SutterWilliams Law

Love. Happiness. Peace. May these be your gifts this Christmas season. Merry Christmas to all our clients and colleagues from the law offices of SutterWilliams.

To our clients, staff, and colleagues - we are thankful and grateful for you! Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you to all the men and women who served, and continue to serve, to protect us and our great nation.

Kudos from our Clients! We love hearing feedback from our clients. Here's one we recently received from an estate planning client: "Kathryn was a pleasure to work with. She promptly answered my calls and any questions I had. Mr. Sodini was also very valuable in consulting with me and explaining my legal options."

Along with the recent shift in the political landscape, comes many potential tax law changes that may greatly impact your estate plan documents. Call us now to review your estate plan documents and discuss your options. 412-904-4682.

Are Sibling Disputes Over Parent’s POAs Preventable? Powers of attorney (POA) are one of the most powerful estate planning documents that you will ever sign. As a result, extreme care should be exercised in choosing your agents. But even when you select one child as your agent under the POA, there is always a chance that disputes may arise between your children. Financial POAs give your agent the powers to: open and close bank accounts, withdrawal funds from your accounts, ...manage your IRAs, pay bills, make gifts, etc. Medial POAs give your agent the powers to make your medical decisions for you when you are no longer able to communicate with your healthcare providers. When a parent names one child as their agent the other children can be left feeling hurt and a sense of not being trustworthy. But keep in mind that: The parent does not have to tell their children who they chose as agent. The parent can always revoke, in writing, the POA so long as he/she is competent. If the parent is no longer competent, the court can remove the agent if the agent is acting improperly. The agent does not have the power to prevent their siblings from seeing their parent(s). The POA terminates upon the death of the parent. It is possible to appoint co-agents. Co-agents provide checks and balances and share the work. However, co-agents can cause more confusion in an already stressful time for your loved ones. If you choose to appoint co-agents then you should make it crystal clear in your POA whether or not the co-agents must act together or if they can make decisions independent of one another. Disputes between siblings about how to care and provide for their parents can escalate to expensive guardianship proceedings. Formal Sibling Agreements can help guide children through their parent’s wishes. At the very least, parents should have an open discussion with their children about their long term healthcare and financial plans. Call our law firm. We can help you set up a Power of Attorney that is in your best interest. 412-904-4682.

As you can see there are many legal documents that everyone should have... This past week we have listed just a few of the endless beneficial reasons for a young family to sit down with an experienced attorney. If you are ready to take the next step and create a plan to protect and build for your family's future, then contact us today at SutterWilliams, LLC at 412-904-4682.

Every couple should know where your marriage license and or divorce decree is located. You will need these documents in order to transfer ownership of assets to a surviving spouse. Without these documents being handy, it could take the courthouse a few weeks or longer to mail these documents to you. Both are necessary in proving (or disproving) spousal benefits. The longer it takes for these documents to be provided to your surviving spouse, the longer they will have to wait to receive any payouts from your accounts.