A Community-Focused Law Firm That’s Here For You

Don’t Put Off Estate Planning. Our Winter Garden Estate Planning Lawyer Can Help.

Last updated on November 5, 2025

Estate planning is a process of organizing the management and disposal of your estate after your lifetime. Proper planning means defending your assets, protecting your wishes, minimizing tax obligations and ensuring a swift transition after your passing. We can help you determine what tools work best for your needs.

At C.J. Hilliard Law, P.A., we are committed to offering ethical, community-oriented legal services to residents of Winter Garden. Our Florida attorney is dedicated to working diligently for your benefit, ensuring comprehensive and honest representation. She believes in transparency and offers many services on a flat-fee basis, which helps eliminate unexpected costs. Our law firm has been recognized for excellence, with our attorney being named Lawyer of the Year by both Orlando Style Magazine and Business Rate. Our Winter Garden estate planning attorney is here to help you develop a personalized plan for your estate planning needs.

Components Of An Estate Plan

An estate plan is composed of several key components, each tailored to your unique goals and situation. As we work with you to develop a reliable estate plan, we can include features such as:

Will: A legal document that specifies how you want to distribute your assets when you pass on.
Trusts: Arrangements that allow a third party, or trustee, to hold assets on behalf of beneficiaries, usually allowing a beneficiary to collect assets with reduced tax obligations.
Power of attorney: A document giving someone you trust the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf about your financial needs.
Health care directives: Instructions regarding your health care preferences if you are unable to communicate them yourself.

Our Winter Garden estate planning lawyers believe in providing honest and ethical representation. We do not oversell services but focus on creating a plan that meets your specific needs and goals.

What Does Estate Planning Cost In Florida

The cost of estate planning in Florida can vary depending on the complexity of your estate and your individual goals. At C.J. Hilliard Law, P.A., we want estate planning to be an affordable option anyone can pursue, which is why we offer our services with clear and transparent billing practices. We offer some services on a flat-fee basis, and other services can have different costs based on the complexity of the estate planning challenges. We will review your unique situation to confirm what you can expect to pay for our estate planning guidance.

When To Create An Estate Plan

Creating an estate plan is a crucial step in managing your future and protecting your loved ones. The following life events can serve as important reminders or catalysts for establishing or updating your estate plan to ensure it aligns with your current circumstances and intentions.

Marriage

Marriage is a significant life event that often prompts individuals to create or revise their estate plans. When you get married, your priorities and responsibilities change, and it’s crucial to ensure that your estate plan reflects your new relationship status. This might involve updating beneficiary designations, assigning powers of attorney, and establishing or revising a will to include your spouse, ensuring they are protected and provided for in the event of your passing.

The Birth Or Adoption Of A Child

The birth or adoption of a child is another critical moment to consider creating or updating an estate plan. As a parent, your primary concern is the well-being of your child, both now and in the future. An estate plan can help you designate guardianship, manage financial resources through trusts, and outline your wishes for their upbringing and education, providing peace of mind that your child will be cared for according to your wishes.

The Birth Of A Grandchild

Similarly, the birth of a grandchild can also be an opportune time to revisit your estate plan. You may wish to set up educational funds, include them as beneficiaries, or make other provisions to support their future. Ensuring your estate plan includes your grandchildren can help you leave a lasting legacy and contribute to their well-being and success.

Retirement

Retirement is a major life transition that often comes with a shift in financial priorities and goals. As you move into this new phase of life, it’s important to review your estate plan to reflect your current financial situation, health care wishes and legacy goals. This might include updating your will, revising beneficiary designations and ensuring your health care directives are up to date.

Divorce

Divorce is another pivotal life event that necessitates revisiting your estate plan. After a divorce, you may need to remove your former spouse from your will, change beneficiary designations on life insurance policies and retirement accounts, and reassign powers of attorney. This ensures that your estate plan accurately reflects your new circumstances and intentions.

New Job

A new job or significant career change can also impact your estate plan. Changes in income, benefits or retirement plans may necessitate updates to your financial planning and beneficiary designations. Additionally, if you relocate for a new job, you may need to address differences in state laws that could affect your estate plan.

