Estate Planning, Wills, Trust and Probate Attorneys | Georgia
Estate Planning, Wills, Trust and Probate Attorneys | GeorgiaColeman Legal Group, LLC
Phone: 470-947-2471
Planning for the future of your loved ones is very important no matter what the economic climate is. It is important to establish a clear plan for the distribution of your assets.
We Provide Full Service Estate Planning, Probate, and Estate Administration
A proper estate plan will be clear and leave no room for confusion. Our Georgia estate planning attorneys will provide you with effective and caring legal counseling and professionally drafted estates documents to meet all your short and long term estate planning needs. Our Georgia estate planning attorneys assist clients by tailoring an estate plan to meet their needs.
Trusts: Revocable, Irrevocable & More
Trusts are powerful estate planning tools that can help you manage, protect, and transfer your assets during your lifetime and after your death. We assist clients in Georgia with a wide range of trust structures, tailored to meet specific financial, tax, and family needs. Types of trusts we commonly prepare include:
- Revocable Living Trusts: Allow you to maintain control of your assets during your lifetime, with seamless management and distribution after death, often avoiding probate.
- Irrevocable Trusts: Used to protect assets from creditors, reduce estate taxes, or qualify for Medicaid; cannot be changed once established.
- Special Needs Trusts (SNTs): Designed to provide financial support to a person with a disability without affecting their eligibility for means-tested government benefits like SSI or Medicaid. These trusts are carefully structured under Georgia and federal guidelines.
- Spendthrift Trusts: Prevent beneficiaries from squandering inherited assets and offer protection from their creditors.
- Disclaimer Trusts: Allow a surviving spouse to disclaim part of the inheritance and pass it to alternate beneficiaries, often used for tax planning.
- Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs): Remove life insurance proceeds from your taxable estate while still providing for loved ones.
- Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs) and Spousal Access Trusts: Provide for a spouse during lifetime while preserving assets for future generations.
- Marital Trusts: Help ensure financial support for a surviving spouse while preserving estate tax exemptions.
- QTIP Trusts (Qualified Terminable Interest Property Trusts): Used in Georgia estate planning to provide income to a surviving spouse while preserving the principal for children or other beneficiaries from a prior marriage. QTIP Trusts qualify for the marital deduction while maintaining control over the ultimate distribution of assets.
- Testamentary Trusts: Created through a will and only take effect upon death, often used for minor children or dependents with special needs.
- Dynasty Trusts: Preserve family wealth across multiple generations while minimizing estate taxes.
- Crummey Trusts: Allow gifts to a trust to qualify for the annual gift tax exclusion.
Wills / Last Will and Testaments
A Last Will and Testament is a foundational estate planning document that directs how your property will be distributed after your death. It also allows you to:
- Name beneficiaries, including individuals or charitable organizations.
- Appoint a personal representative (executor) to administer your estate.
- Designate a guardian for minor children.
We ensure your will is legally valid under Georgia law and properly coordinated with your overall estate plan.
Advance Medical Directives
Georgia law provides for an Advance Directive for Health Care, which allows you to:
- Clearly express your preferences regarding life-sustaining treatment and end-of-life care.
- Designate a trusted individual (health care agent) to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated.
Having a medical directive in place helps prevent uncertainty and ensures your wishes are honored.
Powers of Attorney (Financial and Medical)
- A Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal document that grants another person the authority to act on your behalf.
- A Durable Financial Power of Attorney allows someone to manage your financial and legal affairs, even if you become incapacitated.
- A General POA ends upon your incapacity or death.
- A Medical Power of Attorney is typically included in your Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care.
All POAs terminate upon your death. At that point, your estate is governed by your will or trust and administered by your chosen representative.
Probate and Estate Administration
Losing a loved one is difficult. However, navigating the legal process that follows shouldn’t be. We help Georgia families through the probate and estate administration process, ensuring that a decedent’s assets are gathered, debts are paid, and property is distributed according to the will or Georgia law. Whether the estate is simple or complex, we handle:
- Filing of wills and petitions
- Court representation
- Asset valuation and transfer
- Communication with creditors and heirs
- Guidance for executors and administrators
We aim to make this process as smooth and efficient as possible during a difficult time. More >
Our Georgia estate planning and administration attorneys also assist specific estate planning needs such as:
- Retirement Plan Beneficiary Designation: Ensuring your 401(k), IRA, and other retirement assets are directed to the appropriate beneficiaries in a tax-efficient manner.
- Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation: Structuring your designations to align with your overall estate plan and avoid unintended consequences.
- Family Business Succession Planning: Developing transition strategies for family-owned businesses, including buy-sell agreements, leadership planning, and asset protection.
