Westerbeke Law Firm

Attorney Bill Westerbeke combines his background as an accountant with a wide range of legal experience to provide his clients with a uniquely practical perspective.
Mr. Westerbeke's primary focus is to help clients avoid probate, protect their assets, make informed health and elder care decisions, and provide for the security of their loved ones with a well-crafted estate plan.
Mr. Westerbeke understands the importance of the peace of mind that comes from his holistic view of planning that addresses needs beyond those addressed by traditional estate planning.

Elder Law can be described as the complex legal challenges facing our aging senior population as they begin to navigate through their options for long term care.
As baby boomers age, it becomes increasingly important for them to plan for the likelihood that they may no longer be able to care for themselves on their own.
You or someone you love may need long term care assistance, in whatever form that may take - help from a spouse or other relative at home, a home health care company, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home.

Today, when we discuss estate planning, we are concerned about planning for two events - our incapacity and death.
So in essence, we need estate planning to designate who will manage our affairs if we are not able, and the management and distribution of our property when we pass away.
To learn more about how we address these issues at Westerbeke Law Firm, PLLC, we encourage you to come to a future seminar or schedule a free consultation.

When you pass away, your assets need to be transferred to living recipients/ beneficiaries.
Transferring assets from the name of a deceased individual to living beneficiaries is completed through the probate court in a process we call probate administration.
If a trust is involved, the process of transferring assets in trust to the name of living beneficiaries is called trust administration.
At Westerbeke Law Firm, PLLC, we offer free consultations when a family member or friend passes away.
Feel free to contact our office if you would like to set up a meeting with us.

Creating a living trust is only the first step in securing your assets and avoiding probate.
The next step after signing the legal document is re-titling each of your assets and making sure that your living trust is listed as new owner or beneficiary.
This step is essential.
If this process is not completed It will mean that your assets will not be protected and must go through probate and be subject to your creditors.
The process of re-titling your assets, unfortunately, is complicated and time-consuming and often takes months to complete.