Services
- Business Planning
David Eastman has always believed that business planning and estate planning go hand in hand. The matter can be very simple (i.e., a simple will for a family or a sole member LLC to hold a rental property) or very complex (i.e., a family limited partnership or a purchase of a complicated business entity). While the body of law and areas of expertise can be quite different, the legal approach in relating to the client, determining the client’s need and determining and implementing a legal solution that appropriately suits a client’s needs is similar. More simply stated, David believes his greatest skill is the ability to quickly understand a client’s legal issues and efficiently provide an effective solution to it.
The area of Business Planning can be a relatively broad. Our goal is to help businesses plan for the future.
Once we understand the goals and fears of our business clients, we use a variety of business planning tools to address their goals. We help clients with a variety of business planning needs, including:
- Start-up business consultations
- Business Formation
- Partnership and shareholder agreements
- Buy-sell agreements
- Draft and Review Contracts
- Family Limited Partnerships
- Business Succession Planning
- Non-Profit Business Planning
After we determine your initial business planning needs, we are available to meet with you regularly. It is important that your business plans always reflect your current situation. We will modify and amend the plans when it is necessary.
Owners of small to medium-sized businesses face unique challenges when the owner is ready to retire, becomes disabled, or dies. Some will look for ways to transfer the business to family members, others will have key employees transition into ownership, and some businesses will be sold to third party buyers.
There is no “one size fits all” solution for these business owners. But there are a number of different approaches. For example, selling the business for the highest price may not bring the owner the greatest value. Taxes, the time value of money, and other factors can make the highest bidder the least attractive solution. There are a number of effective tools and techniques that can maximize value.
One thing that does apply almost universally is that the sooner you start to plan, the better the result. We recommend a business owner start the discussion as early as ten years away from retirement, even if most of the planning and implementation may not take place until 3-5 years before the owner intends to reduce his or her role in the business.
- Estate Planning
At The Eastman Law Firm, P.C., we believe that estate planning is more than just preparing “cookie-cutter” documents. We are committed to providing you with quality estate planning services.
A well drafted estate plan can give you peace of mind because it ensures that your wishes for your estate will be honoured. We offers the following estate planning, trust administration, and probate services.
- Wills
- Revocable Living Trusts
- Irrevocable Trusts for Life Insurance or Gifting
- Family Limited Partnerships
- Special Needs Trusts
- Advance Healthcare Directives
- Trust Administration & Probate
- Uncontested Guardianships and Conservatorships
When potential clients contact us, our first priority is always to understand their concerns as it relates to their estate planning goals. We only create estate planning documents after we have a firm understanding of your needs and the way in which we can meet them.
We also assist clients with estate administrations that are not necessarily “friendly” among all the interested parties. We are associated with attorneys who can take a case to litigation if necessary, but we first try to find a solution to the problems through positive discussions, mediation or other methods that don’t rise to the level of litigation.
- Estate Administration
The estate administration process can be intimidating to a family even in the most straight forward cases. We assist families through the complex system in a cost effective and compassionate manner. We realize it is not an easy time, and our goal is to help navigate the system in a way that allows our clients to understand the process and minimize the stress than it can create.
We also assist clients with estate administrations that are not necessarily “friendly” among all the interested parties. We are associated with attorneys who can take a case to litigation if necessary, but we first try to find a solution to the problems through positive discussions, mediation or other methods that don’t rise to the level of litigation.
