LGBT Will and Estate Planning

By Steven Haspel    

CHA Law Group offers a wide range of will and estate planning documents. The documents ensure that your medical, financial and other requests are followed. After a few homework assignments, our clients can expect a formal signing ceremony, where we sit down with our clients to ensure that the documents are provided with the utmost protection. Christine likes to tell her clients, “in case people want to fight over your millions, we make it so that your people cannot lose.” It does not matter if you are straight, gay, married or single, it is always best to have will and estate planning documents.

Often times, people wait until it is too late to prepare their legal wishes. Just recently, a lesbian couple in north-Austin witnessed how Texas limits the rights of same sex couples. Because there was no valid medical power of attorney, a partner was banned from witnessing the birth of her daughter. Some fail to remember that even though we live in blue Austin, we still reside in red Texas. Will and estate planning helps bridge the gap between the rights afforded to traditional couples and those that the law does not recognize. All the lesbian couple needed was a medical document we offer. It is important for couples, regardless of orientation, to be sure to prepare their wishes.

Living in the state of Texas can be difficult for same sex couples, but our will and estate planning packages help provide couples with the maximum amount of protection possible. It ensures your partner has priority in medical decisions and visitation, and enables your loved one to make legal decisions for you. These are all rights that are otherwise excluded from traditional spousal responsibilities.

We do not just offer this service, we enjoy it too. It is immensely rewarding working with any couple, but especially lesbian and gay couples searching for viable legal alternatives. While the law in Texas is not equal yet, our will and estate services aim to provide our clients with the rights we all deserve. As a gay man in Texas, it saddens me to hear of stories like the one above. On one hand it is saddening that hospitals would act in such a way, but also a sadness that a single medical document would have solved the problem. – See more at: http://chalaw.com/blog/19/LGBT-Will-and-Estate-Planning.html#sthash.h2nMcNFY.dpuf