Estate Planning and Administration

Keeping your success in the family may be the most important thing you can do for your business. Spotts Fain has extensive experience helping successful people preserve financial assets for family members and other beneficiaries.

Our attorneys approach estate planning with an understanding that there are often very sensitive and private family matters involved in the decisions. We endeavor to provide our clients with an estate plan that meets not only the objectives of preservation of our clients’ estates, but also a plan that meets our clients’ objectives with regard to their family needs.

Estate Planning Services and Experience:

• Tax planning to minimize or eliminate estate and gift taxes
• Succession planning to ensure the continuation of a business
• Insurance trusts, usually irrevocable trusts, to provide funding for the payment of estate taxes without increasing those taxes
• Living trusts to avoid probate, facilitate asset administration or to provide special planning for a loved one
• Limited liability companies and family limited partnerships to minimize the amount of estate and gift tax on assets that are passed on to loved ones
• Wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and advanced medical directives (living wills)
• Charitable trusts, gifts and bequests
• Conservation easements
• Other important estate planning techniques

Contested Wills and Trust Litigation
We also have extensive experience helping individuals and families mediate and litigate disputes arising from the distribution of assets through contested wills and trusts. Our lawyers serve as lead counsel in probate litigation cases, as well as local counsel in federal courts and Virginia state courts.

Estate and Trust Administration
Upon the death of an estate holder, we can handle the tough legal details that often confront a family at a very emotional time. Our attorneys are familiar with the probate process in courts throughout Virginia. If your family has established a financial trust for the distribution of assets, we serve as experienced, ethical trust administrators.