- Estate Tax and Income Tax Minimization: Structuring trusts, gifts, and asset transfers to minimize exposure to federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, as well as income tax for beneficiaries.
- Advising and Legal Assistance for Fiduciaries, Executors, and Trustees: Guiding individuals who are managing estates or trusts through their legal duties and responsibilities under Georgia law.
- Family Incentive Trusts: Establishing trusts that promote values such as education, entrepreneurship, or philanthropy by conditioning distributions on life accomplishments.
- Family Love Letters: Helping clients prepare non-legal documents that communicate personal wishes, family history, values, or spiritual messages to loved ones.
- Charitable Giving and Philanthropic Planning: Structuring donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts, private foundations, and other vehicles to achieve long-term charitable goals.
- Pet Trusts and Animal Care Planning: Ensuring your beloved pets are cared for after your death with dedicated funds and named caregivers.
- Asset Protection Planning: Implementing legal strategies to safeguard assets from potential creditors, lawsuits, or long-term care costs.
- Special Needs Planning: Creating special needs trusts to protect eligibility for government benefits while providing financial support for a loved one with a disability.
- Blended Family Planning: Crafting estate plans that fairly address the needs of spouses, children from prior relationships, and current dependents.
- Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreement Integration: Coordinating estate plans with marital agreements to preserve rights and avoid future disputes.
- Digital Asset Planning: Addressing access to and control over digital accounts, cryptocurrencies, and online content.
- Tangible Personal Property Memorandums: Detailing your wishes for personal belongings such as heirlooms, jewelry, and collectibles in a manner that’s legally recognized in Georgia.
Probate, Wills, Estate Planning and Administration – Georgia Areas We Serve
Our Georgia Estate Planning attorneys handle cases in the following cities and communities: Atlanta, Alpharetta, Roswell, Duluth, Johns Creek, Milton, Cumming, Suwanee, Marietta, Woodstock, Sandy Springs, Kennesaw, Gainesville, Midtown Atlanta, Norcross, Lawrenceville, Kennesaw, Duluth, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Vinings, Smyrna, Buford, Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Decatur, Grant Park, East Atlanta, and the Virginia Highlands.
Our Georgia Estate Planning attorneys frequently handle cases for clients residing in the following counties: Fulton, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Cobb, DeKalb, Henry, Cherokee, Douglas, Carroll, Coweta, Paulding, Bartow, Hall, Barrow, Walton, Newton, Rockdale, Henry, Spalding, Fayette, and Clayton.
Georgia Areas We Serve
Our Georgia lawyers and attorneys handle cases in the following cities and communities: Atlanta, Alpharetta, Roswell, Duluth, Johns Creek, Milton, Cumming, Marietta, Woodstock, Kennesaw, Gainesville, Midtown Atlanta, Norcross, Lawrenceville, Kennesaw, Duluth, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Vinings, Smyrna, Buford, Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Decatur, Grant Park, East Atlanta and the Virginia Highlands.
Our Georgia lawyers and attorneys frequently handle cases for clients residing in the following counties: Fulton, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Cobb, DeKalb, Henry, Cherokee, Douglas, Carroll, Coweta, Paulding, Bartow, Hall, Barrow, Walton, Newton, Rockdale, Henry, Spalding, Fayette and Clayton.
Call 470-947-2471 to speak with an attorney.
Weekend and Evening Appointments and Consultations Available.
Our main office is located in Alpharetta Georgia at: 11539 Park Woods Circle, Suite 304, Alpharetta, GA 30005. We also have offices conveniently located at:
| Alpharetta Georgia Park Woods Commons 11539 Park Woods Circle Suite 304 Alpharetta, GA 30005 Phone: 470-947-2471 | Map |
Atlanta Georgia |
| Dunwoody, Sandy Springs GA 400, Atlanta Georgia 1200 Abernathy Rd Building 600 Atlanta, GA 30328 Phone: 470-947-2471 | Map |
Cumming Georgia |
| Johns Creek, Duluth GA 11555 Medlock Bridge Road Suite 100 Johns Creek, GA 30097 Phone: 470-947-2471 | Map |
Duluth Georgia |
| Kennesaw Georgia TownPark Center 125 TownPark Drive Suite 300 Kennesaw, GA 30144 Phone: 470-947-2471 | Map |
Lawrenceville |
Copyright © 2025 | Coleman Legal Group, LLC | All Rights Reserved. Coleman Legal Group, LLC • 11539 Park Woods Circle, Suite 304 • Alpharetta, Georgia 30005 • 470-947-2471 DISCLAIMER: The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.
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Updated: 2025-07-24
