Arkansas Estate Planning & Elder Care Lawyers Helping You Plan for the Future

A durable power of attorney names a person of your choice to manage financial, legal, and business affairs should you become incapacitated or die. The “durable” part means that the power of attorney grants this authority even after your death, while a power of attorney that is not durable ends when you pass away.

Without a will, your estate will have to go through the probate process, where the court will appoint someone—possibly someone you don’t know—to manage your legal, business, and financial affairs, choose a guardian for your children if needed, and make decisions about your assets. This can put your loved ones through a long and expensive probate process at a time when they are likely to be grieving and emotionally fragile. A will is an important document to have in place.

Nobody wants to think they could be ill or injured to the degree that they are comatose, reduced to a vegetative state, or have no quality of life, but we all know or have heard about someone who has suffered this tragic fate. You probably have strong feelings about whether or not you would want your life prolonged in this situation. Whether you do or you don’t, the only reliable, legally-enforced way that your wishes can be known and followed is by having a living will that specifies your wishes ahead of time.

Even if you have been denied Medicaid or veterans benefits, our skilled attorneys may be able to help you with a strategy that can make you eligible while preserving assets. Sometimes this involves finding ways to reduce income or assets via trusts, assets transfers, or division of marital assets, for example, and sometimes it is simply a matter of correcting mistakes on the initial application. The best strategy is to consult one of our attorneys before applying the first time. In this way, you will maximize your chances of being approved as quickly as possible.