Estate Planning Case Study: Brenda's Unique Path to Protecting Her Legacy and Loved Ones

Client Background

Meet Brenda, a determined individual with a singular goal: to ensure her estate plan reflects her precise wishes and provides for her only daughter. Brenda's life was undergoing a significant transition, as she was in the process of divorcing her estranged husband. Among her assets, the family home was listed as jointly owned between her and her estranged husband.
What set Brenda's case apart were her unique and specific wishes. She desired that her companion be allowed to remain in the condo for as long as he wished after her passing. Importantly, her daughter was fully aware and supportive of this arrangement.

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Estate Planning Solutions

Will Drafting: The cornerstone of Brenda's estate plan was the creation of a legally binding will. This document meticulously outlined her intentions for asset distribution, with her only daughter designated as the primary beneficiary.
Trust for the Family Home: Brenda's specific wishes regarding the family home presented a unique challenge. To address this, we crafted a tailored trust for her property. This trust allowed her companion to reside in the condo for as long as he desired after Brenda's passing while ensuring that the property ultimately passed to her daughter.

Conclusion

Brenda emerged from the estate planning process with a comprehensive plan that honored her unique wishes and protected her legacy. The legally binding will ensured that her assets would be distributed as she intended, with her daughter as the primary beneficiary. The trust for her family home provided a solution that allowed her companion to remain in the condo, as per her wishes, while preserving her daughter's inheritance.

This case study showcases the importance of crafting estate plans that reflect an individual's specific needs and desires, even in complex and non-traditional situations. Brenda's commitment to ensuring her legacy was protected, combined with our tailored solutions, resulted in a plan that provided for her loved ones and upheld her unique wishes.

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Meet Our Estate Planning Lawyers

Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years before starting the firm that became slnlaw in 2009. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year.

Jenna Ordway: Jenna is a 2013 graduate of Quinnipiac Law School, and also earned an LLM in Taxation from Boston University in 2015. She has been affiliated with slnlaw since 2011, first as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Jenna has been recognized since 2019 as a "Rising Star" by Massachusetts Superlawyers. Jenna wrote a book on estate planning: The Road to Peace of Mind: What You Need to Know About Estate Planning. Jenna has helped many individuals and families with planning to protect their legacies and loved ones, and planning for the future and succession of their businesses.

Sharleen Tinnin: Sharleen is a 2010 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, and earned her LLM in estate planning from Western New England Scool of Law in 2016. She has been with slnlaw since 2023. Prior to joining slnlaw, she worked with King, Tilden, McEttrick & Brink, P.C. on complex civil litigation matters. She previously worked for the United States Department of Justice, and received an "Excellence in Justice" award in 2017. Sharleen has helped many clients with planning for their legacies and their future, and navigating the probate process in Massachusetts after the death of a loved one.

How We Can Help

Our estate planning expertise is dedicated to meeting your unique needs and ensuring your legacy is preserved as you desire. Let us assist you in creating a personalized estate plan, just as we did for Brenda. You can use the button below to schedule a call back from a member of our team, or give us a call at 781-784-2322.