PAID: Speaking from the Grave – Julie LaBenz

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Certainly, no one could have predicted that Parker would be the center of a worldwide media story centered around fake skeletons at the bottom of the river.

I’m not sure if it was the unexpected nature of the story in that it was strange to find a fake skeleton tea party at the bottom of the river or that it felt like a bit of a relief when we discovered that these weren’t dead bodies after all.

As an attorney, many unexpected situations come across my desk (often on a daily basis).
In fact, recently I’ve had cases where family members are fighting over what their deceased family member said or promised when alive.

As a lawyer, I’m then put in the challenging position of trying to prove or disprove something a dead person said or didn’t say.

I’ve found that these particular cases have something in common . . . the deceased person had the “Do Nothing Estate Plan.”

In other words, they didn’t have any estate planning in place. Because they didn’t take the time to create a will or a trust or take steps to avoid probate, their family members were able to raise conflicting claims about what the deceased person wanted or had promised to certain people.

Sadly, these cases generally result in thousands of dollars in legal fees and can linger in the court system for years. Usually, the legal fees take a big bite out of what’s left for the family members to inherit.

Although the “Do Nothing Estate Plan” may appear to be the easiest plan available, it’s currently getting some big competition from my “Basic Estate Planning Protection Package.” You see I’ve sought to make basic estate planning as quick and easy as possible . . . and it’s working.

And what I’m finding is that, those that are coming to see me to get their basic plan done aren’t necessarily there because I’ve made it so easy (although that’s usually a big part of the motivation). Instead, the people completing their basic estate planning packages have already been through some sort of bad experience with a friend or family member where these basic protections were needed, but weren’t in place.

Any of you that heard the May episode of my radio segment called the “Family Law Wake-Up Call” (airs on KLPZ every other Tuesday at 4pm and every other Thursday at 7am) heard Juanita’s shocking story of her brother, who by a very unexpected series of events ended up brain dead, with Juanita and her other brother having to decide to take their brother off life support.

Had her brother had a living will in place then he would have set down instructions for his family regarding when he wanted to be taken off of life support. Because he didn’t have this document in place, there was disagreement within Juanita’s family about what to do, and ultimately, Juanita and her brother decided to stop the life support in the face of opposition from their mother.

Juanita’s story touched me and I thank her for sharing it. What she went through with her brother spoke to me as a big reason why I created this basic package and want to help people who have not gotten around to estate planning to get the basics in place simply and easily. That way, people don’t find themselves in a position, like Juanita’s family did, where they need these papers and don’t have them.

If you’re interested in getting your basic estate planning protections in place, then June would be an excellent time to do so.

You see, after hearing what Juanita and her family went through, I knew that I needed to help more people get these protections in place. And what’s better motivation then a great deal?
For the month of June, simply let me know that you’d like to get started with your basic estate package by calling my office at 928-669-6195 or clicking on my ad here on Parker Live and signing up.

You see, if you sign up for my Basic Estate Planning Protection Package in the month of June, then you’ll also get my Avoid Probate Strategy Session at no additional cost. This means that not only can you get your basic protections in place (this includes a last will and testament, financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney, and a living will) but you can also work with me to find ways to own your assets so that your family can avoid probate (a court process that takes at least 4 months, usually a year or two, and can cost thousands).

So yes, now you can get your basic estate planning papers in place quickly, easily, at an affordable price plus get the added bonus of learning how to take steps to avoid probate and set things up so that your assets quickly pass to the person or people you want to become the owner(s) of your assets.

To learn more about what’s included in my Basic Estate Planning Protection Package and the Avoid Probate Strategy Session, simply CLICK HERE.

Stop relying on the risky (and potentially very costly) “Do Nothing Estate Plan.” Instead, for the month of June, get your Basic Estate Planning Protection Package plus (at no additional cost) an Avoid Probate Strategy Session, all for one low price.

To learn more and sign up, simply CLICK HERE or call (928) 669-6195.

Arizona Lawyer Julie LaBenz, partner at the Churchill & LaBenz law office located at 1300 Joshua Ave in downtown Parker, handles estate planning, probate, divorce, child custody, landlord/tenant and criminal defense cases. To learn more about Arizona Lawyer Julie LaBenz as well as send her a question or comment, please visit julielabenz.com or to set an appointment please call her office at (928) 669-6195.

Disclaimer: 1) This article contains legal information only and is not legal advice; 2) Arizona Lawyer Julie LaBenz is licensed to practice law in the state of Arizona in the jurisdictions in which she is admitted to practice; 3) Sending emails to or receiving emails from Julie LaBenz does not create an attorney-client relationship; 4) Reading this article does not create an attorney- client relationship.