The Florida Estate Firm

Core estate planning

• Custom estate plans for individuals and families in Florida.
• Planning for retirement and legacy, including how assets will pass to the next generation.
• Estate planning for blended families, with strategies to:
• Define inheritance rights for spouses, children, and stepchildren.
• Reduce the risk of disputes among family members.

Healthcare and incapacity planning

• Designation of Health Care Surrogate: legally appointing a trusted person to make medical decisions if the client cannot do so.
• Living wills / advance directives: documenting end-of-life healthcare wishes so they can be honored.
• Durable Power of Attorney (general): authorizing a trusted agent to handle financial and legal affairs in case of incapacity.
• Financial Power of Attorney: focusing specifically on managing banking, investments, and other financial decisions when the client cannot act.
• Medicaid planning and long-term care planning:
• Structuring assets and planning ahead for potential long-term care needs.
• Working within changing Medicaid eligibility rules to help preserve financial security and qualify for needed care.
• Special needs planning:
• Estate planning for disabled loved ones while protecting eligibility for important government benefits.
• Using tools such as special needs trusts and tailored wills to provide long-term care and financial security.

Wills and related planning

• Last Will and Testament:
• Central component of most estate plans.
• Directs how assets should be distributed and can coordinate with other planning tools.
• Mirror wills:
• Paired wills for spouses or partners whose plans "mirror" each other.
• Commonly used so that each partner leaves assets to the surviving partner on similar terms.
• Joint wills:
• A single will executed by two people, typically spouses, addressing how assets will be distributed.
• The firm advises on whether a joint will is appropriate and explains potential legal limitations and probate complications under Florida law.
• Pour-over wills:
• Used with revocable living trusts to ensure assets not formally titled into the trust during life are directed into the trust at death.
• Acts as a safety net to capture assets that may have been omitted from the trust.
• Will contests and disputes:
• Representation in contested will matters, including challenges based on validity, undue influence, or other issues.
• Guidance for clients who need to contest a will or respond to a challenge.

Tax-focused planning (estate and gift)

• Estate tax planning:
• Strategies to reduce potential estate tax burdens while complying with federal and Florida law.
• Use of trusts and other planning tools to preserve wealth for heirs.
• Gift tax planning:
• Structuring gifts to family members and others to minimize tax liabilities.
• Coordinating gifting strategies with long-term estate planning goals.

Business succession planning

• Business succession planning for Florida business owners.
• Developing ownership transfer and leadership transition strategies that:
• Help preserve business value.
• Reduce family and co-owner conflicts.
• Coordinate legal, financial, and estate planning considerations.

Firm overview

• The Florida Estate Firm is the estate planning and probate practice led by William C. Roof, Esq., a fourth-generation trial litigator.
• The firm focuses on estate planning, probate, trust, and guardianship dispute litigation, as well as will, probate, trust, and guardianship administration.
• The goal is to provide peace of mind by anticipating potential disputes and issues in advance and crafting plans that help clients protect their families and assets.

Who the firm serves

• Individuals and families in Orlando and the greater Central Florida area.
• Service areas specifically mentioned include:
• Orlando
• Winter Park
• Windermere
• The Villages
• Altamonte Springs
• Clermont
• Kissimmee
• Lake Nona
• Other neighboring Central Florida communities.

Types of matters handled

• Lifetime planning for retirement and legacy.
• Estate planning for a wide range of family situations, including blended families and special needs.
• Administration of estates after death through probate or trust administration.
• Guardianship matters, including helping clients secure guardianship to protect vulnerable loved ones.
• Disputes and litigation related to:
• Wills
• Trusts
• Probate
• Guardianship
• Inheritance and wealth transfers.

Approach to client service

• Tailors legal services to each client's circumstances and goals.
• Aims to resolve disputes efficiently while protecting clients' legal rights and honoring the wishes of the person who created the plan or estate.
• Emphasizes planning early to reduce the risk of later conflict among family members or beneficiaries.

The firm helps clients both with the administration of estates and with disputes that arise in probate and guardianship matters.

Probate administration

• Guides personal representatives (executors) and families through the Florida probate process.
• Typical services include:
• Filing the probate case and required court documents.
• Identifying and gathering estate assets.
• Addressing creditor claims as required by law.
• Working toward distribution of assets consistent with the will and Florida statutes.
• Focuses on complying with court procedures and legal requirements while working to carry out the decedent's wishes.

