Estate Planning Attorney in Miami Lakes: Wills, Trusts, and Lady Bird Deeds
Attorney Yanitza Schoonover drafts complete estate plans for Miami Lakes families and business owners. Flat fee pricing confirmed in writing. Florida Lady Bird Deeds. Every document personally handled and explained in plain English or Spanish, never legal shorthand. Florida Bar #124081.
Estate Planning Attorney Serving Miami Lakes, Florida
Miami Lakes doesn’t feel like the rest of Miami-Dade County, and that’s on purpose. The town was built in the 1960s around a walkable Main Street, dozens of small lakes, and a golf course once co-owned by former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, the kind of planning that made it feel like a small town instead of a big city. That same intentional feel shows up in how residents think about their estate: fewer families here want a generic, one-size-fits-all plan.
Homes in Miami Lakes sell for a median of around $700,000 today, with entry-level single-family homes starting near $575,000 and larger properties reaching well past $1 million. A lot of that value has built up quietly over decades of Florida’s homestead tax protections. Without a plan, most of it is headed straight into Florida’s probate court.
Attorney Yanitza Schoonover is a Florida Bar licensed estate planning attorney who works with Miami Lakes families and business owners from her office on Waterford District Drive in Miami, a short drive from Miami Lakes. Unlike the firms currently competing for Miami Lakes estate planning searches, estate planning isn’t one of six things she does, it’s the only thing she does. She drafts every will, trust, and Lady Bird Deed personally, charges flat fees confirmed in writing before any work begins, and explains every document in plain English (or Spanish) instead of legal shorthand.
Median Home Value
Florida's 3% statutory probate fee on a $700,000 Miami Lakes home equals $21,000 in attorney fees before your family sees a dollar. A Lady Bird Deed eliminates that entirely.
Core Documents
Last will, revocable living trust, Lady Bird Deed, durable power of attorney, healthcare surrogate designation, living will.
Languages
Full estate planning service in English and Spanish for Miami Lakes' large Latin American community, Hablamos Español.
Surprise Fees
Flat fee pricing for all estate planning services. Written quote before work begins: no hourly billing, no surprise invoices.
What Does an Estate Plan Actually Include?
A complete estate plan usually comes down to six documents. Here’s what each one actually does, in plain terms.
| Service | What It Actually Does |
|---|---|
| Last will and testament | Says who gets your things after you die, and who takes care of your kids if they're still minors. Florida requires 2 witnesses and a notary. Without one, Florida law decides for you and it may not decide the way you would have. |
| Revocable living trust | Holds your assets while you're alive and passes them to the people you choose, without going through probate court at all. Especially useful for Miami Lakes homes, business interests, and investment accounts. |
| Durable power of attorney | Lets someone you trust step in and manage your money and property if you become too sick or injured to do it yourself, without a judge having to appoint them. |
| Healthcare surrogate designation | Names the person who makes medical decisions for you if you can't speak for yourself. Without it, Florida law picks someone from a list of relatives and it might not be who you'd choose. |
| Living will | Puts your wishes about life support and end-of-life care in writing, so your family never has to guess or argue about what you would have wanted. |
| Lady Bird Deed | A simple, low-cost way to pass your Miami Lakes home directly to your beneficiaries at death, no probate, no court. You keep full control of the house while you're alive: sell it, refinance it, or change your mind at any time. |
Here’s the number that changes most Miami Lakes families’ minds: Florida law charges roughly 3% of a home’s value in attorney fees just to move it through probate court. On a $700,000 Miami Lakes home, that’s $21,000, gone before anyone in your family sees a dollar. A trust and a Lady Bird Deed can eliminate that cost completely.
The One Tool Every Miami Lakes Competitor Is Missing
If you own a home in Miami Lakes, this is probably the single most useful document you’ve never heard of. A Lady Bird Deed lets you pass your house directly to whoever you choose the moment you die, no probate court, no waiting months, no attorney fees eating into what your family inherits.
Here’s what makes it different from a normal deed: you keep every right to the property while you’re alive. You can sell it, take out a loan against it, or change the beneficiary entirely, all without asking anyone’s permission, including the people who are set to inherit it. They have no legal claim to the home until you pass away.
It also protects things Florida homeowners already rely on: your homestead tax protection, the cap that limits how much your property taxes can rise each year, and your Medicaid eligibility if long-term care ever becomes a concern.
What Happens If You Can't Speak for Yourself?
Most people think about estate planning as “what happens when I die.” Just as important is what happens if you’re still alive but can’t manage your own affairs, a stroke, an accident, or advancing age can all put a family in that position with zero warning.
Durable Power of Attorney
Lets your chosen agent manage your bank accounts and bills the moment you need them to, with no judge involved. Without it, your family has to petition Miami-Dade Circuit Court for guardianship, a process that typically takes 60 to 120 days and costs $3,000 to $5,000 before anyone has legal authority to help you.
Healthcare Surrogate Designation
Names who makes medical calls for you. Without it, Florida law picks from a ranked list of relatives, whether or not that's who you'd actually want in that role.
Revocable Living Trust
Your chosen successor trustee can step in and manage everything inside the trust immediately and privately, with no court filing at all. For Miami Lakes families with a business, a rental property, or investment accounts, this is often the part of a plan that matters most and gets skipped the most.
None of the three firms competing for Miami Lakes searches present incapacity planning as a structured, connected plan, it's treated as an afterthought or a single line item, not something built to work together.
Many Miami Lakes families are also thinking ahead about long-term care costs. A properly built plan: trust, Lady Bird Deed, and the incapacity documents above, helps protect a home and savings from being wiped out by nursing home costs, without giving up control while you’re healthy.
