New Haven Wills and Trusts Lawyer

New Haven Wills and Trusts Attorney

New Haven is the home of Yale University, situated on the coast of Long Island Sound just a short distance from New York City. Many people in the area have concerns about estate planning and the options they have for leaving assets to their families. An experienced New Haven wills and trusts lawyer can explain these options and the potential benefits they may provide to you and your family.

Experienced Legal Counsel for Wills and Trusts in New Haven, CT

The attorneys at Burns Thomas, LLC can help you better understand your options for creating wills and trusts in Connecticut. Estate planning is a difficult subject for many people, but it is never too early to start thinking about how you want to leave your assets to your loved ones and your options for doing so. We help our clients develop individualized estate plans that provide the highest levels of asset protection, and we can confidently handle the most complex estates.

Far too few people in the US have estate plans. The US Census reports that the population of New Haven as of July 2024 was 137,562, and 11.8% of the population was over the age of 65. While estate planning becomes a more pressing concern later in life, developing a plan earlier can provide peace of mind, and amending your plan as your life changes will be simple with an experienced New Haven wills and trusts lawyer assisting you.

A recent survey reported that as of 2025, only about 24% of Americans have estate plans, down from 33% in 2022. Without an estate plan in place, a person’s estate enters probate after their death. This is a complex, tedious, time-consuming, and expensive process that can create disputes among the decedent’s beneficiaries. Taking time to develop a comprehensive estate plan can benefit your family in various ways.

Understanding Wills and Trusts

The most basic element of an estate plan is a will, or last will and testament. This is a legal document you create that explains how you want your assets distributed to your family members after your death. An experienced estate planning attorney can help you draft your will, making it as detailed as possible to eliminate any potential uncertainty for your family during estate administration.

Trusts are popular choices for estate planning in Connecticut and throughout the US. Probate is expensive and strictly follows intestate succession laws, so it may not account for family dynamics and a decedent’s preferences when it comes to distributing their assets. Creating a trust can help your family avoid a lengthy probate process, and it can also protect assets from estate tax penalties.

A revocable trust does not provide the same level of tax protection as an irrevocable trust, but it allows the creator to modify it in the future if necessary. An irrevocable trust offers greater tax protection, but it cannot be changed at all once formalized. An experienced New Haven wills and trusts lawyer can explain the potential advantages and drawbacks of these options for your situation.

Estate planning may be a difficult topic for you, but the team at Burns Thomas, LLC can help you make confident, informed decisions when it comes to wills and trusts in New Haven. We have decades of experience helping many clients in New Haven create their estate plans, and we’ll put this experience to work for you. Reach out to our firm as soon as possible to learn more about our estate planning services.

Whether the best option for you is a comprehensive will, the establishment of trusts or other estate planning solutions, we will find a solution that fits your needs.

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FAQs

The attorneys at Burns Thomas, LLC have decades of experience helping clients in New Haven and surrounding Connecticut communities with estate planning, including the creation of wills and trusts. If you have questions about your estate plan options, we can help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with an experienced New Haven wills and trusts lawyer.