Wills, Trusts & Estates

I enjoy working with individuals, couples, and businesses interested in preserving wealth though estate planning and asset protection.

• Nolo Document Review

• Life Insurance

• Estate Taxes & Gift Taxes
• Power of Attorney
• Property Taxes
• Sales Taxes & Use Taxes
• Tax Planning

• Charitable Giving
• Charitable Trusts
• Drafting Trusts
• Drafting Wills
• Estate Administration
• Estate Planning
• Living Trusts
• Living Wills
• Probate
• Asset Protection
• Guardianship
• Power of Attorney
• Business Succession Planning
• Special Needs Trust
• Supplemental Needs Trust
• Revocable Trust & Irrevocable Trust

FL, Jun 2007
Bar Number: 39008

Florida State Courts.

American Bar Association, Florida Bar, Jacksonville Bar Association, Estate Planning Council of North East Florida, National Association of Elder Lawyers, and Florida Association of Elder Lawyers.

I attend continuing legal education seminars on the topics of Business law, Estate Planning, Probate, Guardianship, and Asset protection. I also speak on Legal Marketing, Asset Protection and Estate Planning at our local law school, business organizations, and accounting and financial associations.

I have written a North East Florida Guide on Nursing Homes and have authored over 350 articles that are on my Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog.

I have worked with complex estate planning situations involving assets in excess of 10 Million dollars which utilize a variety of techniques to provide heirs and beneficiaries with substantial wealth and minimize estate taxes.

Additionally, I have experience in the formation or conversion of business entities to maximize asset protection available to clients.

I have also represented individuals and companies in issues surrounding alleged violations of non-compete agreement violations.

6

Florida

FLORIDA BUSINESS LAW: I prefer Florida Breach of Contract cases and Florida non-compete agreement cases. Most non-compete cases involve Florida Non-Solicitation Agreements. Many of these agreements can be negotiated to find a workable solution for the employee and employer. Often the main contention is the validity of the Florida restrictive covenant. We help our clients resolve issues in a timely and cost effective method.

FLORIDA ELDER LAW: I work with individuals to do effective Florida Medicaid Planning. This process involved using Medicaid Asset Test and Medicaid Income Test. We often use tools like the Florida Enhanced Life Estate Deed and Qualified Income trusts or Miller trusts to resolve compliance issues and avoid Probate and potential Medicaid claims. We help our Elder law clients obtain benefits and preserve their assets for their spouse and family.

FLORIDA ESTATE PLANNING: I prepare estate planning documents for individuals with modest to large estates. I find each family has its own unique dynamics and like to help families achieve their goals through proper planning. A Florida Estate Plan should include Durable Power of Attorney, a Combination Living Will, Designation of Healthcare Surrogate, & HIPAA release, a Florida Will or Florida Pourover will. In addition may individual but not all can benefit from a Florida Revocable Trust or Florida Living Trust. As the net worth of the families or individuals increases we use specialized tools to reduce or eliminate probate fees, and estate taxes. I like to approach Estate Planning with an eye towards Asset Protection. In larger plans we often separate liabilities and block them in to a business entity so they cannot attach to other assets. This helps preserve and limit liability in the case of unexpected circumstances.

FLORIDA GUARDIANSHIP: - We help families and individuals with two types of guardianships. The First is when a person is not able to care for themselves and the second usually involves children. In some cases it is necessary to apply for an Emergency Guardianship so that actions can be taken quickly to protect an individual's health or assets from abuse. In most cases the first step is the Appointment of a Florida Guardian which can involve incapacity proceedings to determine if a Florida Limited Guardianship or Florida Plenary Guardianship is required. The difference between the types of Florida Guardianships is based around the restrictions on the rights of the ward.

FLORIDA PROBATE: I handle Florida probate cases throughout Florida and I expedite the process when permitted by law. Often we can do an abbreviated probate process called a Florida Summary Administration Our costs are very reasonable and usually less than the statutory fees set by Florida's probate code.

FLORIDA GUN TRUSTS / NFA TRUST CLASS 3: we work with individuals who wish to purchase items regulated by the NRA. These Class 3 weapons are legal to own in most states. We help clients streamline the purchasing process and through the use of a NRA Gun Trust we can help protect the owners and their families from the potential civil and criminal liability that attaches to the improper possession or transfer of these items.

Apple Law Firm PLLC helps families in Jacksonville Estate Planning, Jacksonville Elder law, Jacksonville Business Formation, Florida Asset Protection, Florida Trust Litigation, Florida Probate Contests and Litigation, Florida Probate law, Jacksonville Probate law, Florida Guardianships, and Jacksonville Criminal Defense.


In addition the Apple Law Firm PLLC publishes the
Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog ,
Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog , and
NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog

manufacturing, marketing, retail, direct marketing and ecommerce. With my broad business background, I concentrate in the areas of business formations, business transactions, elder law, and estate planning, and asset protection. I write the Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog which deals with Florida Probate, Florida Estate Planning, Florida Elder Law, Florida Guardianship, and Florida Business Law.

Office Manager/Assistant: Beth Goldman/Jennifer Wheat

(904) 212-0678

Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
7 days a week by iPhone.

Yes

I find that when possible, my clients tend to like fixed price services. As long as everyone is honest and there are no substantial surprises, everyone is happy. Many situations involving litigation must be done on an hourly basis because of the large variations on services that can be preformed.

$200 - $250 depending on the work.

WillMaker Document Review:

For reviewing both wills and living trusts I charge $99.

Most areas of practice have a free initial consultation. Non-compete and some business litigation issues have a $100 initial consultation for the first 30 minutes.

Retainers can vary. They start at $500 and they usually cover the anticipated representation or initial stages depending on the complexity. We are flexible and can work with our clients.