Powers of Attorney, Wills, Trusts, and Elder Law

Estate Planning Attorney in Washington, D.C.
Dorothy Simpson Dickerson

Estate planning is the creation of a definite plan for managing your wealth while you’re alive, and distributing it after your death. When we talk about an estate, we mean all assets of any value that you own, including real property, business interests, investments, insurance proceeds, personal property, and even your personal effects.

For over 20 years, attorney Dorothy Simpson Dickerson has been providing estate planning services to clients across Washington, DC. Contact our law office for assistance with planning your estate.

Shouldn't I just write a legal Will? Are there other estate planning options?

Many people plan their estates by creating a document called a Last Will and Testament. A Will is essentially a legal document that lays out how you want your assets distributed at death. However, a Will does not control the distribution of all of your assets. Joint tenancy property and life insurance proceeds both typically pass outside your will. Also, Wills do not take effect until you die, so they are no help with lifetime planning.

Upon your death, your Will becomes a public document when it is filed with the probate court and is available to anyone who wants to read it. Once your Will enters the probate process, your estate is no longer controlled by your family—it is in the hands of the court and the probate lawyers. A Will guarantees that your directions for handling your assets will be honored when going through probate. However, a Will is only one part of estate planning. Therefore, it is not enough for some families.

Contact D.C. estate planning attorney Dorothy Simpson Dickerson today to discuss how to meet your goals. Ask about a free initial consultation. In addition to our estate planning services, our firm can assist clients through the probate process.

Elder Law

As we age, it becomes increasingly important to see that our assets and affairs are in order. The area of elder law is focused on providing guidance and estate support to elderly individuals and their families. Our firm’s elder law services can include establishing Durable Powers of Attorney for assets and medical decisions, guardianships, conservatorships, and Medicaid planning.

Aging often brings about greater reliance on others. The best way to deal with this so that you or your loved ones can maintain as much independence as possible is to plan in advance. An experienced elder law attorney can help you make a practical plan using Durable Powers of Attorney over assets and healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid planning, and other elder law tools that will give you peace of mind and minimize unwelcome changes. With appropriate planning, you and your family can prevent the need for a guardianship or conservatorship proceeding later.

We offer a wide variety of elder law services for clients throughout the District of Columbia. For more information, please contact our law office today. Attorney Dickerson and her firm also assist clients located out of state that may have legal issues in the District of Columbia.

Law Offices of Dorothy Simpson Dickerson

5335 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 440
Washington, D.C. 20015
Phone: 202.628.2727 • Fax: 310.388.0856

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Probate, estate planning, and elder law attorney Dorothy Simpson Dickerson provides representation to clients throughout Washington, D.C., in all areas such as Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, George Washington University, Downtown, Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, Sheridan, Logan Circle, Mount Vernon Square, Shaw, West End, Barney Circle, Capitol Hill, Chinatown, Judiciary Square, Kingman Park, Navy Yard, Near Northeast, Penn Quarter, NoMa, Southwest Federal Center, Southwest Waterfront, Union Station, and the National Mall. Attorney Dickerson and her firm also assist clients located out of state that may have legal issues in the District of Columbia.