Betts Patterson & Mines P.S

About Betts Patterson & Mines P.S

Estate Planning Attorneys in Portland, OR

Our estate planning attorneys work on a daily basis with each individual client's unique planning opportunities, taking into account age, health, marital status, children, step-children, in-laws, descendants, parents, significant others, charities, real estate, farms and ranches, securities, insurance, businesses, investments, retirement, liabilities, and contingent and possible liabilities in the context of the current uncertainty regarding estate tax laws and the instability of relevancy. Estate and trust administration includes advising executors and trustees on how to deal with and plan for property disclaimers, valuations, sales, taxation, contaminated property, and prompt transfers and distributions to beneficiaries or trusts in a timely and efficient manner. Our clients frequently face difficult business succession issues, which we have extensive experience resolving for partnerships, S and C corporations, and limited liability companies.

Our clients frequently face difficult business succession issues, which we have extensive experience resolving for partnerships, S and C corporations, and limited liability companies.

Wills and revocable trusts with estate tax exemption trusts, marital deduction trusts, and generation-skipping trusts are all designed to deal with differences in Washington and federal taxes, as well as differences between family members and generations.

• To ensure privacy, use living or revocable trusts.
• Financial and medical powers of attorney are used to avoid the possibility of guardianships.
• Life insurance trusts (sometimes with "Crummey" clauses) to shield proceeds from additional taxation
• Medicaid-eligible trusts
• Personal residence trusts that are qualified
• Trusts in children or grandchildren
• Entities in business
• Private Charities

Washington law is extremely adaptable. Community property agreements, for example, can be used to change the character of separate or community property, effectively eliminating probate attorney fees.