Estate Planning

You don’t need to be among the super-wealthy to have an “estate.” In fact, if you own nothing more than a home, a mutual fund, a retirement account, and some life insurance, you have an estate.

Every estate needs a plan. It’s not so much about the value of your assets as it is about protecting the assets that you own.

A good estate plan allows you to make decisions today about what will happen with your affairs if you become disabled or pass away. If you don’t make these decisions, the courts, or sometimes, well-meaning but ill-advised family members, will make them for you.

A basic estate plan includes documents such as a will, trust, financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney, and living will. More advanced estate plans include asset protection entities such as limited liability companies, irrevocable trusts, pre-nuptial agreements, corporations, and limited partnerships.

Whether you have a modest estate or your net worth is in the millions, we can help you develop a plan to protect your assets and leave your family with peace of mind.

Business Planning

Whether you own a small business or you’re in the process of establishing one, the structure and organization of the business are critical to your success.

For most small businesses and real estate investments, a limited liability company (LLC) is the best business structure. It provides asset protection with great flexibility for tax and management purposes. An LLC can be taxed as a sole proprietor, partnership, or S-Corporation, without the hassles of corporate meetings, minutes, and annual reports.

A well-drafted operating agreement is extremely important for any business because of recent court decisions. The operating agreement should contain provisions protecting the business in the event of lawsuits, as well as provisions concerning death or incapacity of managers and members, buy-sell provisions, and protective language for economic interest holders such as children or others holding small interests in the business.

Mediation

We live in an age of conflict. Blended families from two or more marriages, dysfunctional families, partnership disputes, problems with addiction, chemical abuse, and controversial lifestyles are but a few of the issues that lead to confrontation and stalemates in settling estate and business disputes.

W. Gibney Law, PLLC has a unique approach to conflict resolution. We listen. When conflicting voices are heard–and understood–the chance of resolving differences soars.

The goal of our mediators is not to make problems go away. We assist conflicting parties in determining what they need, what they want, then assist them in separating their needs from their wants. Often, a solution suitable to both sides is very different from what either party envisioned prior to the mediation.

William Gibney and Cheryl Parker received their formal mediation training at Northwestern University in Chicago, where they engaged in intensive hands-on training from the top mediators in the country. They continue to hone their skills by attending live seminars, web-based training, and self-study.

Bill and Cheryl work separately as mediators or as a team, depending on the needs and desires of the client.