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Estate Planning

Asset protection and estate planning are crucial components to ensuring that your loved ones will receive your belongings according to your wishes. At The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC, we build a customized will and trust plan according to your specific needs and wishes — providing you peace of mind in knowing how your legacy will be continued after your death. Estate planning is not a one-size-fits-all exercise. Every individual, family, and business owner has a unique set of assets, family circumstances, and long-term objectives that must be addressed through a carefully tailored legal strategy.


Many people delay estate planning because they believe it is only necessary for the wealthy or the elderly. That belief is one of the most costly misconceptions in personal finance and legal planning. Without a properly executed estate plan, your assets are subject to Florida's laws of intestate succession, your minor children may be placed under the supervision of a court-appointed guardian rather than the person you would have chosen, and your estate may be subjected to the time-consuming and expensive probate process that proper planning can often avoid entirely. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC helps individuals and families throughout South Florida create estate plans that are legally sound, personally meaningful, and built to protect what they have worked their entire lives to build.


Our firm serves individuals, families, and business owners in estate planning matters throughout Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, and all of South Florida. Contact us at (954) 789-0461 or legal@rcenterpriselaw.com to schedule a consultation with a Fort Lauderdale estate planning lawyer today.

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Estate Planning Attorney Fort Lauderdale

What Is Estate Planning?

Estate planning is the process of arranging for the management and distribution of your assets during your lifetime and after your death in a manner that reflects your wishes, minimizes unnecessary taxes and costs, and protects your loved ones from the legal and financial burdens that inadequate planning creates. A comprehensive estate plan typically includes a last will and testament, one or more trust documents, powers of attorney for financial and healthcare decisions, and advance directives — each serving a distinct function in the overall plan.


In Florida, estate planning is governed by a combination of the Florida Probate Code (Chapters 731 through 735, Florida Statutes), the Florida Trust Code (Chapter 736, Florida Statutes), and federal tax law governing estate and gift taxes. Florida's specific statutory framework — including its homestead laws, elective share provisions, and spousal rights — creates unique planning considerations for Florida residents that differ significantly from other states. An estate planning attorney who understands Florida's specific legal landscape is essential to creating a plan that achieves your objectives and holds up when it matters most.


Effective estate planning is not just about what happens after death. It also addresses what happens if you become incapacitated — ensuring that the right people have the legal authority to manage your finances, make healthcare decisions, and continue operating your business on your behalf if you are unable to do so yourself. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC approaches estate planning as a comprehensive life planning exercise — building documents that protect you and your loved ones at every stage of life, not just at its end.

Estate Planning Services in Fort Lauderdale and South Florida

Last Will and Testament

A will is a legal document directing the personal representative of your estate on how to distribute your personal and business assets upon your death. Without a properly executed will, your estate is subject to the laws of intestate succession — Florida Statute Section 732.101 et seq. — which may ultimately result in an unwanted distribution scheme that bears no resemblance to your actual wishes. We all are going to die one day. A will ensures that your loved ones receive your assets as you specifically intended — and that the person you trust most is appointed to carry out those intentions as your personal representative.


The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC customizes every will to account for all of a client's assets and business interests — including real property, financial accounts, business ownership interests, personal property, and digital assets. We advise clients on the specific execution requirements for a valid Florida will under Florida Statute Section 732.502 — including the witness and notarization requirements that, if not strictly followed, can render a will invalid entirely. In many instances, proper estate planning including a well-drafted will can avoid the long and expensive probate process — or at minimum streamline it significantly — saving your loved ones time, money, and unnecessary legal proceedings during an already difficult period.


A will also serves as the vehicle for naming a guardian for your minor children if both parents are deceased. For parents of young children, this is one of the most important provisions an estate plan can contain — because without a designated guardian in a valid will, a Florida court will make that determination without the benefit of your wishes. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC ensures every client with minor children addresses guardianship designation as a priority component of their estate plan.

Revocable Living Trusts

A revocable living trust is one of the most powerful and flexible estate planning tools available to Florida residents. During your lifetime, you retain full control over the assets held in the trust — you can add assets, remove assets, amend the trust's terms, or revoke it entirely. Upon your death or incapacity, the trust operates automatically — transferring management and distribution of your assets to your named successor trustee without the need for probate court involvement. This probate avoidance feature is one of the primary reasons South Florida residents with significant assets choose a revocable living trust as the centerpiece of their estate plan.


The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC drafts revocable living trusts for clients throughout South Florida — customizing every trust to reflect the client's specific assets, family structure, and distribution wishes. We advise on the funding of the trust — the process of transferring assets into the trust's name — which is the step most frequently overlooked and which, if neglected, renders the trust largely ineffective. A revocable living trust that is not properly funded does not avoid probate for the unfunded assets. Our attorneys ensure every client's trust is not just drafted but fully funded and operational from the day it is executed.


