The highly publicized estate battles of celebrities cast a bright spotlight on the importance of having the proper estate planning. You'll have a front row seat in the courtroom while Trial and Heirs: Famous Fortune Fights! replays the "tabloid drama" and points out what went wrong in these riveting cases. Legacy Expert Attorneys Andrew W. Mayoras and Danielle B. Mayoras are your guides - with research and court records in one hand, and juicy celebrity stories in the other. These include Michael Jackson, Ted Kennedy, Princess Di, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Sinatra, Martin Luther King Jr., Brooke Astor, Rosa Parks... and many others! This easy-to-follow guide is complete with Tips to Avoid a Family Fight and Ideas to Spark Family Discussion. The tips alone could save you thousands (or more!) in legal fees. Discover how to steer clear of the same celebrity estate "errors" as you protect yourself and your "heirs." 

You know that now is the time to do something in the way of estate planning to provide for your young children -- but what, exactly? Is a will all you need? What about life insurance or a living trust? And how much will it all cost? 

The Mom's Guide to Wills & Estate Planning gives you practical, straightforward recommendations on estate planning options and provides a solid plan that every family can find the time to follow -- without the expense of hiring an attorney. 

This book outlines which proactive steps are most crucial and should be taken immediately, and which can be delayed. Focusing on your family's real-world concerns, you'll find out: 

• how to select a guardian for children
• when to consider a living trust
• how to set up payable-on-death accounts
• how to keep your estate plan current

In nearly half of all stepfamilies, one spouse or the other brings a child or children with them. But while most estate planning books give a general overview of the process of creating a will, trust or other estate plan, most do not have the information that couples in a second marriage need to provide for the entirety of their family.

Estate Planning for Blended Families is the first book that will help you provide for your current spouse as well as children from both your previous and current marriages. Attorney Richard Barnes is a practicing lawyer who helps couples just like you create estate plans that take care of the entirety of a blended family. You'll get targeted information on:

• Identifying goals and concerns
• Discussing matters with your spouse
• Planning for all children involved
• Estate and gift taxes in a second marriage
• Choosing executors, trustees and guardians
• Working with lawyers, financial planners and other experts

Organize your records and make it easy for your family to track down your important paperwork with this step-by-step guide.  Get It Together will show you how to keep track of:

• estate planning documents
• final arrangements
• tax records

Includes all the legal forms you need!

If you care for a child or other loved one with a disability, you’ve no doubt thought about what will happen when you’re no longer able to give that care. Fortunately, there's a simple solution to this dilemma -- create a "special needs trust."

Special Needs Trusts shows you how to leave any amount of money to your disabled loved one -- without jeopardizing government benefits. It provides plain-English information and forms that let you create a special needs trust by modifying your will or living trust document.

If you're faced with wrapping up the affairs of a loved one who has died, you may feel overwhelmed by all the work ahead -- especially when you're grieving. But with the right legal and practical information, you can do it.

The Executor's Guide will help you make progress one step at a time by assisting you in navigating an unfamiliar land of legal procedures and terminology -- all while saving you time and money.

When you're thinking about estate planning, you want to make sure that you choose the right plan for your family. Turn to Plan Your Estate, Nolo's bestselling book of estate planning essentials. Get straightforward, plain-English explanations of every significant estate-planning option available, so you can make the best decisions for you and those you love.

You’ve probably read magazine articles or heard financial advice-givers urging you to “avoid probate.” And if you’re like a lot of people, you wondered not only why you should avoid probate, but also, just what IS probate?

This book answers both questions. It explains probate—the court-supervised process of collecting the assets of someone who has died, and then distributing them according to the will or state law. You’ll see that the process isn’t usually too complicated, but it can be costly and time-consuming, especially in certain states, such as California.

You can spare your family the hassle and expense of probate by, during your lifetime, taking advantage of some or all of the simple probate-avoidance methods outlined here. It’s not difficult or expensive. For example, it’s easy and free to add a “payable on death” designation to a bank account. And if you do, then when the time comes, the account will go directly to the person you name to inherit it—without any probate court involvement.

A little Q & A with Florida Attorney Kristen Marks after she opened her law practice, My Pink Lawyer.

The Special Needs Alliance is a national non-profit organization committed to helping individuals with disabilities, their families and the professionals who represent them. This website is a wonderful resource for special needs families.

Online access to Florida statutes.

Website for the Circuit Court in Escambia County, Florida.

Website for the Circuit Court in Santa Rosa County, Florida.

Website for Circuit Court of Okaloosa County, Florida.

Website for Circuit Court of Walton County, Florida.

“Special Needs” trusts are complicated and can be hard to understand and administer. They are like other trusts in many respects—the general rules of trust accounting, law and taxation apply—but unlike more familiar trusts in other respects. This handbook created by the Special Needs Alliance provides much needed guidance for trustees of special needs trusts to make sure they administer the trust correctly without jeopardizing the trust beneficiary's benefits.

Start getting yourself organized with this Estate Organizer Worksheet. Fill it out and keep it in a safe place letting trusted friends & family know where it is located in the event of emergency.

After your initial estate planning consultation has been scheduled, we ask that you complete an Estate Planning Worksheet and return it to our office at least 24 hours before your appointment. We will review this in advance and it will save us substantial time we get together. This is the worksheet for a single person.

Our comprehensive estate planning consists of much more than the documents themselves (Will, Trust, power of attorney, etc.). Don't call us if all you're looking for is a fill-in-blank form document. But if you want the peace of mind that comes with comprehensive estate planning with a qualified professional coach that meets your goals and desires for your family when it's needed, then this sheet will provide you a clearer picture of what your planning will include with My Pink Lawyer.

Docubank's brochure explaining their service of 24/7 access to your emergency health care directives.

Brochure explaining Docubank's emergency id card for special needs persons.

Attached is a schedule of some of the estate and special needs planning services being offered by My Pink Lawyer. All fees are flat and subject to change.