Estate Planning
An estate plan is a set of instructions for a day you will not be there to explain them.
Harp Law Firm, PLLC helps individuals and families throughout Mississippi put clear, properly executed documents in place, covering everything from a straightforward will to trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives. Whether you are building a first plan or updating one that no longer reflects your life, we walk you through the decisions and make sure the documents say what you intend. The first consultation is free.
Wills
A will directs how your property is distributed after your death, names the person who will carry out those instructions, and, for parents of minor children, nominates a guardian. Without one, Mississippi's intestacy statutes decide who inherits, and that outcome frequently does not match what a person would have chosen, particularly in blended families, second marriages, or situations where someone wants to provide for a person the statutes do not recognize.
Mississippi has specific requirements for how a will must be signed and witnessed, and a document that fails to meet them can create exactly the dispute it was meant to prevent. We draft wills that account for your assets, your family structure, and the particular concerns you bring to the conversation, and we help clients revisit existing wills after a marriage, a divorce, a death in the family, a move to Mississippi from another state, or a significant change in what they own.
Whether you need a first will or a review of one written years ago, the conversation starts the same way. Schedule a free consultation to talk through what your plan should cover.
Trusts
A trust holds property for the benefit of the people you name and can take effect during your lifetime rather than only at death. Families use trusts for a range of reasons: keeping assets out of probate, providing for a minor or a beneficiary who is not ready to manage a lump sum, planning around a family business or land that has been in the family for generations, or maintaining privacy about what passes to whom.
Trusts are not the right tool for every situation, and a trust that is created but never properly funded does not accomplish what the client expected. We talk candidly with clients about whether a trust makes sense for their circumstances, which type fits their goals, and what has to happen after signing for it to work as intended.
If you are not sure whether a trust belongs in your plan, that question is worth an honest answer before you spend anything on one. Schedule a free consultation to discuss it.
Powers of Attorney
A power of attorney names someone you trust to act on your behalf, typically in financial and legal matters such as paying bills, managing accounts, handling real property, or dealing with insurance and benefits. A durable power of attorney remains in effect if you later become unable to make those decisions yourself, which is the situation most families are actually planning for.
Without one in place, a family facing a sudden illness or injury may have to petition a court for conservatorship, a process that takes time and money at the worst possible moment. We help clients decide who should hold this authority, how broad it should be, and when it should take effect, and we draft the document so that banks and other institutions will honor it.
A power of attorney has to be signed while you are able to sign it, which is why it is worth handling now rather than later. Schedule a free consultation to put one in place.
Health Care Directives
A health care directive covers medical decisions rather than financial ones. It allows you to name someone to speak for you if you cannot speak for yourself and to state your own wishes about the care you would and would not want, including decisions about life-sustaining treatment. Mississippi provides for these directives by statute, and having one relieves your family of guessing at your intentions during an emergency.
We help clients complete a directive that reflects their actual preferences rather than a form filled in without discussion, and we make sure it fits alongside the rest of the plan. We also talk with clients about the practical side, including who should have copies, what to tell the person you have named, and when to revisit the document.
Putting your wishes in writing is one of the more meaningful things you can do for your family. Schedule a free consultation to get it done.