Developing a comprehensive estate plan is an important investment every person should make to ensure that one’s loved ones are provided for and one’s wishes are carried out.  Tanya will take the time to fully discuss your expectations for the distribution of your estate, and review with you the options available on how to best fulfill those wishes through careful and thorough planning. Tanya is committed to providing you with tax-efficient planning based on current industry best practices.  The most common estate planning options are:

A Will-Based Estate Plan:  A Last Will is the traditional document used in estate planning.  A will is a legal document that directs how your assets will be given away and usually names a personal representative that will be responsible for managing the estate through probate.  Colorado has an informal probate process that makes probate at death much less costly and time consuming than in many other states, making the Last Will a good choice for many Coloradoresidents.

Disability planning documents such as a Durable General Power of Attorney, Durable Medical Power of Attorney, and Living Will typically form the foundation of any estate plan.  These powers of attorney allow a person of your choice to make asset management and medical care decisions for you if you are unable to make decisions on your own due to serious illness or disability.  A Living Will insures that your life sustaining wishes are respected.

 

Life Insurance products factor into many estate plans.  Working with your current policies or with your life insurance provider, Tanya will be able to assist you with the formation and maintenance of Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs) or Survivorship Standby Trusts to pass wealth on to your beneficiaries.

The use of Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs) and Family Limited Liability Companies (FLLCs) may be useful in certain situations to pass wealth to successive generations at a discounted cost.  However, this area of planning has undergone significant changes in the past few years and an experienced planner is a must to reap the potential benefits of these tools.  Tanya will explain the intricacies of this type of planning to you or, alternately, explain to you why this type of planning may not be a good fit for your situation and goals.

 

Tanya is a member of the highly regarded National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA).  She has over ten years of experience representing seniors in a wide array of civil legal matters.  Her elder law practice primarily focuses on the preservation/transfer of assets to avoid spousal impoverishment when nursing home placement becomes an issue; long-term care placements in nursing home and life care communities; other nursing home issues including questions of patients' rights and nursing home quality; Medicaid; Medicare; supplemental and long term health insurance issues; conservatorships and guardianships; probate; elder abuse; and senior housing issues.

 

Tanya will work with you to investigate and understand the myriad requirements for Medicaid eligibility for you or a loved one facing a long term nursing home stay.  Special needs planning is a complex matter, and Tanya will take the time needed to explain the process and all possible options.

Tanya can also help you understand how a Supplemental Needs Trust or a Special Needs Trust may or may not be an option for your particular special needs planning situation.

 

Beginning a business venture may require the creation of a formal business entity.  As an experienced and successful entrepreneur, Tanya will work with you to select and establish the appropriate business entity for your particular venture and needs; draft the appropriate documents to organize your entity and help to keep it in compliance with established liability protection practices; draft employment agreements, buy-sell and cross-purchase agreements, independent contractor agreements, and other documents necessary for the smooth operation and flow of your business; and lead and document your annual meetings.

 

The office of Tanya R. Shimer, LLC is located at 450 Main Street, in Longmont.   Longmont is easily accessible from Boulder via the Diagonal highway; the Denver Metropolitan area or from northern Colorado via I-25 or Highway 287.

The office of Tanya R. Shimer, LLC is open 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and at other times by special arrangement.  In many circumstances, Tanya will be glad to visit clients in their homes, businesses, or other locations. Please feel free to visit or call at your convenience.

 

Tanya’s goal is to serve each of her clients with the highest standards of professionalism.  Her mission is to meet her client’s legal needs with courteous individual attention, integrity, and excellence.

During an initial consultation, Tanya will discuss the legal issues you face and help you evaluate and review your options, with the goal of helping you decide on an appropriate course of action.  Her goal is to make sure that your legal needs are met and taken care of with courtesy, integrity and excellence.

 

Various fee arrangements are available—typically either hourly or as a flat fee, depending upon the nature and complexity of the matter.

Tanya attended the University of Colorado School of Law on a full academic scholarship.  After graduating from law school she was honored to become Boulder County Legal Services first Colorado Bar Association sponsored lend-a-lawyer, working to provide access to justice for elderly, disabled and impoverished clients in a wide array of civil legal matters.  As an entrepreneur, she founded her own successful business from startup to making a profit in two years, while continuing to serve the poor of Boulder County both as a volunteer attorney and as a member of the Colorado Legal Services Contract Panel. 

 

Tanya has received an award of excellence from Boulder County Legal Services in 1998 for her commitment to the philosophy of access to the legal system for all, regardless of income.  She has been honored by the Boulder County Bar Association with 50-hour Pro Bono Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, and 150 hours in 2006.  In 2006 she was also honored to receive an honorary MVP award from BCLS for her continued efforts to promote access to justice for all. 

In 2008, the Boulder County Bar Association awarded Tanya the John Marshall Award.  The award recognizes an attorney who demonstrates outstanding commitment to pro bono publico service and exhibits a high degree of professionalism and courtesy in representing the profession. 

 

Tanya brings over ten years of civil law experience to her clients.  She is dedicated to her mission of meeting her client’s needs with courteous individual attention, integrity, and excellence.  Ms. Shimer is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, Boulder Bar Association, the Availability of Legal Services Committee, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA).  Tanya is a graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), which she successfully completed in 2006.

 

Tanya is a member of the Boulder friends of UNICEF, an Ecocycle volunteer, and a member of the Boulder Aquatic Masters.  She enjoys trail running and competing in marathons and triathlons, in her spare time.

 

 

 

All Materials Copyright 2007 Tanya R. Shimer LLC