Pressed for time?  Looking for an experienced lawyer to draft your gay Last Will, revocable living trust naming your gay or lesbian partner trustee, LGBT Living Will, gay or lesbian declaration regarding final disposition of dead human body, real property deed giving your life partner rights of survivorship, life estate deed, gay family co-guardianing agreement, partnership agreement with your life partner, or related document?

Call an attorney licensed in 3 states with 21 years experience.  "Most of my clients are dual income couples who do not wish to travel or take a vacation day to meet with an attorney.  They are pleasantly surprised when I go to them for an in-person conference.  When I tell clients that most of my document packages average $100 per document including the consultation, drafts, document execution, CD, flash drive, and related costs they sometimes offer to pay me more.  Of course, I don't permit that.  I also never keep information which one life partner shares with me from the other life partner.  Both life partners receive e-mail correspondence to either partner.  It's the right and only way to do business."

One of the most frequent comments I hear from my clients is: "you really like what you do, don't you".  I am very fortunate in that I truly do.

I travel throughout Central Florida and meet with LGBT couples and singles to help them review their real estate deeds, review the way they title their financial accounts, and make sure that we do everything we can to keep them out of the court system by drafting documents to do whatever is possible for that purpose.  Of course, probate administration is not what it used to be and I enjoy explaining these processes and documents to help clients understand "the process".  If you live anywhere in Central Florida you never have to leave your home if you prefer not to.

You may verify Florida Bar status by clicking on the following link:

http://www.floridabar.org/names.nsf/0/2836B93B31A4E7E085256A8400195F5C?OpenDocument

Also licensed to practice law in Colorado and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

All same-sex life partners in Florida, whether married or unmarried, should have the following 5 legal documents at a minimum:

1.  LGBT Living Will and Designation of Health Care Surrogate

2.  Declaration Naming Preneed Guardian for Yourself

3.  Declaration Regarding Final Disposition of Dead Human Body

4.  Gay / lesbian durable Power of Attorney for finances - to be created and used with extreme caution!

5.  GLBT Last Will and Testament

Just a few reasons domestic partners hire lawyers to help them:

1.  Time - have you tried to learn what you need to know yourself?  Most life partners simply do not have the time to do so on their own.

2.  Convenience - never leave your home if you prefer not to.

3.  Professional services - do you trust non-lawyers to oversee your LGBT document execution?

4.  Executors and Personal Representatives - which persons should not serve in this important role?  Are some persons automatically not qualified to do so?

5.  Trustees - trusts need to be fully funded to be fully effective.  Is your life partner as responsible and responsive as he or she should be to serve in this capacity?  Do you also have a domestic partnership agreement?  Do you need one if you have a trust?

6.  Domestic partnership agreements - do you include everything?  If not, what is excluded?

7.  Do you need a business succession plan or shareholder resolution agreement?  Why or why not? 

8.  Storage of original documents - who will you entrust to safely store your original gay or lesbian Last Wills and Testaments?

9.  Marriage - whether same-sex or hetero, there are serious implicaations when either or both life partners were, are or may still be married to any other person.  How much can you learn on your own?

10.  Kids - if you have, are thinking about, or are having children with your gay or lesbian partner, how will Florida address all those issues?

11.  Guardianship - are there some persons who should not be preneed guardians of you or your children?  If so, how will you express your wishes that they not be appointed?

12.  Joint ownership of property - have you titled bank accounts or houses in joint names?  What are your percentages of ownership with your domestic partner?  Are they in writing?  Will you ever need to prove that?

13.  Life insurance - how might it be a lifesaver for your life partner or kids?  How much should you have and who should the named beneficiaries be?

14.  Sperm donation - might a known sperm donor still be responsible for the kids he fathers, even if he signs an agreement with you in Florida?

An experienced lawyer will not only usually invest at least two hours of his or her time during your initial conference discussing many of the above issues but will also invest hours drafting your gay or lesbian legal documents.  Then he or she will schedule a second conference to oversee the proper execution of such documents.  Thereafter, your documents will be scanned onto magnetic media and delivered to you.

Call an experienced attorney to help you plan for you, your life partner and, if applicable, your kids or your pets.   

No attorney client relationship exists without a written fee agreement.  None of the above may be construed as legal advice.  A licensed Florida attorney should be consulted to specifically review the circumstances of each life partner's situation.  Each person in a domestic partnership is entitled to be represented by their own attorney.  Legal documents should always be executed in the presence of qualified legal advisors.  Some original documents should almost always remain in the custody of a licensed attorney since Florida does not accept all documents for filing or recording.  Ask your lawyer to be sure. 

@ 2004 - 2009 Central Florida Law Office of Jonas Urba, P.A.