Heritage Law

RENO · SPARKS · WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA

Estate planning and trust services for Reno and Sparks families.

A new home, a child, or a remarriage can leave important decisions unresolved. At Heritage Law, we help you create or update a plan for the people who depend on you. If you have become a trustee, we help you understand what needs to happen before you act.

WHEN YOUR FAMILY OR PROPERTY CHANGES

Has your family changed since you made your estate plan?

You may have bought a home without reviewing how it fits into your trust, welcomed a child without naming a guardian, or remarried while your old documents still reflect an earlier family situation. Knowing you need to address those issues is different from knowing which legal documents to change.

We help you turn those concerns into planning decisions. We review what you already have, discuss who you want to protect and who you trust to act, and explain the documents or updates that may be appropriate. You can make those choices with legal guidance rather than guess how an older plan will work.

Make decisions for your family before someone else has to.

If you have put off estate planning because you do not know where to begin, we help you work through the decisions one at a time: who should care for your children, who should handle finances or health care if you cannot, and how you want property to pass. The point is not simply to have documents; it is to give the people you choose instructions they can use.

If you are the person now responsible for a loved one's trust, you need a different kind of help. We review the trust, explain your authority and duties, and identify what should be addressed before assets are moved or distributed. That guidance helps you separate what the family is asking for from what your role legally requires.

HOW HERITAGE LAW CAN HELP

Legal help for the plan you need and the responsibilities you face.

Estate Planning, Trust & Will Services

Give your family direction about the decisions that matter most.

We help you create a coordinated plan for inheritance, financial decisions, health care, and, for parents, the nomination of a guardian for minor children. We explain when wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and related documents may be appropriate and help you consider the people you want to name.

If a home purchase prompted you to seek help, we review that ownership question alongside your family decisions. You can understand how the property fits into the plan instead of assuming that signing a trust automatically takes care of a newly purchased home.

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Read about Estate Planning, Trust & Will Services

Updates to Your Estate Plan

Keep an earlier trust from carrying forward choices you would no longer make.

We review existing trusts, including those prepared by another attorney, against the marriage, children, property, and priorities you have today. We identify outdated beneficiaries or successor choices and explain the changes available under the trust and applicable law.

You may need a focused amendment, a broader revision, or attention to property arrangements rather than a document change alone. We explain that distinction so you can address the actual concern without assuming you must start over.

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Read about Updates to Your Estate Plan

Trust Administration

Understand the trust before making decisions as successor trustee.

We help you confirm your authority, identify trust assets, and understand the duties you owe to beneficiaries. If the records are incomplete, we can explain which documents and information are important to the administration rather than leave you to guess what to collect.

We also help you consider expenses, obligations, communications, and the timing of distributions under the particular trust and applicable law. That gives you legal guidance for decisions that can otherwise be driven by urgency or pressure from family members.

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Read about Trust Administration

Probate

Get help determining how a loved one's estate should be handled.

We help families, executors, and heirs review whether property left after a death requires Nevada probate. We consider how the assets were owned, any will or trust, beneficiary arrangements, and the facts that determine the appropriate proceeding.

If court administration is needed, we explain the process and the authority required to manage estate property. You can understand which questions need attention before trying to transfer a home or distribute assets based only on what the family believes should happen.

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Read about Probate

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Questions after a move or a change of trustee.

We bought a new home. What should we review in our estate plan?

Review how the new home is titled and whether its ownership is coordinated with your trust or other planning arrangements. It is also a useful time to check the people named in your documents and any instructions that referred to the previous property.

We can review your existing plan and explain whether document changes, property-related work, or both may be appropriate. A new purchase is a reason to check the arrangements, not an automatic reason to replace your entire trust.

I was just named successor trustee and the records are everywhere. Where do I begin?

Locate the signed trust and any amendments, along with the records you can find. You do not need a complete inventory before requesting legal help. The first question is whether you are authorized to act and what responsibilities come with that authority.

We help you identify the information needed for the administration, understand duties to beneficiaries, and determine the issues to resolve before moving or distributing property. Do not send the documents through the website form.

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Preparing for your consultation.

Use the website form to share a short, general, non-confidential description of what you need help with. You do not need to gather every document or make every decision before you reach out.

After an estate-planning appointment is scheduled, Heritage Law sends a detailed planning packet and questionnaire so you know what information and documents will be useful to bring.

At your planning consultation, Danielle reviews your circumstances, answers your planning questions, and explains the documents and decisions that may be relevant to your situation. If you decide to proceed, Heritage Law explains the next steps for creating or updating your plan.

For a review of an existing trust, the signed trust and any amendments help identify what may need attention. If you are asking about trust administration, explain your role and the questions you are facing. Heritage Law can give you direction about which records will be useful for the meeting; do not send documents through the website form.

Get help with the decisions your family is relying on you to make.

Please share only a short, general, non-confidential description through the website. Do not send documents, account details, or private family information. Submitting a request does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing on this page is legal advice for your situation.

Sources linked on this page are educational references, not advice about your situation. View all service areas