Wyoming Estate Planning Attorney

Estate planning counsel built on more than 50 years of experience serving families and business owners throughout Wyoming.

If you are considering the preparation of a will, or you are responsible for settling the estate of a loved one, you are confronting decisions of considerable consequence. Sound preparation today provides security for the future and protection for those who depend on you. Davis & Johnson Law Office has helped families in communities across Wyoming with this work for more than five decades. Our Wyoming estate planning lawyer can explain what your situation calls for and prepare the documents to match. Contact our office whenever you would like to begin.

Estate Planning Lawyer Wyoming

Estate planning is the process of creating legal documents that direct your property, your medical care, and the guardianship of your children, all according to your own choices. An estate is simply the sum of what a person owns, large or small.

When someone dies without a will, Wyoming’s intestacy statutes step in and a court assigns the roles. The result is lawful, but it may be far from what the person wanted. A prepared plan replaces guesswork with instructions. Our Wyoming estate planning attorneys help clients make those decisions with a full understanding of the options.

Types of Estate Planning Cases We Handle in Wyoming

Estate planning is rarely about one document. The right set of documents depends on what you own, who depends on you, and what you want to prepare for. We match the tools to the person rather than the other way around. These are the estate planning matters we handle most often for clients across Wyoming.

• Wills. Of every estate document, the will is the one most plans are built around. It directs who receives your property, appoints the executor who will act on your wishes, and can name a guardian for minor children. We prepare each will carefully and confirm that the signing complies with Wyoming law.
• Trusts. A trust allows you to pass property under conditions of your choosing, and it frequently keeps an estate out of probate. Revocable living trusts draw families who value privacy and a quicker transfer. We help you decide whether one belongs in your plan.
• Probate. After a death, an estate ordinarily passes through probate before heirs receive their share. Many executors have never done this before. We handle the petitions, the notices to creditors, and the final accounting so the estate can close.
• Powers of attorney. A financial power of attorney places a person you trust in charge of your money if you cannot manage it yourself. You set how far that authority reaches. We draft it so your agent can act cleanly and without dispute.
• Advance healthcare directives. A healthcare directive states the treatment you want and names the person who speaks for you when you cannot. It removes a wrenching uncertainty from your family. We go through every option in plain language.
• Special needs trusts. Money left directly to a relative with a disability can cancel the benefits that person counts on. A special needs trust is the careful route around that. We structure it to support the beneficiary while maintaining eligibility.
• Asset protection planning. Some clients want their property kept clear of creditors or the expense of extended care. The right method depends on goals and on timing. We review your circumstances and tell you plainly which strategies fit.

Why Choose Davis & Johnson Law Office for Estate Planning in Wyoming?

Five Decades of Estate Work Across Wyoming

The firm has guided Wyoming residents through wills, trusts, and probate since long before many of today’s clients were born. Kelly Davis established the practice and has been a Wyoming lawyer since 1979, concentrating on estate planning, elder law, and asset protection. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and has lectured on powers of attorney for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. Jason Johnson joined the profession in 2014 and adds estate planning work, including matters before the Wyoming Supreme Court. Both hold law degrees from the University of Wyoming College of Law. Because the firm serves communities statewide, our attorneys are at home in courts throughout Wyoming.

Flat Fees Quoted Before We Begin

Our pricing leaves nothing to interpretation. For most estate planning documents, we charge a flat fee and state it before any work starts, with amendments handled separately when they are needed. You will not be surprised by an invoice. For more than 50 years, we have prepared wills, trusts, and directives that Wyoming families have trusted when it matters most.

Understanding Estate Planning Cases

Key Estate Planning Documents and What They Do

Almost every plan is assembled from the same core set of documents. Knowing the function of each makes it easier to recognize a gap in your own:

• Will. Names your heirs and the executor who carries out your wishes. Without one, Wyoming’s intestacy statutes decide for you.
• Living trust. Holds your property and transfers it on the terms you set, often avoiding probate.
• Financial power of attorney. Lets someone you choose handle money matters if you can no longer manage them yourself.
• Healthcare power of attorney. Gives a trusted person the authority to make medical decisions for you.
• Living will. Records your preferences about life-sustaining treatment in advance.
• Beneficiary designations. Set the beneficiaries for accounts such as life insurance and retirement plans, and supersede any conflicting instructions in your will.

The pieces of a plan need to align with each other to do their job. A revocable trust that was never funded after signing, for example, has almost no effect when the time comes. A document frequently absent from otherwise complete plans is a HIPAA authorization, which authorizes the people you name to communicate with your medical providers.

What Are Important Aspects of an Estate Planning Case?

A plan does its job when it is accurate, up to date, and impossible to misread. A few factors usually decide whether it holds up:

• The people you chose years ago may no longer be the right ones for the job.
• A marriage, a divorce, a birth, or a death should each send you back to the documents.
• Wording that is loose or self-contradictory invites argument among the people you leave behind.
• Assets left open to creditors or care costs sometimes need a strategy of their own.

That final point is worth raising early, because there are lawful ways to protect your assets before any claim ever appears. Planning for the cost of long-term care is part of the same conversation, and it is far easier to address before it is urgent. A review of your documents every few years is the simplest way to keep them in good standing.

What Is the Estate Planning Case Timeline?

How long the work takes depends on what it involves. Drafting a set of planning documents tends to be quick. Settling an estate through probate does not. A typical progression is as follows:

• A first consultation to review your assets, your family, and your goals.
• Drafting of every document the plan requires.
• A second meeting to read through the drafts and correct anything that is off.
• A signing appointment that meets Wyoming’s witnessing and notarization rules.
• Probate or trust administration, which begins only after a death.

We provide a realistic estimate for your situation at the outset. Probate in Wyoming often runs several months, and a large or contested estate can take longer. Because executors tend to raise the same concerns, we work through a number of common probate questions early so nothing is a surprise.

What Should You Bring to Your Estate Planning Consultation?

The clearer your picture of what you own, the more we can cover in a single meeting. Bring what you have of the following:

• A general list of your property, accounts, real estate, and any business interests.
• The beneficiary designations currently on your insurance and retirement accounts.
• Any will, trust, or power of attorney you have signed before.
• The names of people you would trust as executor, trustee, or agent.

If some of that is missing, that is fine. The first consultation is mainly a discussion of your goals and how Wyoming law applies to them. There is no rush and no pressure. You will leave with a recommended plan and a clear price, and the decision to move ahead stays yours.

Important Wyoming Legal Resources for Estate Planning Cases

Estate planning in Wyoming rests on state statutes, with federal tax law involved once an estate grows large. Each source below comes from the body that maintains it. If you want some background before reaching out, these official resources are a reliable place to begin:

• The Wyoming Legislature publishes Wyoming’s probate statutes, covering wills, estates, and administration.
• The Wyoming Judicial Branch describes the district courts that oversee probate statewide.
• The IRS sets out the federal estate tax and the threshold for filing a return.
• The IRS also explains estate and gift taxes in broader terms.
• The Wyoming Department of Health describes Medicaid programs tied to long-term care planning.

Read these for general understanding. The way any of it applies depends on the details of your own estate.

Reach Out to Davis & Johnson Law Office to Schedule a Consultation

A sound estate plan starts with one conversation. At Davis & Johnson Law Office, we explain each decision in plain terms and provide a flat-fee quote for most documents before any drafting begins. You will understand the plan and the cost in advance. Contact us to schedule a consultation with a Wyoming estate planning lawyer.