Peace Of Mind Starts Here: Prepare With A Wills Attorney In Wisconsin

Your home, possessions and other assets are at the core of who you are. They represent your life’s work, and protecting them is essential. A will ensures your loved ones and cherished belongings are cared for according to your wishes. Attorney Ashley Lillesand-Leonhard, founder of Lillesand Leonhard Law LLC, seeks to give clients the peace of mind that comes from knowing their wishes will be honored.

Since 2007, her work as a lawyer has been focused on helping clients in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties create estate plans that include personalized wills. For professional legal will services, schedule your free consultation today.

What Happens If I Die Without A Will In Wisconsin?

If you die intestate in Wisconsin, the state determines the distribution of your assets through a legal process called intestate succession. This default plan may not align with your wishes. During intestate succession, Wisconsin law prioritizes inheritance in this way:

• If you have a spouse and children: Spouse and children inherit
• If you have children only: Children inherit (no spouse)
• If no spouse, children and other relatives only: Parents, siblings and other relatives Inherit

Ashley can help you sidestep this cookie-cutter approach. Why leave it to chance? Let a wills attorney help. Together, you’ll craft a will that fits your unique family situation and ensures you, not the state, decide who inherits your assets.

Challenges To Intestate Succession

Intestate succession can be complicated and gives way to various issues, such as:

• Loss of control: You won’t have the opportunity to express your wishes and the state’s default plan might not align with your intentions.
• Family conflict: Disagreements can arise among loved ones about asset distribution.
• Guardianship decisions: You won’t be able to choose a guardian for your children.
• Specific bequests: You can’t leave items to specific people.
• Public process: Probate is a public process, meaning your financial affairs become an open record.

In addition to these stressors, dying without a will usually means your estate will likely go through probate. Probate is the court-supervised process of administering an estate. You can avoid this process with a will, saving your family time, money and unnecessary stress.

Steps To Creating A Will In Wisconsin

If you’ve decided to create a will, you’re on the right track. Here’s a quick checklist to guide you through the process: 

• Choose a personal representative to manage your estate
• Designate your beneficiaries
• If you have minor children, name a guardian for them
• Specify bequests to people or organizations you care about
• Sign and witness your will according to state law
• Store your original will safely, ensuring your executor knows its location

Consult with a wills attorney like Ashley. She can guide you through each item on this checklist. She can also ensure your will meets all of Wisconsin’s legal requirements.

How A Milwaukee Wills Attorney Can Help

Creating a will isn’t a one-and-done thing. Your life changes, and your will needs to change with it. A Lillesand Leonhard Law LLC, wills attorney can guide you through the necessary adjustments. Your will should also integrate seamlessly with other estate planning tools, such as powers of attorney as well as trusts. It all comes down to having a solid, comprehensive estate plan, which Ashley can help you create.

To start the wills preparation process, schedule your free consultation today. Call her Waukesha-based estate law firm at 414-488-6511 or inquire via email.