Practice Areas

Longview, Washington Estate Planning and Probate Lawyers

Local attorneys providing estate planning and probate services in southwest Washington, including Longview, Woodland, Vancouver, Centralia, Chehalis, and Kelso Washington, Wahkiakum County, Cowlitz County, Lewis County, Clark County, and Pacific County.

At Reitsch, Weston & Blondin, P.L.L.C., we help families preserve their assets and provide for the needs of their loved ones through estate-planning.

Few areas of the law are more individual than estate planning. Rather than using a cookie-cutter approach, we will talk to you about your family's assets and your goals. Then we will draft a variety of legal documents that are tailored to your family's needs. These documents may include:

• A Will
• Durable Power of attorney
• Healthcare directive (also known as a living will)
• Trusts, such as a living trust, a life insurance trust, a personal residence trust, or a special needs trust

A will is a person's declaration of how one wants their property dispersed after death. Because there are complex regulations regarding the validity of any will, it is important to hire an attorney with knowledge and experience. A durable power of attorney allows you to designate a trusted person to pay bills and make certain financial decisions for you if you are unable to do so yourself. A healthcare directive allows you to communicate exactly what steps you want taken to prolong your life if you become terminally ill.

By maintaining your assets in a trust, you can minimize taxes, avoid probate and leave a larger inheritance to your loved ones. The use of a trust is also a way to provide a steady income to a beneficiary over the course of time, rather than distribution in a lump sum. Trusts can also be established to benefit charitable organizations. At Reitsch, Weston & Blondin, P.L.L.C., we both set up trusts for our clients and also help administer trusts.

Probate & Estate Administration

Probate is the legal process by which a person's debts are paid and assets are distributed upon her or his death. Estate Administration includes the probate process as well as non-probate transfers of a deceased person's assets to heirs and beneficiaries. If you have been named as an administrator or executor of someone's estate, Reitsch, Weston & Blondin, P.L.L.C. will help ensure that all legitimate bills are paid and the deceased's assets are distributed correctly in accordance with Washington state law.

We encourage you to review the credentials of estate planning and probate administration lawyer Gerry Reitsch. You are also invited to contact us. We look forward to the opportunity to meet you to discuss possible representation.

Every case is important to us.
Call Reitsch, Weston & Blondin, P.L.L.C. at (360) 423-4050