It is important to take the time to make plans for the unthinkable while you still have the opportunity. After all, you never know when your time may come. Accidents, natural disasters, or a sudden medical condition can catch anyone by surprise. Any of these catastrophes can render you unable to care for yourself or make decisions regarding your health and your estate.
This is where living wills become useful. These legal documents detail what you want to happen if you end up on life support or in a coma. Living wills also award power of attorney, which may impact the control of your estate. Ultimately, having a living will allows you to maintain control over your destiny, even if you fall victim to an unexpected tragedy. In the process, a living will can spare your family from having to make these traumatic, life-or-death decisions.
If you worry about what would happen if you suddenly became incapacitated, a Gainesville living will lawyer from Bogin, Munns & Munns can be there to offer you peace of mind.
By acting as your legal counsel, we can represent you during any legal proceedings that may come about from your affairs. Further, our attorneys can help you act within state law while drafting your living will, offering legal guidance on any important issues that may arise. With all your affairs in order, you will have one less uncertainty to worry about.
To discuss your needs and our living will services with a member of our team, call Bogin, Munns & Munns today.
Understanding Power of Attorney in Living Wills
When navigating the process of drafting a living will, it may be beneficial to elect someone to act on your behalf if you become incapacitated. Awarding power of attorney allows someone else to make important end-of-life care decisions for you. These designated powers may only be valid over a pre-determined period of time and may only encompass selected aspects of your life, depending on your wishes.
There are two general variations of power of attorney, including:
- Limited power of attorney: this only lasts for a specified time period. Further, it limits the function of the attorney to the powers explicitly specified in the terms of the living will.
- Unlimited power of attorney: there are no restrictions in this agreement. As such, the power of attorney goes on indefinitely, while covering a variety of decisions made on your behalf. The responsibility can even extend to cover instances where the individual wakes up from a coma but is deemed unreliable to make important decisions due to their weakened mental state. This may allow access to certain funds or properties held in your name.
Factors to Consider in Living Wills
In addition to power of attorney and general end of life care instructions, living wills can also detail more specific directions, including:
- The use of palliative or hospice care
- Preferences you have for organ donation
- Whether you want to be revived if you suffer cardiac arrest
- Authorization to use certain medications
- And more
As you can see, living wills can benefit anyone with specific wishes for their health and wellbeing, should they become incapacitated.
To consult with an experienced living will lawyer serving Gainesville
855-780-9986
Estate Planning Services Offered by Bogin, Munns & Munns
Living wills only make up a portion of the estate planning services our attorneys offer at Bogin, Munns & Munns. With any estate, there are numerous factors you may wish to consider, such as life insurance, medical record releases, asset division, child custody, and much more.
To better serve the needs of you and your family, our estate planning services include:
- Assigning a durable power of attorney
- Representing clients in matters of probate law, including any potential litigation
- Establishing trusts
- Drafting and legalizing a Last Will and Testament
- Medical records privacy waiver
- Designation of a health care surrogate and a pre-need guardian
- Working on tax-related concerns
- And more
Without the proper precautions, every aspect of a person’s life can be called into question upon their untimely passing. For example, if a person chooses not to dictate a will, their property may be divided amongst their heirs under Florida Statutes §732.101. This may create a fraught and lengthy legal process for your family to deal with.
At the end of the day, we want to help our clients address all their estate concerns before it is too late, allowing them to rest assured that their wishes will be carried out through legally binding documentation.
Whether you are seeking a Gainesville living will lawyer, a litigation lawyer, or anything in between, the legal team at Bogin, Munns & Munns can be there to help ease your mind.
Living Will Lawyers Representing Clients in Gainesville
When you choose to retain a Gainesville living will lawyer at Bogin, Munns & Munns, we can use our understanding of Florida estate law to help address any concerns you may have.
We can be there to help you make tough decisions, understand how the law may apply to your choices, and help you steer clear of any potential hazards that may arise down the line. Our attorneys can offer legal guidance throughout the drafting process and can even help to represent your wishes for end-of-life medical care moving forward.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact a Bogin, Munns & Munns team member today.
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