Real Estate Services
Real Estate
Closings
The purchase or sale of real estate is likely the largest transaction a person can make in his or her lifetime. The Benefield Law Firm is here to ensure that your transaction is handled as smoothly as possible. We specialize in providing high quality legal representation for real estate closings and promise to make it our priority to provide you with the highest level of competency and care.
Owner's Title
Insurance
Title Insurance protects the holder from a financial loss related to the ownership of the property. While lender’s title insurance is required to protect the mortgage lender’s financial investment in your home or property, an Owner’s Title Insurance Policy is optional. The Owner’s Title policy is a one-time cost for protection against financial loss related to problems with the title. While our team works to identify and correct title problems to ensure the property you are buying is free of all liens, encumbrances, title defects due to human error, or misindexing, inaccuracies can occur. Our title insurance underwriter is Fidelity National Title Insurance Company.
Real Estate
Fraud Protection
We understand the importance of protecting our clients from the dangers of real estate fraud. That's why we offer comprehensive fraud protection services to ensure that our clients are fully protected throughout the real estate process, so they can rest assured that their information is being guarded and protected.
Title
Transfers
When owning real estate property there may come a time that you want to transfer title to that property. In most cases, this can be done using a Quitclaim Deed or a Warranty Deed. Our team we can help draft and record the appropriate deeds needed to ensure your transfer is done correctly.
Estate Planning Services
Estate Planning
We offer personalized, client-focused estate planning services for individuals and their families.
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Our job as Estate Attorneys is to ensure you and your family have peace of mind that your wishes will be carried out upon your passing and that your estate plan has been tailored to meet needs of your family after you are gone.
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All of our estate planning packages include the following four documents:
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Last Will & Testament
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Financial Power of Attorney
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Health Care Power of Attorney
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Living Will
Last Will & Testament
A Last Will & Testament, or "Will" is an essential element of any estate plan. Without a Will, you are leaving the distribution of your estate up to the laws of the State in which you reside or the State in which your real property is located.
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Let our experienced estate planning attorneys help you make your wishes known and take control of your legacy.
Financial Power of Attorney
A Financial Power of Attorney, also known as a Durable Power of Attorney, is an important tool that should be included in any estate plan. This instrument allows you to appoint trusted individual of your choosing to manage various aspects of your financial life on your behalf.
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This instrument can be effective immediately or only upon your incapacity - your choice.
Health Care Power of Attorney
A Health Care Power of Attorney is another important tool which allows you the ability to appoint a trusted individual to make medical decisions on your behalf if you do not have the capacity or ability to do so yourself.
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Most Assisted Living Facilities, Retirement Communities, and HOSPICE Care facilities require their residences to have such forms completed.
Living Will
A Living Will, also known as a Declaration for Natural Death, is an important legal document which allows you to make certain difficult end-of-life decisions now, such as whether you would like to be kept alive on life support when you are terminal or in a persistent vegetative state, rather than leaving such a difficult decision up to your loved ones.
Trusts
Nowadays, Trusts are not only for the mega-wealthy and can actually be fairly simple and affordable substitutes for a Will with many added benefits. Trusts are one of, if not the, best tools an estate plan can have for handling probate, incapacity, asset protection, taxes, and wealth preservation.
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We can help you and your family establish and maintain a wide variety of different trusts such as:
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Revocable Living Trusts
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Testamentary Trusts
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Irrevocable Trusts
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Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
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Special Needs Trusts
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Joint Marital Trusts
Trustee Services
An important part of any Trust is choosing the right Trustee. Your Trustee is the individual you choose to oversee the Trust and all the assets it holds. Your Trustee takes on many responsibilities such as managing assets and property, investing, handling tax matters, and ensuring assets are distributed or conserved according to the terms of the Trust.
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The Benefield Law Firm has experience serving in fiduciary positions like Trustee and would be glad to serve as your Trustee, making sure your loved ones are properly cared for and provided for whether they be a surviving spouse, minor children, someone with special needs, or even an adored pet.
Executor Services
Choosing the right Personal Representative, also known Executor, to oversea and administer your estate through the probate process is an important decision. Often, it makes sense to appoint a family member like your spouse or child to serve as your Executor, but it is not always that simple for some families. Perhaps you do not want to burden your spouse or children with the difficult task of serving as Executor or your heirs live in different parts of the country. If that is the case you may find that it makes the most sense to appoint your attorney to serve as your Executor instead.
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The Benefield Law Firm has experience serving in fiduciary positions like Executor and would be glad to take on that role for you and your family.
Prenuptial Agreements
Prenuptial Agreements ("Prenup") can often be a critically important estate planning tool, particularly in the case of a second marriage or when one spouse is bringing or may bring significant personal or family assets into the marriage.
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Without a Prenup, in the unfortunate but realistically very common case of a divorce, the division of your assets, wealth, and even your future earnings in the form of alimony will be left up to the laws of the state where you reside and in the hands of expensive divorce lawyers. Often, the state laws are simply unfair and do not align with the intentions of the parties.
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Let the Benefield Law Firm help you take matters into your own hands and make your future look a little more certain with the legal protection of a Prenuptial Agreement.
About Us
​Benefield Law Firm specializes in providing professional legal services, with a focus on delivering high-quality legal representation for real estate transactions and estate planning. With two locations, St. Simons Island, Georgia and St. Mary’s, Georgia, our team is dedicated to delivering first class service and maintaining clear and concise communication throughout your real estate process. These values, along with multiple office locations, set Benefield Law Firm apart from the rest.
Why Choose Us
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Experience
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Expertise
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