• Will contests
• Lawsuits involving:
  • will construction/interpretation issues
  • trustees or executors
  • breaches of fiduciary duty
  • trust management or investment
  • retirement benefit beneficiary designations
  • life insurance beneficiary designations
  • claims of common law marriage after the death of a "spouse"
  • children born to someone after the date of a probate
• Contested guardianships
• Contested probates

Jordan, Houser & Flournoy, LLP creates strategic alliances with clients in structuring business transactions and creating business opportunities through skillful planning. The firm creates ideas to solve legal problems plus formulates solutions for corporate clients on a daily basis. The following are some of the ideas we use and the services we provide:

• Structuring companies and creating partnerships to limit liability exposure
• Forming corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships
• Advising clients regarding choice of business entity
• Creating technology agreements
• Merging companies
• Acquiring business units
• Converting corporations into limited partnerships
• Drafting business contracts
• Crafting employment agreements
• Negotiating the sales of business assets as well as the sales of companies themselves

At Jordan, Houser & Flournoy, LLP, we recognize the necessity of transferring assets with a minimum of tax cost. We work extensively with clients to minimize not only estate taxes but also gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes. We understand our clients' desires to transfer assets that they spent a lifetime accumulating on a tax-free or tax-deferred basis to their spouse and then on a tax-minimized basis to their children. Additionally, we help our clients take full advantage of the exemptions and exclusions allowed by law.

Representative tools and techniques combined together and used as a foundation for creative tax solutions to minimize gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes include:

• Maximizing annual gift tax exclusions
• Maximizing medical and educational exclusions
• Transferring assets to irrevocable trusts
• Making gifts to Section 529 educational plans
• Forming, funding, and making gifts with family limited parterships
• Creating charitable trusts

Jordan, Houser & Flournoy, LLP will work with you to ensure that your property is transferred according to your wishes, that you are able to provide financial security for your spouse, and that your estate pays the least amount of estate taxes. A well-designed estate plan also includes documents such as powers of attorney and guardianship documents that avoid a court-administered guardianship in the event of your incapacity.

The firm will guide you through each step of the estate planning process. This means that we will assist you in evaluating your needs, suggest alternative distribution plans, draft your documents, and provide you with the formalities necessary for their effective execution.

These are some of the instruments we tailor to fit your needs in our estate planning practice:

• PowerPoint diagrams
• Wills and living trusts
• Durable statutory powers of attorney
• Medical powers of attorney
• Directives to physicians
• Declarations of guardians
• Declarations of guardians for children
• Donor cards
• Burial statements

Jordan, Houser & Flournoy, LLP represents individuals and corporations in all stages of probate, guardianship and trust administration. We have the expertise and personnel to handle any kind and size of proceeding involving a will, trust or guardianship, including contested and uncontested matters. Below are examples of the services we provide in this area:

• Probating wills and administering estates of people who have died, including preparation of federal estate tax returns where needed
• Representing executors and trustees in matters such as accountings, prudent management practices, and distribution determinations
• Representing individuals who face the difficult decision about obtaining a guardianship for a loved one
• Representing beneficiaries who want someone to help them understand the probate or trust administration process
• Representing beneficiaries who want to make sure the executor or trustee is fulfilling their fiduciary duties
• Formulating administration plans that help individual executors and trustees efficiently manage an estate or trust

We understand the stress and emotions that exist when someone you care about passes away or is incapacitated. Our goal is to make the estate, trust or guardianship process as understandable, manageable and efficient as possible.