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Experienced Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Estate Planning Attorney
Taking the time now to plan for the future can protect your assets, help your loved ones follow through with your wishes and ease the burden of decision-making after you are gone. Whether you are interested in creating a simple will, establishing a trust or taking steps to avoid probate, The Law Office of Arthur H. Baker III can help you. Our estate planning attorney, Arthur Baker, has over 29 years of experience in helping individuals and families create comprehensive estate plans that address their immediate and future needs.
Estate planning involves preparing documents and establishing property arrangements that provide for reasonable succession for your assets after death. Morevoer, it allows you to specify your wishes regarding how your medical and financial decisions will be handled while you are still alive, in the event that you cannot make these decisions yourself.
Contact us to discuss your estate planning concerns with attorney Baker.
Our estate planning attorney can assist you with any of the following tools:
Revocable Trust
A revocable trust can be cancelled or amended, and can function as a will substitute. It has several advantages over a will: it can allow your loved ones to avoid the probate process, it offers privacy because it is not a public document, and it puts your wishes into effect more immediately than a will. Ultimately, it saves costs to the estate after your passing.
Will
A will can either be the base document for your estate planning or it can address any property that you forgot to add or received too late to include in a revocable trust.
Financial Durable Power of Attorney
A financial durable power of attorney (POA) designates an individual who can conduct business on your behalf should you become incapacitated. It allows the designated person the ability to sign contracts, pay bills or operate bank accounts on your behalf. Designated powers can be as broad or as limited as you choose. It is "durable" in that it still has effect even if you become incompetent. In addition, a properly executed POA is a means to avoid a guardianship, which can be cumbersome, expensive and embarrassing.
Medical Durable Power of Attorney
Medical durable power of attorney designates an individual who can make medical decisions on your behalf. The designated person may have the power to elect or refuse surgery, transfusion or extraordinary life-saving or prolonging measures. The medical durable POA may also be as broad or as limited as you choose and can take effect either immediately or under certain conditions.
Advance Health Care Directive/Living Will
Advance health care directives, or living wills, express your wishes regarding what medical procedures you do or do not want performed on you when you are sick, terminally ill or otherwise incapacitated. Through these instruments, you specify whether you want feeding tubes, hydration, respirators, dialysis, surgical intervention or palliative care, and under what circumstances.
We will draft all documents to be HIPAA-compliant, so your designated power of attorney can get your medical records if needed.
Contact The Law Office of Arthur H. Baker III for a free consultation with a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Morgantown, West Virginia, estate planning and probate lawyer.
Free initial consultations • Home and hospital visits • Weekend and evening appointments available • Pittsburgh office located conveniently one block from the City-County Building
The Law Office of Arthur H. Baker III
Pittsburgh Office
225 Ross St, 2nd floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Telephone: (412) 288-8800
Fax: (412) 391-1271
Morgantown Office
2567 University Avenue
Suite 7022
Morgantown, WV 26505
Telephone: (304) 906-8280
Fax: (412) 391-1271