate Planning Attorney
Miami estate planning lawyer Ilaria Akl can help to put you in control of how your property and assets will be divided after you are gone. Having an estate plan which is set out in clear, legal terms is essential for any person who has any property or assets, even a person who is not “wealthy”. This will serve to help eliminate excessive estate taxes and legal battles, and will avoid having the State determine how your assets will be divided, and to whom.
Attorney Ilaria Akl offers intelligent legal advice regarding all aspects of estate planning throughout Miami-Dade and Broward County, including:
- Wills: Your will determines what will happen to your property, assets and children in the case of your death. Miami estate planning attorney Ilaria Akl can help you draft a will which is clear and will hold up in court. This is essential in avoiding future problems.
- Trusts: Setting up a living trust enables you to ensure that your loved ones will always be taken care of. Attorney Ilaria Akl can help you create this legal arrangement, wherein property or assets are transferred to another (a trustee) for the care or benefit of a loved one (the beneficiary).
- Advance Directives: It is important to determine what will be done about your health if you are unable to make decisions about it yourself, in the future. A living will often contains specific directives regarding medical care and the withholding of medical treatment in certain situations. By working with estate planning lawyer Ilaria Akl, you can ensure that your advance directives are set up properly so you receive the care you want, even if you are unable to make the decision in the future.
- Tax Planning: There are both State and Federal taxes which may be applicable to any transfer of property upon a person's death. Tax planning with a skilled lawyer, such as Ilaria Akl, can help to minimize estate tax so your beneficiaries get the full inheritance you wish to give them.
Estate and Tax Planning & Counseling for Immigrants
Estate planning for immigrants can be complex. For instance, in 2008 the exemption on estate tax given to U.S. citizens is $2,000,000. For a nonresident alien, this exemption is only $60,000. For a permanent resident, the full exemption amount is allowed, but the person's worldwide property and assets may be subject to tax, as well as the property they own in their home country. Working with an estate planning lawyer is important in order to minimize estate taxes if you are a permanent resident or nonresident alien with property in the U.S.
Ilaria Akl is an immigrant herself, and she personally understands the importance of estate planning for immigrants. Her experience in estate law as well as immigration law enables her to offer legal services which benefit her clients' unique needs.
