Lawrenceville Estate Planning
Estate Planning Attorney in Lawrenceville, Georgia
Atlanta Estate Planning builds revocable living trusts for one flat fee. The typical Lawrenceville home costs about $350,600, and Gwinnett County Probate Court sits right here in town. A will alone still sends that home to court for months.
Find Out Where You Stand
What Lawrenceville Families Are Really Worried About
A parent moved in with you at some point, and nobody ever wrote down what happens next. Maybe that is what is on your mind today. Maybe it is just the quiet worry that your family would not know where to start if something happened to you. Either way, it does not have to stay a guessing game. A real plan puts it in writing, on your schedule. Book a free call and get a straight answer.
Why a Simple Will Is Not Enough in Lawrenceville
Atlanta Estate Planning’s Complete Family Trust Package starts at a flat $3,500. Lawrenceville families earn a median income near $61,600 a year. The typical home here costs about $350,600. Lawrenceville is the county seat of Gwinnett County. A one-page will was never built for a pension, or a home this size.
A judge in Gwinnett County Probate Court has to open a case before anyone can touch that pension or that house. A simple estate still takes about 13 months on average, and can run around $14,700 in legal fees. Filing costs $152 for temporary letters. It costs $202 for permanent letters. Those numbers do not shrink just because the courthouse sits five minutes away. Your family pays for that wait, in time and money, on top of everything else.
A revocable living trust changes who is allowed to act, and when. Sign it, and your successor trustee can step in that same week. No case number required. A mortgage payment does not wait on a court date. Neither does a pension that needs to be redirected.
The county and the county hospital both run pension plans with their own beneficiary forms on file in HR. That form pays out, no matter what your will says. We track down and review those forms as part of your plan.
Gwinnett County is one of the most diverse counties in the country. Many Lawrenceville homes hold three generations under one roof. A trust lets you name who takes care of that parent, and who gets the house. Our Georgia estate planning overview covers how this works statewide.
What This Looks Like for Your Family
Without a Plan
Picture this: something happens to you.
Your mother has lived with you for six years now, and everyone just assumed you would keep handling her care. Nobody wrote that down anywhere. Your siblings do not agree on what happens next, and Gwinnett County Probate Court has to sort out who has the legal authority to decide. The one person who actually knew what your mother needed is the one person the court will not let act, until a judge says so.
With a Plan
Now picture the other path.
Your trust already names who is responsible for your mother’s care. It also says how the house and the retirement account get split between your siblings. Your successor trustee steps in that same day. Nobody waits on the courthouse a few blocks away to open a file. Your family spends that first hard month taking care of each other, not arguing over who was supposed to be in charge.
The Complete Family Trust Package
What's in Your Lawrenceville Estate Plan
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Revocable Living Trust
Holds your assets, avoids Georgia probate, and controls exactly who receives what and when. A pour-over will acts as a safety net for anything not yet titled to the trust.
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Durable Financial Power of Attorney
Lets someone you trust handle your money and property if you get sick or hurt. A regular power of attorney can stop working the moment that happens. A durable power of attorney does not. It keeps working, so you will not need a court to name someone for you.
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Advance Healthcare Directive
Writes down your medical wishes. Names someone to speak for you if you cannot. Covers end-of-life care and other treatment choices.
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HIPAA Authorization
Lets the people you choose see your medical records. This helps them make good decisions for you.
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Trust Funding Guidance
Step-by-step support to transfer your home, investment accounts, and other assets into the trust. An unfunded trust does not avoid probate. We make sure yours works.
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One-Year Follow-Up
A check-in session at 12 months to update your plan if your family, assets, or wishes have changed. Estate planning is not a one-time event.
How It Works
Schedule Your Free Call
Book your 15-minute free strategy call with Shawn. No cost, no commitment.
Meet With Melissa
Melissa reviews your assets, your family situation, and your exposure. Virtual or in-person.
Get Your Plan
Receive a written plan with clear recommendations for protecting your family and your assets.
Move Forward
No pressure, no commitment required. Move forward when you are ready.
Melissa Breyer
Georgia Estate Planning Attorney
Melissa Breyer is a Georgia-licensed estate planning attorney focused exclusively on trust-based planning for individuals and families. She personally meets with every client and designs every plan from scratch. No templates. No associates handling your case. Every plan is built for your specific family, your specific assets, and your specific wishes.
