How it works

It all begins with a conversation. Here's exactly what happens from your first call to the day you sign.

1. Call us. We set up your first attorney meeting.
2. Meet your client coordinator. They guide you through the whole process.
3. Meet with an attorney and share your story. We talk about your family, your goals, and your worries.
4. Fill out a simple form. Your coordinator helps, so it's quick and easy.
5. Lock in a signing date. You know exactly when your plan will be finished.

For an estate plan, you know the price before you sign. We start with a chat, the attorney looks at what you actually need, and then we quote a flat fee that shows the price, the work included, and any out-of-pocket costs. For probate, trust administration, and guardianship, we explain how fees work at your first meeting.

I'd rather you understand every page of your plan than sign something you can't explain to your own family.

Families from Pembroke Pines

Maybe you're ready to get a will or trust done, or you're trying to figure out whether a trust makes sense for you. Or someone in your family has died, and you've been told you need a probate lawyer. We help Pembroke Pines families with all three.

If you live in Century Village or another 55+ community, you may be thinking further ahead, about long-term care, what happens to the condo, and who can step in if you need help. Those are good questions to bring with you.

If probate is needed for someone who lived in Pembroke Pines, the case is handled by the Broward County probate court in Fort Lauderdale. We can explain how that works and help the family through it.

Our office is in Davie, a straight drive up Flamingo Road from Pembroke Pines, at 12401 Orange Drive, Suite 219, in The Crexent office buildings near Flamingo Road and Griffin Road.

If you're here for someone else

Someone passed away

Yes, we handle probate and estate administration, and we also help trustees with trust administration. You don't need to have the paperwork together or know what to ask. Call 954-862-1479 or send a few lines through our contact form, and you'll usually hear back from us the same business day. If you'd like to read first, see our probate page and the flyer "What To Do When A Loved One Passes Away" on our Resources page.

Helping a parent

We often hear from sons and daughters getting a parent's affairs in order. Tell us a little about your mom or dad when you reach out. Your parent is our client, so the attorney and your parent decide together how family takes part, and if you don't live nearby, we meet over Zoom and send the paperwork by mail.

What a plan usually includes

The names sound complicated, but each document has a simple job.

• A will says who receives what after you die and who's in charge of settling things.
• A revocable living trust can hold your home and accounts, can let them pass to your family without probate, and lets someone you pick manage them if you can't.
• A durable power of attorney names a person to handle your money and paperwork. It works from the day you sign it and keeps working if you become unable to act.
• A health care surrogate designation names who can make medical decisions for you.
• A living will writes down your wishes about end-of-life care.

Not every family needs all of these. Some need more, like planning for a child with special needs or for long-term care.

Questions we hear from Pembroke Pines

Do I need a trust, or is a will enough?

It depends on what you own and what you want to happen. A trust can help some families avoid probate and plan for incapacity, while a will is the right fit for others. We'll go through both with you in plain terms.

Someone told me I need a probate lawyer. What does that mean?

Probate is the court process that transfers a person's property after they die, when it wasn't already set up to pass another way. A probate lawyer helps the person named to settle the estate with the court steps. Whether probate is needed at all depends on how things were owned.

Can planning help with the cost of long-term care?

It can, depending on your situation and timing. Elder law and long-term care planning looks at how care might be paid for and what documents should be in place. It's worth talking through before a need comes up, if you can.

I want to leave my home to my children. What's the simplest way?

There are a few ways, including a will, a trust, or how the deed is set up, and each works differently. If you're married or have a minor child, Florida's homestead rules can limit who the home can go to, so that's part of what we'd look at. The right choice depends on your family and the rest of your plan.

Get started

Call 954-862-1479, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. You can also send a couple of sentences through our contact form or email info@jakoblegal.com. You don't need to know the right document to ask.

If you want to start on your own first, download a free sample of my workbook, My Life & Legacy Organizer, on our Resources page. The full 117-page book is on Amazon.

This page is general information, not legal advice, and contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.