About Jerry Taylor Law
Serving Clients in Fairhope, Mobile, Baldwin County and the entire State of Alabama
There are many legal strategies involved in estate planning, including wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, and health care documents. New clients often say that they do not have an estate plan. Most people are surprised to learn that they actually do have a plan. In the absence of legal planning otherwise, their estate will be distributed after death according to Alabama’s laws of intestacy. Of course, this may not be the plan they would have chosen. A properly drafted estate plan will replace the terms of the State’s estate plan with your own. Start the process and create your estate plan alongside an estate planning lawyer.
Custom legal solutions
Jerry began practicing law in 1985 and started his law firm in 2007. He has created a practice focused on the protection of families through estate planning, wealth transfer, asset protection, elder law and complex personal injury. He has been involved with families and their estates all over the country, giving him a broad understanding of trusts, wills and estates and the problems that can occur from a lack of proper planning. Jerry’s primary goal is to help individuals and families create a custom legal solution that will preserve hard-earned assets, eliminate the headache of probate proceedings, reduce, or eliminate potential family conflicts and capture your wishes in the most efficient way possible. He enjoys developing lifelong relationships with his clients, serving as a trusted advisor to them through whatever legal challenges they may face in life.
Over 30 years experience
Jerry began his career as a court room lawyer, winning multi-million-dollar verdicts and representing thousands of families across the United States in pharmaceutical and nursing home cases. Among other accomplishments, he received the largest nursing home medical malpractice verdict in Alabama, and he represented over 1000 clients in a pharmaceutical litigation matter where his cases settled for $100,000,000 dollars. He now limits the number of injury and wrongful death cases he takes to better serve individual clients.
Jerry received his law degree from the University of Alabama and his undergraduate degree in economics from Samford University. He is a frequent speaker to legal organizations around the country, including seminars and gatherings in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Albuquerque, Ketchum, Park City, Vail, Little Rock, and many other cities. In addition to his practice, Jerry is active in local theatre and music on the Eastern Shore and frequently speaks locally on estate planning, asset protection and medicaid planning.
Most importantly, Jerry is a husband and a dad. He and his wife, Lisa, are the proud parents of three sons, Boyd, Christopher, and Rob.
Protecting Families and Assets During and After Life
Providing Peace Of Mind For Alabama Residents Who Have No Legal Plan In Place To Protect Themselves, Their Loved Ones, Their Assets And Their Estate
Practice Areas
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Welcome to Jerry Taylor Law
Estate Planning and Elder Law
Becoming a Client of Jerry Taylor Law
Understanding the Three P’s of Estate Planning:
#1 – People - Who are the Important People in your life?
Beginning with yourself, they also likely include your loved ones: your spouse if you are married, children and grandchildren if you have any, perhaps your parents, siblings or other relatives. Beyond these, however, “Important People” also could include charities, special causes, colleges or universities, or churches to which you are committed. For some, “Important People” could even include pets. Spend some time thinking about the impact others have had on your life. Make a list and jot notes if you like. This is where the planning process truly begins.
#2 – Property
By Property we mean your assets in general. Make a list of the assets you own or control. At this point, you do not need to identify insurance policy numbers and exact dollar values. Rather think through your assets in terms of their nature (cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.); their value in thousands of dollars; and your ownership interest: Do you own assets in your name only, in joint tenancy with someone else, or through a trust agreement or some other arrangement? Be sure to include often-overlooked assets like life insurance (the death benefit, not the cash value), business interests, and any inheritance you may expect to receive.
#3 – Plans
After identifying the Important People in your life and your Property, the next step is to consider the plans you would make for those people (including yourself) and that Property in the event of your own incapacity or death.
Who would you name to make decisions for you if you could no longer do so yourself? Would the same person handle your finances and your personal and health care decisions? Who would care for your minor children? How would you distribute your assets to your heirs? Would you prefer to spare your heirs the potential cost and hassles of the probate process? Would you like to minimize the impact of estate taxes … or maximize the impact of a charitable bequest? Is there someone in your family with special needs for whom you would like to provide? Is there someone who perhaps should not receive a great deal of (or any) money without some outside oversight?
These are just a few of the issues to consider when approaching the planning process. They are much more important than the “treasure hunt” for legal documents at this stage.
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