For business owners, a revocable living trust is also a critical business succession planning tool — allowing for the seamless transfer of business ownership interests upon death or incapacity without the disruption that probate proceedings would otherwise cause to business operations. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC coordinates estate planning with business succession planning for every business owner client we represent, ensuring the estate plan and the business structure work together to achieve the client's long-term objectives.

Irrevocable Trusts

Unlike a revocable living trust, an irrevocable trust permanently removes assets from your estate — which is precisely what makes it one of the most powerful asset protection and tax planning tools in estate planning. Once assets are transferred into an irrevocable trust, they are no longer considered part of your taxable estate, are generally protected from creditor claims, and may qualify for Medicaid planning benefits if structured correctly. The trade-off is that you surrender control over those assets — which is why irrevocable trusts require extremely careful planning and precise drafting to ensure they achieve their intended purpose without unintended consequences.


The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC advises clients on the full range of irrevocable trust structures available under Florida law — including irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), special needs trusts for disabled beneficiaries, Medicaid asset protection trusts, charitable remainder trusts, and spendthrift trusts for beneficiaries who may not be equipped to manage inherited assets responsibly. Each of these structures serves a distinct planning objective and must be carefully tailored to the client's specific circumstances. The decision to fund an irrevocable trust is one of the most significant estate planning decisions a client can make — and The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC ensures every client fully understands the legal and financial implications before any irrevocable commitment is made.


The asset protection benefits of an irrevocable trust are particularly significant for Florida professionals, business owners, and real estate investors who face elevated litigation exposure. By placing assets into a properly structured irrevocable trust before a claim arises, a client can significantly reduce the pool of assets available to future creditors — protecting their family's financial security even in the event of a judgment against them personally. Florida law imposes fraudulent transfer restrictions that must be carefully navigated, and the timing of irrevocable trust funding relative to existing or anticipated claims is a critical planning consideration that The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC addresses with every client.

Living Wills and Advance Directives

A living will — also known as an advance directive — is a legal document that expresses your wishes regarding the use of life-prolonging medical procedures if you become incapacitated and are unable to communicate those wishes yourself. In Florida, living wills are governed by Florida Statute Section 765.301 et seq. and allow individuals to specify whether they wish to receive artificial nutrition, hydration, mechanical ventilation, or other life-prolonging treatment in the event of a terminal condition, end-stage condition, or persistent vegetative state.


The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC prepares living wills and advance directives for clients throughout South Florida — ensuring every document complies with Florida's specific execution requirements and clearly expresses the client's wishes in a manner that will be honored by healthcare providers and family members alike. A living will is one of the most personal documents in an estate plan — reflecting decisions about life, death, and dignity that are deeply individual. We approach every living will engagement with the sensitivity and care that these decisions deserve, ensuring our clients have the opportunity to express their wishes fully and have those wishes documented with legal precision.

Power of Attorney

A power of attorney is a legal document authorizing another person — your agent — to act on your behalf in financial and legal matters. A durable power of attorney remains effective even if you become incapacitated — making it one of the most critical incapacity planning documents in any estate plan. Without a durable power of attorney, your family may be required to initiate a costly and time-consuming guardianship proceeding in Florida court to obtain the legal authority to manage your finances if you become unable to do so yourself.


Florida's Power of Attorney Act, governed by Chapter 709, Florida Statutes, was substantially revised and imposes specific execution and authority requirements that must be carefully followed for a power of attorney to be valid and effective. A power of attorney that does not comply with Florida's current statutory requirements — or that grants authority too broadly or too narrowly — may be rejected by banks, financial institutions, or government agencies at the precise moment it is needed most. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC drafts durable powers of attorney for clients throughout South Florida — tailored to grant the specific authorities the client intends while complying fully with Florida's current statutory requirements.


A healthcare surrogate designation — a separate but equally important incapacity planning document — authorizes your designated surrogate to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC prepares both financial powers of attorney and healthcare surrogate designations as standard components of every comprehensive estate plan, ensuring our clients and their families are protected in the event of incapacity as completely as they are protected in the event of death.

Testamentary Trusts

A testamentary trust is a trust created within a will that comes into existence upon the death of the will's creator. Unlike a revocable living trust — which is funded and operational during the creator's lifetime — a testamentary trust does not exist until the will is admitted to probate and the trust is funded with the assets distributed through the estate. Testamentary trusts are commonly used to manage assets for minor children until they reach a specified age, to provide ongoing support for a surviving spouse while preserving assets for children from a prior relationship, and to protect inheritances for beneficiaries with special needs or spending challenges.


