Through careful planning, Rucci Law Group provides the tools and documents necessary to protect families and their financial assets through every stage of their lives. We assess our clients’ needs and formulate a personalized estate plan. A typical estate plan includes a Last Will and Testament, a Power of Attorney and ancillary healthcare documents. We will also review whether the establishment of different types of trusts make sense in each individual circumstance. Strategic planning provides peace of mind that assets will be protected and loved ones will be well cared for.

Estate Planning

Estate planning provides the essential documentation needed to ensure that your assets will be distributed and your family will be provided for as you intend.

Key Competencies

  • Inheritance management: Achieving both financial and non-financial goals in providing for heirs
  • Illiquid and hard-to-value assets: Creating estate plans for real estate, family business interests, private equity holdings, hedge fund assets and collectibles
  • Special family circumstances: Documenting your intentions involving second marriages, dependents with special needs, aging parents, and the education of grandchildren
  • Cross-border tax planning: Addressing unique issues that arise with international assets and cross-border estates

Essential Documentation

Rucci Law Group provides assistance and guidance in creating the documents necessary to allow for the distribution of assets upon death and care of an individual when he or she may not be able to act for himself or herself. Rucci Law Group has expertise with:

  • Wills: We provide wills for a broad range of clients with a myriad of circumstances and find the most cost effective way to meet the needs of your family and insure your wishes are honored
  • Trusts: We provide guidance regarding when and how to deploy trusts to preserve and protect assets. Examples of trusts include:
    • Revocable Trusts: flexible vehicles to have assets pass outside of probate court
    • Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts: important instruments to ensure estates are not taxed for the value of life insurance
    • Charitable Remainder Trusts: irrevocable trusts that provide an income stream for yourself or your beneficiaries with the remainder of the donated assets distributed to a charitable organization
    • Qualified Personal Residence Trusts: vehicles that hold and own the taxpayer’s home, removing its value from your taxable estate
  • Healthcare Documents: We create an essential set of documents to enable a family member, or other designated individual, to act on the signer’s behalf for healthcare decisions in accordance with the signer’s instructions
  • Power of Attorney: We recommend executing a Power of Attorney to appoint an agent to act on the signer’s behalf for financial matters to minimize financial disruptions during emergencies or other unforeseen situations

Estate Administration

Rucci Law Group is experienced in helping clients settle estates and work with probate courts. We counsel executors and trustees on their fiduciary responsibilities and guide families and executors through the probate process.

Key Competencies

  • Legal documents: Preparing and filing all court documents
  • Appraisals and valuations: Obtaining appraisals of estate assets
  • Tax issues: Advising on final income tax returns and gift and estate tax returns

Elder Law

Rucci Law Group helps navigate a wide range of legal matters affecting an order or disabled person, including issues related to asset protection, long-term care planning, guardianship, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and other important issues.

Key Competencies

  • Estate planning, including drafting wills and  trusts
  • Planning for a minor or adult with special needs
  • Assist with probate proceedings
  • Preservation and transfer of assets to avoid spousal impoverishment
  • Assist with health care and planning, including long term care options, patient rights, Medicare and appointing a health care power of attorney
  • Assist with public and private retirement benefits, survivor benefits and pension benefits
  • Provide disability planning for the elderly and the disabled
  • Draft living wills and other advance directives, including a durable power of attorney and long term planning documents
  • Assist with financial planning including income, estate and gift tax matters
  • Assist with the appointment of a legal guardian and guardian proceedings

For more information, please contact Michele D. Gartland or Marianne C. Cirillo.