Easton Law, Estate and Business Planning

Intentional, thoughtful estate and business planning - keeping your family out of court and out of conflict.

Navigating the maze of legal and financial decisions you face to protect yourself, your family, your business, and your legacy can be overwhelming. We’re here to take that weight off your shoulders. 

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Legacy Planning, Eastmark Arizona

Estate Planning

At Easton Law, Estate and Business Planning, we provide the following legal services.

Estate Planning

Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt what would happen legally and financially to you, your loved ones, your money, and everything else you care about if something unexpected happened to you? 


If you have an estate plan and it is out of date, your assets could be lost to the state department of unclaimed property, or to an unnecessary and public court process. If you do not have an estate plan, then your state has a plan for you, and it might not be what you want. The bottom line is: if you do not know exactly what would happen to everyone you love and everything you own, the first step is to find out so that you can make intentional and thoughtful decisions going forward. 

How do we help? 

We meet together for your Family Wealth Planning Session where the sole purpose is to get you more informed. Before your Planning Session, you will complete your Family Wealth Inventory & Assessment, which will help you get clear about what you own and what you have to think about when it comes to planning for the well-being and care of your loved ones and your belongings. 


If you decide the current state of affairs is unacceptable, and if we both decide that it is a fit to work together, we will design an estate plan together that will best shit the needs of your family. 


The foundation of your estate plan will often include a revocable living trust, which, when done correctly and maintained over time, should help your family avoid the cost and delay of the public probate process and minimize or eliminate estate taxes. 


Can I DIY my Estate Plan?

Unfortunately, most DIY plans do not work because much of what passes for estate "planning" is little more than word processing. You answer a few automated questions and then the drafter (normally software, not a human being) decides which "plan" is right for you and the template document may not actually reflect your needs or situation whatsoever. This isn't estate planning, it is little more than a "search and replace."


We are Professional Estate Planners. 

Becky Easton, your Personal Family Lawyer® at Easton Law, PLLC will educate you and take the time to get to know you, your family, your concerns, your goals and your issues. 


Becky will also gladly and patiently answer all your questions to design an estate plan exactly right for you meant to keep your loved ones out of court and out of conflict.  

Planning for Your Children

If you are a parent of minor children who are counting on you, your estate plan must begin with ensuring your children would always be taken care of by the people you want, in the way you want, no matter what happens. 

Without Proper Planning, Here's What Could Happen:

  · Your children could be placed into the care of strangers while the authorities figure out what to do (yes, even if you have a will in place and even if you have a living trust). It’s true that this would likely only be temporary, but trust us: you never want your children in the arms of strangers, not even for a minute.
  · Your children could be put into the custody and care of someone you would never want, like that one family member who has good intentions but who you would never want raising your kids.
  · A judge who doesn’t know you or your family will decide who will raise your kids, even if it is the last person you would ever want.
  · Your family could get into a long drawn-out custody fight or there could be a challenge to the guardians you have designated.
  · Up to 5% of the value of your assets could be lost to court costs and other unnecessary fees through the probate process, a court process that can tie up your assets for years and deprive your kids of the resources they need to live comfortably.
  · When your kids turn age 18, they get a check for whatever assets are left, no matter how immature they might be or what financial lessons they have not had a chance to learn yet.
  · Unscrupulous people out there find out when 18-year olds are getting that inheritance check by searching the public court records.
  · Unfortunately, the vast majority of estate planning attorneys do not address these issues and do not plan from a parent's perspective.
Yes, these things scare us too! That’s why we offer a Kids Protection Plan® with every estate plan we do for families with young children.

What is a Kids Protection Plan®?
Your Kids Protection Plan® is a set of instructions, legal documents and an emergency wallet card – all of which you need to have if you have kids at home who count on you for their well-being and care.

If you are in an accident, your Kids Protection Plan® will make sure your children are never taken into the custody of Child Protective Services, strangers or the care of anyone you would not want simply because the authorities don't have clear instructions from you. And your Kids Protection Plan® will ensure your children are raised by people you choose, not someone chosen by a judge who doesn’t know you.

Business and Asset Protection

Nobody Expects To Be Sued - Just ask the 20 million people involved in lawsuits last year.


Divorce, inheritance, health issues, creditors, employee disputes, theft, changing markets, malpractice suits, sexual harassment claims, natural disasters and disgruntled business partners – these are just a few issues that can result in devastating lawsuits for unprepared business owners.


The highest level of risk falls on those who think they are immune. The more success you have, especially in business, professional practice or real estate activities, the more at risk you are as others see your success grow.


Here are some of the risky behaviors you may be engaging in right now without even realizing it:
  · Will you be signing loan documents, a personal guaranty or a lease in the near future?
  · Do you have rental properties or employees?
  · Are you an attorney or physician?
  · Do you work in construction or perform professional services?
  · Are you getting married soon?
  · Are you or will you be getting married and you have children from a prior marriage or separate property assets?

Here’s the thing: All of these activities are activities we want to see you do more of!

But we do not want you to create a negative impact on your life or your future.

How you can take Maximum Risk with Minimum Worry
This is where we come in. We set up your estate planning in proper ways to ensure that you can take maximum risk with minimum worry. 

We assist our clients in determining the appropriate level of asset protection planning for their particular circumstances. We will consider insurance, prenuptial agreements, asset segregation, choice of jurisdiction, gifting, LLCs, partnerships, corporations, and asset protection trusts.

There are many different strategies to accomplish the protection of your assets both while you are alive and for your family after you are gone. To find out which strategies may be right for you, schedule your Family Wealth Planning Session and we will talk about it one-on-one.

We are ready to help you.
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Legacy Planning Lawyer

About Easton Law, Estate and Business Planning

Easton Law was founded to create long-standing, trusted relationships with our clients, enabling them to live intentional lives and run intentional businesses. We are here to help women, entrepreneurs, and families of all types in Arizona and Colorado. No matter what your family looks like, we will help you design a plan that achieves your goals for yourself and your loved ones today, and for years to come. 

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Legacy Planning Legal Team

Meet the team

Our team is excited and ready to help you! 

Rebecca Easton

Founder, Managing Attorney

Attorney Becky Easton is an Arizona native. Born and raised in Tucson and graduating from the University of Arizona with Psychology and Spanish Linguistics degrees, she chose to pursue a career in law after several in corporate America. Graduating from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law in 2011, she ultimately made her way back to the Phoenix Valley to build her practice. Becky focuses on educating her community, working directly with her clients to help them plan for and protect their future. Actively involved in her community, Becky is admitted to practice in both Arizona and Colorado, and currently serves on the Eastmark Residential Association and the House of Refuge Planned Giving Committee.

Andrea Alvarez

Social Media and Marketing Coordinator

Andrea joins the team virtually from Panama and is our master of all things social media. When not working with us, she’s enjoying time with her husband and two kids.

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Easton Law, Estate and Business Planning
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480.999.4455

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Location

2301 S. Stearman Dr., Suite 20
Chandler, AZ 85286

Get Directions info@eastonlawpllc.com

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