What We Do

Estate planning tools:

wills & trusts

Estate planning is a major focus of the attorneys at Yanowitz Law Firm, and we are well respected in the industry. U.S. News and World Report named Yanowitz Law Firm as one of the best law firms in the United States in Trusts and Estates since 2015.

“Best Lawyers” named Alan Yanowitz the 2016 Trust and Estates “Lawyer of the Year” for the Minneapolis Metropolitan Area. Since 2003 he has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” in the area of Trusts and Estates by Super Lawyers (currently published by Thompson Reuters). For over 15 years he has been a co-author of “Drafting Wills and Trust Agreements in Minnesota”, the best-selling publication of the Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education.

At Yanowitz Law Firm our attorneys have a wealth of experience in estate planning. Learn more about how our firm can help.

Fequently Asked Questions

What is the process for getting a will or trust?
We initially meet with clients and go over their needs and wishes. We make recommendations and discuss our fee. Then upon their approval of our recommendations and fee, we draft the agreed upon documents. We will mail drafts of the documents to the clients so that they can review them and write down any questions they have. Then we will have another meeting to go over the documents, answer questions and sign the documents.
How much does it cost to have the Yanowitz Law Firm draft a will or trust for me?
There are many types of wills and trusts with varying levels of complexity. Once we understand what type of will or trust our client needs and wants, we then provide a fee quote. If the client decides they do not want us to go forward in drafting a will or trust, then we will just charge hourly for our meeting.
What sort of information do I need to provide to the Yanowitz Law Firm prior to my first appointment?
We like to collect information about our clients prior to the first appointment so that we can tailor our advice to their specific situation. As a result, when clients set up appointments we will generally send them an informational worksheet. This worksheet helps us gather information about their property and family. We will also ask our clients to provide us any prior estate planning documents that they had written by another firm (including wills, trusts, powers of attorney and healthcare directives) and their real estate deeds (if possible). We ask clients to provide us this information at least three days prior to our first appointment so that we have an opportunity to review it before we meet.
I just moved from another state. Can the Yanowitz Law Firm review my will and trust to let me know if I need to update these documents?
Yes, we regularly work with clients who move to Minnesota from out of state. We are happy to look over their out of state documents and recommend any needed changes.
Will I need to ever update my estate planning documents?
It depends. People sometimes need to update their documents because of changes in the law. There can be changes in family situations. For example, births, deaths, or divorces can cause people to change their estate plan. People’s wishes sometimes can change over time.
Does your firm keep our documents?
Our firm saves electronic copies of our clients’ documents. Our clients keeps the originals.

Call (507) 252-8997 to have our lawyers design a will or trust. We are here to help.