118+ Five-Star Google Reviews
What Our Clients Say
The whole process of creating a family trust felt simple, clear, and stress-free. We really appreciated how patient, helpful, and easy to communicate with the team was throughout everything. Shawn and Melissa gave us great guidance and helped us feel confident every step of the way. We're grateful for their support and would definitely recommend them.
After my father passed away, my mother had to rely on my father's employer to navigate the estate. It was a disaster. After this experience, I knew I needed a plan. I turned to Atlanta Estate Planning Attorneys to set up a trust. I no longer have to worry about my wife and children going through a difficult process if something happens to me. I highly recommend Atlanta Estate Planning Attorneys!
My biggest fear was that if I died first, my wife would have no idea how to navigate the estate and legal system. I reached out to Atlanta Estate Planning Attorneys and they put my mind at ease immediately. Their process is easy to follow and they took care of everything. Atlanta Estate Planning Attorneys is the best decision I've made for my family's future.
Working with Melissa Breyer to set up our Living Trust was one of the best decisions Scott and I have made. We did this so our boys are protected from confusion and chaos if something happens to us. Melissa was knowledgeable, patient, and made what felt overwhelming completely manageable. I would absolutely recommend Melissa Breyer.
Working with Shawn and Melissa at Atlanta Estate Planning Attorneys has been an excellent experience. They asked great questions during our initial call and clearly explained what we needed. We feel confident we're in good hands and would highly recommend them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gwinnett County Probate Court sits right here in Lawrenceville, at 75 Langley Drive. That address is inside the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. A case near your house is still not the same as a fast case. Most filings go through your attorney, not a walk-in visit. Georgia law still requires notice to every heir. A contested estate can still take months. A funded trust skips this process for the assets it holds. That is the outcome most Lawrenceville families actually want.
A pension check does not care what your will says. It only cares what name is on the beneficiary form filed with HR. Both Gwinnett County and Northside Hospital Gwinnett pay by that form. That is true even if you forgot you signed it years ago. Atlanta Estate Planning tracks down and reviews every form like that. Nothing gets left pointing at the wrong person.
The Complete Family Trust Package at Atlanta Estate Planning starts at a flat $3,500. That is a flat fee, not an hourly rate. It covers your trust, your will, your power of attorney, and your healthcare form. Many local firms will not even give you a price until after a paid visit.
Nobody is automatically in charge of your kids the moment both parents are gone. Not even a grandparent who lives ten minutes away. A judge has to hold a hearing and decide instead. More than one relative can ask to be considered. Naming a guardian in writing means that choice is already made.
A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust needs years to protect a home from nursing home costs. The clock starts the day you sign it, not the day care starts. Georgia will not pay for a nursing home through Medicaid until your parent meets strict asset limits. If a parent already lives with your family, we can tell you where that clock stands today. Protecting assets from a lawsuit is a different goal. An irrevocable trust may fit that better.
No, Georgia does not have a state estate tax. A Lawrenceville family only has to plan around the federal estate tax. That exemption is $15,000,000 per person in 2026. Almost no Gwinnett County family ever owes it. The real cost most families face is not a tax bill. It is the time and money a house loses sitting in probate court.
A simple estate is exactly where Lawrenceville families skip planning, then regret it. Even one house and one bank account still goes through probate court without a trust. A revocable living trust costs a flat $3,500. That price stays the same, simple estate or not. One free call can tell you if you need one.
Georgia intestacy law, O.C.G.A. § 53-2-1, decides who gets your house and bank accounts, not your own wishes. If you are married with kids, your spouse usually splits the estate with them. Your spouse does not get all of it automatically. The state also picks who raises your minor kids if you never named a guardian. A will or a trust puts every one of those choices back in your hands.
Where We Serve
Other Gwinnett County Families We Help
We serve families across Gwinnett County. Select a city to learn more about estate planning where you live.
Find Out Where You Stand
Whatever brought you here today, the real question underneath it is simple: is your family protected if something happens to you? Without a plan, the people you love could face months in probate court, a fight over what you meant, or bills nobody has the authority to pay.
A clear plan closes every one of those gaps in writing, while you are still here to make the decisions. In one free 15-minute call, you will find out exactly what you have, what is missing, and what it takes to fix it.
- No pressure. This is a conversation, not a sales pitch.
- No jargon. We explain everything in plain language.
- A clear next step. You will know exactly what to do when the call ends.