Probate disputes and litigation

• Represents clients in contested estates and probate disputes, such as:
• Challenges to the validity of a will.
• Disagreements among beneficiaries or family members over distribution of assets.
• Allegations of misconduct or mismanagement by a personal representative.
• Works to protect clients' rights and seek fair resolutions through negotiation, alternative dispute resolution, or litigation when necessary.

Guardianship matters

• Assists clients in seeking guardianship for vulnerable loved ones who may be unable to manage their own affairs.
• Helps prepare and file guardianship petitions and related court documents.
• Advises on the responsibilities of guardians under Florida law.
• Handles disputes and litigation involving guardianship when conflicts arise.

Relationship to estate planning and trusts

• Integrates probate and guardianship strategies with broader estate and trust planning.
• Aims to reduce the risk of future disputes by careful planning and clear documentation.

Consultations

• The website advertises a free estate planning consultation.
• For information about what is included in a consultation or how it is conducted (in person, phone, or video), prospective clients should contact the firm directly.

How to get in touch

• Call the main office at (407) 501-5082.
• The website provides a contact form; prospective clients can use it to request a consultation or ask the firm to follow up.

Service area reminder

• The firm focuses on clients in Orlando and the greater Central Florida region, including communities such as:
• Orlando
• Winter Park
• Windermere
• The Villages
• Altamonte Springs
• Clermont
• Kissimmee
• Lake Nona
• Neighboring Central Florida areas.

Information not listed here

• Office hours, detailed fee structures, and availability for specific dates are not stated in this knowledge and should be confirmed directly with the firm at (407) 501-5082 or through the website contact form.

Trusts used in Florida estate planning

• Revocable living trusts:
• Used to hold and manage assets during life while retaining flexibility to change or revoke the trust.
• Often used to avoid or reduce the need for probate and to provide privacy.
• Irrevocable trusts:
• Designed to protect assets, reduce estate taxes, and shield property from certain creditors.
• Typically cannot be changed easily once created, so careful planning is required.
• Spendthrift trusts:
• Limit a beneficiary's direct control over trust assets.
• Help protect inheritances from beneficiaries' creditors and from poor financial decisions.
• Charitable trusts:
• Allow clients to support charitable causes while obtaining certain estate planning and tax benefits.
• Can provide advantages for both the estate and surviving beneficiaries.
• Generation-skipping trusts:
• Used to transfer assets directly to grandchildren or later generations.
• Structured to help minimize certain estate and transfer taxes.
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs):
• Advanced planning tool to transfer appreciating assets while retaining an annuity stream for a period of time.
• Can reduce gift and estate tax impact when properly structured.
• Irrevocable funeral trusts:
• Set aside funds for funeral and burial expenses.
• Often coordinated with Medicaid planning and long-term care strategies.
• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs):
• Keep life insurance proceeds outside the taxable estate.
• Protect insurance benefits from certain creditors and control how proceeds are distributed.
• QTIP (Qualified Terminable Interest Property) trusts:
• Provide income for a surviving spouse while preserving ultimate control over where assets go (for example, to children from a prior marriage).
• Special needs trusts:
• Protect assets for a beneficiary with disabilities while preserving eligibility for government benefits such as Medicaid and SSI.
• Testamentary trusts:
• Created under a will and become effective at death.
• Frequently used to manage inheritances for minor or vulnerable beneficiaries.
• Totten (POD) trusts:
• Often structured as payable-on-death bank accounts.
• Allow funds to pass directly to a named beneficiary without probate.

Trust administration

• Assists trustees with all aspects of administering trusts under Florida law, including:
• Interpreting trust terms and duties.
• Managing and safeguarding trust assets.
• Communicating with and accounting to beneficiaries.
• Making and documenting distributions according to the trust.
• Helps trustees understand and fulfill fiduciary responsibilities while working to avoid disputes and minimize risk.

Trust disputes and litigation

• Representation in trust disputes and litigation, including:
• Challenges to the validity or interpretation of a trust.
• Allegations of breach of fiduciary duty by a trustee.
• Conflicts among beneficiaries over trust management or distributions.
• Evaluates the strength of a potential case and discusses available options, such as negotiation, mediation, settlement, or court litigation.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.