Utah Wills & Family Trusts Lawyer

Are you looking for a wills and family trusts lawyer in Utah?

At Felt Family Law & Mediation, we are trusted wills and family trusts lawyers serving clients across Utah and the surrounding area.

If you’re trying to plan your estate in Utah, you may be dealing with paperwork, family dynamics, and questions about what happens next. A will or family trust lets you decide who receives your property, who raises your children, and who manages things if you can’t.

Felt Family Law & Mediation has served Utah families for over 10 years, and our family law background shapes how we approach estate planning. Divorce, remarriage, and blended families all affect how a plan should be written. Contact us to schedule a consultation with a Utah wills and family trusts lawyer.

Wills & Family Trusts Lawyer Utah

A wills and family trusts lawyer prepares the documents that control what happens to your property and your children after your death or incapacity. A will names beneficiaries, an executor, and a guardian for minor children. A revocable living trust holds assets during your lifetime and passes them to your beneficiaries, usually without probate.

About 13% of Utah residents are 65 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Estate planning isn’t only for older adults, though. Young parents need a will to name a guardian, and anyone who owns a home can benefit from planning ahead.

Types of Wills & Family Trusts Cases We Handle in Utah

Estate plans vary with each family’s assets and relationships. We help with:

• Simple wills. A basic will names who inherits your property and who serves as executor. Choosing the right executor matters, given the challenges faced by executors.
• Guardianship. Parents can nominate the person they want to raise their children if both parents die. Without a nomination, a court decides through a guardianship proceeding.
• Revocable living trusts. A family trust keeps the details private and is one of the most reliable ways to help your family avoid the probate process. You stay in control of the assets while you’re alive.
• Pour-over wills. A pour-over will works alongside a trust to catch any assets that weren’t transferred into it during your lifetime.
• Divorce. Divorce changes who should inherit and who should make decisions for you. We update wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations after the decree, and we coordinate with clients who need a divorce lawyer or other family law help.
• Blended family planning. Remarriage and stepchildren raise questions about protecting a new spouse while preserving an inheritance for children from a prior relationship. A trust can provide for a surviving spouse during their lifetime and pass the remainder to your children.
• Trusts for adult children with disabilities. Parents of an adult child with a disability often need a plan that coordinates with a guardianship and protects the child’s eligibility for benefits.
• Coordinating with prenups and postnups. A marital agreement and an estate plan should work together. We review prenuptial agreements and postnuptial agreements alongside your plan so they don’t conflict.
• Powers of attorney. A durable financial power of attorney names someone to handle your finances if you become incapacitated. Without one, your family may need a court-appointed conservator.
• Health care directives. An advance health care directive names a health care agent and records your medical wishes, so relatives aren’t left guessing what you would want.

Why Choose Felt Family Law & Mediation as My Wills & Family Trusts Lawyer in Utah?

Estate Planning Informed by Family Law

Felt Family Law & Mediation has focused on Utah families since 2016. Because our daily work involves divorce, custody, adoption, and guardianship, we understand how family changes affect an estate plan. We look at who depends on you, how your family is structured, and what could create disputes later, then draft documents that address those issues directly.

We explain each document in plain terms so you know exactly what you’re signing. Clients who have gone through a divorce, adopted a child, or become guardians often need their plans updated, and we can handle those updates alongside the related family law matter. Our office is in Syracuse, and we work with clients throughout Davis and Weber counties, including coordinating signings so documents are executed correctly.

What Our Estate Planning Clients Receive

Our clients leave with plans that include:

• Wills that name trusted guardians for their children
• Family trusts designed to avoid probate
• Updated documents after divorce or remarriage

Catie Weimer said, “I appreciated Jonathan’s honesty throughout the process.” More reviews are on our testimonials page.

What Is Important to Understand About Wills & Family Trusts in Utah?

Key Estate Planning Documents and What They Do

Most Utah estate plans are built from a few core documents:

• Last will and testament. Directs how property passes, names an executor, and nominates guardians for minor children.
• Revocable living trust. Holds assets during your lifetime and distributes them after death without court supervision.
• Pour-over will. Transfers any assets left outside the trust into it at death.
• Durable power of attorney. Authorizes an agent to manage your finances if you can’t.
• Advance health care directive. Names a health care agent and sets out your medical preferences.

What Are Important Aspects of Estate Planning in Utah?

Several details affect whether a plan works as intended:

• Signing requirements. A Utah will generally must be signed by you and two witnesses. A self-proving affidavit can make probate easier.
• Funding the trust. A trust only controls assets that have been transferred into it, so deeds and accounts must be retitled.
• Beneficiary designations. Life insurance and retirement accounts pass by beneficiary designation, not by your will, so those forms need to match your plan.
• Divorce and your plan. A divorce generally revokes provisions in a will that benefit a former spouse, but other documents may still need to be updated.

What Is the Estate Planning Timeline?

Creating a will or trust usually takes a few weeks. The typical steps are:

1. An initial consultation to discuss your family, assets, and goals.
2. Gathering information about property, accounts, and the people you want to name.
3. Drafting the will, trust, and supporting documents.
4. Reviewing the drafts and making revisions.
5. Signing the documents with the required witnesses and notary, then funding the trust.

Simple wills can be completed quickly. Trust-based plans take a little longer because of the funding step.

What Should You Bring to Your Estate Planning Consultation?

A clear picture of your family and assets helps us draft an accurate plan. Please bring:

• A list of your assets, including real estate, bank accounts, retirement accounts, and life insurance
• Copies of any existing wills, trusts, or powers of attorney
• Your divorce decree, prenuptial agreement, or postnuptial agreement, if any
• Names of the people you want to serve as executor, trustee, guardian, and agents

We’ll review your goals, recommend the documents that fit your situation, and explain the next steps.

Utah Probate Court and Local Resources

In Utah, probate cases are handled by the district courts. In northern Utah, that’s the Second District Court, which covers Davis, Morgan, and Weber counties from courthouses in Farmington, Bountiful, Layton, Ogden, and Morgan. A well-funded trust can keep your estate out of that process entirely. We serve families throughout the region, whether they need a Syracuse estate planning lawyer, a Syracuse family trust lawyer, or an Ogden family trust lawyer.

Reach Out to Felt Family Law & Mediation to Schedule a Consultation

Putting a plan in place now spares your family difficult decisions later. Contact us to schedule a consultation with a Utah wills and family trusts attorney at Felt Family Law & Mediation. We’ll review your situation and explain your options. Our office responds to inquiries promptly.