The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC incorporates testamentary trust provisions into wills for clients with minor children, blended families, or beneficiaries who require ongoing asset management rather than outright distribution. We advise clients on the specific terms of testamentary trusts — including the age at which distributions should be made, the standard for distributions during the trust period, and the identity and succession of trustees — to ensure the trust achieves the client's protective objectives while providing sufficient flexibility for the trustee to respond to the beneficiary's actual needs over time.

Asset Protection Planning

Asset protection is the proactive process of structuring your assets in a manner that shields them from future creditor claims, lawsuits, and judgments — while remaining fully compliant with Florida and federal law. Florida provides several powerful asset protection tools that are unavailable in most other states — including Florida's unlimited homestead exemption, which protects the full value of a primary residence from most creditor claims, the head of household wage exemption, and the tenancy by the entireties protection for assets owned jointly by married couples.


The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC advises clients on comprehensive asset protection strategies — including the strategic use of Florida's statutory exemptions, LLC and corporate structuring to limit liability, irrevocable trust planning for high-exposure assets, and the coordination of asset protection planning with estate planning to achieve both objectives simultaneously. Asset protection planning must be done proactively — before a claim or lawsuit arises — because Florida's fraudulent transfer laws, governed by the Florida Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, Section 726.101 et seq., Florida Statutes, can unwind transfers made with the intent to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC ensures every asset protection strategy is legally sound, ethically structured, and designed to withstand scrutiny if ever challenged.

Charitable Trusts and Charitable Planning

Charitable giving is an important dimension of estate planning for many South Florida families — allowing individuals to support the causes they care about while potentially reducing estate and income tax exposure. Florida's estate planning framework supports several charitable giving vehicles — including charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and donor-advised funds — each providing different combinations of income, tax, and charitable benefits.


A charitable remainder trust allows a donor to transfer assets into a trust, receive an income stream from the trust during their lifetime, and designate a charitable organization as the remainder beneficiary upon death — generating a charitable income tax deduction at the time of the contribution while removing the asset from the taxable estate. A charitable lead trust works in the reverse — the charity receives income during the trust term and the remainder passes to the donor's heirs — making it an effective tool for transferring appreciating assets to the next generation at reduced gift and estate tax cost. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC advises clients on charitable planning strategies and drafts charitable trust documents that achieve both the client's philanthropic goals and their broader estate planning objectives.

Why Choose The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC as Your Estate Planning Attorney in Fort Lauderdale?

Estate planning is among the most personal legal work an attorney does — and it deserves counsel who approaches every engagement with genuine care, legal precision, and a real understanding of what is at stake for each individual client and their family. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC builds customized estate plans for individuals, families, and business owners throughout South Florida — plans that are legally sound, personally meaningful, and built to protect what our clients have worked their entire lives to build.


Richard P. Corey has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in civil litigation and business law for three consecutive years — a distinction awarded to fewer than 2.5% of attorneys in Florida — and has been featured in USA Today, Yahoo News, and Influencive. He brings the same strategic precision to estate planning that he applies across every area of the firm's practice — ensuring every estate plan is not just a collection of documents but a comprehensive, coordinated strategy designed to achieve our clients' specific goals. He is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and handles estate planning matters in coordination with the firm's business law, corporate law, and real estate practices to ensure every dimension of a client's legal and financial life is addressed cohesively.


Our firm is boutique by design. Every estate planning client works directly with Richard — receiving the direct, senior-level attention that estate planning demands. We take the time to understand each client's full picture — their assets, their family, their business interests, and their long-term objectives — before recommending a single document. That comprehensive approach is what produces estate plans that actually work when they are needed most.

Serving Estate Planning Clients Throughout South Florida

The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC represents individuals, families, and business owners in estate planning matters throughout:

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  • Fort Lauderdale

  • Broward County

  • Miami

  • Miami-Dade County

  • Boca Raton

  • West Palm Beach

  • Palm Beach County

  • Pompano Beach

  • Hollywood

  • Coral Springs

  • Plantation

  • Davie

  • Deerfield Beach

  • Weston

  • All of South Florida

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We handle estate planning matters in Florida state courts statewide and in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Schedule a Consultation With a Fort Lauderdale Estate Planning Attorney

Whether you are creating your first estate plan, updating existing documents after a major life event, or implementing a comprehensive asset protection strategy, The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC is ready to provide the thoughtful, precise legal counsel your estate plan deserves. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.


The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC
915 Middle River Drive, Suite 408
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Phone: (954) 789-0461
Email: legal@rcenterpriselaw.com
Website: rcenterpriselaw.com

Related Practice Areas

For matters involving real property, commercial leases, or real estate transactions, our real estate law practice provides comprehensive representation. When estate or trust disputes require litigation, our civil litigation attorneys are prepared to protect your interests in court. For business succession planning and corporate structuring, visit our corporate legal counsel.

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