Purchase Of A Home

Purchasing a home is a major financial decision and asset acquisition that should be reflected in your estate plan. Including your new property in your estate plan ensures that it is passed on according to your wishes and can help protect this valuable asset for future generations.

While these life events serve as excellent reminders to create or update an estate plan, it’s important to remember that there is no bad time to establish one. Having an estate plan in place at any stage of life ensures that your wishes are known and can be followed, providing peace of mind for you and security for your loved ones.

When To Update Your Estate Plan

Many of the reasons to create an estate plan are also good reasons to update an estate plan, but there are some that only apply to updating the documents. The list below includes both:

Marriage or divorce: Either of these events may cause extensive changes to an existing estate plan. Because your spouse is likely the person who would inherit much of your estate, there may be many areas of your estate plan that will be affected. If you are divorcing, you will, of course, want to change your estate plan immediately.

The birth of an heir or beneficiary: The birth/adoption of a family member or other loved one will also require you to update your estate plan. If someone you want to include in your estate plan is born or added to the family through adoption, you will want to add them. Note: if an heir or beneficiary dies, their inheritance is passed to their heirs through their own will or to other beneficiaries via the state’s intestate succession laws if they had no will.

A significant change in assets: Whether it is a new job or job loss, retirement, an inheritance or large gift, a significant change in your income, or the purchase or sale of a home or other property, the amount you leave your heirs and beneficiaries may change. You will want to reflect this change in your estate plan.

The purchase or sale of a business: This may considerably change your income and net worth. You may also wish to revise who inherits the business, if that is something you are planning for.

A significant change in your health: Disability or a grave illness may make you want to review and/or revise your health care power of attorney and any health care directive you have. You may also need to amend your estate plan if an heir, beneficiary or fiduciary becomes ill or passes away.

Your children are no longer minors: There will not be a need for legal guardians for them once they turn 18. When they are adults, you may want your children to be a trustee or executor or have your power of attorney, depending on the details of your estate plan.

You move to a different state: Estate planning laws are state-specific, so you will need to update your estate planning documents with the help of a lawyer.

State or federal estate and tax laws change: Reviewing your plan will help you stay updated on any tax advantages.

Adding or removing charitable organizations: A lawyer can help you update your philanthropic endeavors.

If you have any questions about updating your estate plan, please contact us.

Common Questions About Estate Planning

Many of our clients have similar questions about estate planning. To help you have the answers you are looking for, we have answered some of our most common questions here:

Why do I need an estate planning lawyer?

An estate planning lawyer provides valuable expertise in creating a comprehensive plan that ensures your assets are distributed according to your wishes. We can help you through the legal requirements involved with estate planning, reduce the tax obligations your beneficiaries will have and reduce the chances of anyone disputing your wishes. We can also address issues related to unique family dynamics, business needs and charity aspirations. With our help, you can have peace of mind that your last wishes will be fulfilled.

What should be included in an estate plan?

An estate plan should include several key components to cover various aspects of your financial and personal affairs. A proper estate plan will include a will that specifies how your assets will go to your loved ones, a trust to manage inheritance assets while you are alive and after your passing, and a power of attorney designation to ensure someone is looking after your finances when you cannot. Beneficiary designations on accounts and insurance policies should also be reviewed and updated as part of the planning process.

What happens if I do not have an estate plan?

If you do not have an estate plan, the distribution of your assets will be determined by state laws rather than your personal wishes. This process of intestacy can result in an outcome that you do not agree with. Without an estate plan in place, you can also lose the chance to appoint a guardian for your children or someone to look after your financial or medical wishes.

Start Planning Ahead With Confidence

At C.J. Hilliard Law, P.A., we are here to assist you through the estate planning process. Call us at 407-255-7607 or email us here to schedule your initial consultation today. The sooner you meet with our Winter Garden estate planning lawyer, the sooner we can develop a custom-tailored estate plan that reflects your assets, wishes and needs.