Your Business Needs a Plan, Not Just Your House
Miami Lakes has always had a strong business community. A standard will doesn’t answer any of these questions on its own, a complete plan for a business owner has to fold them in alongside your personal estate plan.
Who Runs the Business If You Can't?
A family member, a partner, or a manager, someone needs clear, documented authority to keep the business running the moment you're unable to.
Keep It, Sell It, or Wind It Down?
Does your family get to decide, or has that decision already been made for them in writing? Without direction, this becomes a source of conflict at the worst possible time.
Are Personal and Business Assets Separated?
Properly separated assets mean a lawsuit against your business doesn't put your Miami Lakes home at risk, and a personal claim doesn't threaten the business.
Is Ownership Structured to Skip Probate?
Without the right structure, the business itself can get stuck in Florida probate court right alongside everything else you own.
- Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2021 through 2026
- 2024 Elite Lawyer Award
- Florida Bar #124081, admitted September 2016
Why Choose The Schoonover Law Firm for Estate Planning in Miami Lakes?
Yanitza Schoonover is a Florida Bar licensed estate planning attorney based in Miami with 13 years of Florida estate law experience. She holds Florida Bar number 124081 with active good standing status and drafts every estate planning document for Miami Lakes families personally, from the initial consultation through trust funding and deed recording.
Miami Lakes estate planning requires more than filling in a standard template. Florida homestead restrictions, Miami-Dade County recording requirements, and the specific probate avoidance tools that protect Miami Lakes families, particularly the Florida Lady Bird Deed, demand an attorney who knows local law and explains it in plain language, not legal shorthand.
Years in Estate Law
Years Licensed
Consecutive Rising Stars
Weekly Availability
Why Miami Lakes Families and Business Owners Choose This Firm
Choosing an estate planning attorney is a significant decision for any family or business owner. At The Schoonover Law Firm, P.A., we focus on providing a clear, cost-effective, and deeply personalized experience, protecting your legacy should be straightforward, which is why we prioritize direct communication, transparent pricing, and specialized legal expertise tailored to your specific needs.
Specialized Lady Bird Deed Services
We use this specialized tool to help Miami Lakes families pass their homes directly to beneficiaries, eliminating the roughly 3% in probate fees Florida law would otherwise require.
Predictable Flat-Fee Pricing
Every estate plan is based on a flat fee confirmed in writing before any legal work begins, no hourly billing surprises.
100% Focus on Estate Planning
Because estate planning is the only thing this firm does, you benefit from a depth of expertise generalist firms simply can't match.
One Attorney, Every Document, Personally
Attorney Schoonover drafts every will, trust, and deed herself, not handed off to an associate or paralegal.
Bilingual in English and Spanish
Full estate planning service in both languages for Miami Lakes' large Latin American community. Hablamos Español.
Real Evening and Weekend Access
In-person Monday through Friday before 5:00 PM by appointment. Phone and Zoom consultations Monday through Sunday, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM, with the attorney herself, not an answering service.
Estate Planning Attorney Serving Miami Lakes and Surrounding Communities
Primary Service Areas
Miami Lakes · Main Street District · Miami Lakes Golf & Country Club Hialeah · Doral · Miami Gardens
In-Person Appointments
Monday through Friday Before 5:00 PM By appointment only
Phone & Zoom
Monday through Sunday 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Evenings & weekends available
Office: 6303 Waterford District Dr, Suite 400, Miami, FL 33126 · Short drive from Miami Lakes · All in-person visits by appointment only
Estate Planning Questions from Miami Lakes Families
Common questions Attorney Schoonover receives from Miami Lakes families during initial consultations.
How much does estate planning cost in Miami Lakes?
Every service is priced as a flat fee, confirmed in writing before any work begins. A basic will package typically runs $800 to $1,500. A complete trust-based plan, including a Lady Bird Deed for your home, typically runs $3,500 to $8,000. No competing Miami Lakes firm states its pricing publicly.
What's the difference between a will and a Lady Bird Deed for my Miami Lakes home?
A will has to go through probate court before your home can pass to your beneficiaries, typically 9 to 24 months, plus attorney fees of about 3% of the home’s value. A Lady Bird Deed skips probate entirely for that property. Most complete plans use both: a will (or trust) for everything else, and a Lady Bird Deed for the house.
I own a business in Miami Lakes. Do I need something different than a standard estate plan?
Yes, usually. A standard will doesn’t address who runs your business, whether your family keeps it, or how it’s protected from a lawsuit against you personally. A complete plan for a business owner folds these decisions in alongside your personal estate plan.
Does this firm offer services in Spanish?
Yes. Every consultation, document, and signing appointment is available in Spanish. Hablamos Español.
Start Your Miami Lakes Estate Plan Today
A complete Miami Lakes estate plan typically takes 1 to 4 weeks from first call to signing. Attorney Schoonover reviews your assets, your family, and your goals on the first call, and tells you exactly what you need and what it costs before any work begins.
Attorney Schoonover drafts complete Florida estate plans for Miami Lakes, Hialeah, Doral, and Miami Gardens families and business owners, including last wills, revocable living trusts, Lady Bird Deeds, durable powers of attorney, healthcare surrogate designations, and living wills. Looking to understand how to avoid probate in more depth first? Start there, then come back to build your Miami Lakes plan.
Start With a Free Consultation
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Email info@estateplanningattorney.us
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Schedule a Free Consultation at estateplanningattorney.us
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In-person meetings by appointment only.
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English and Spanish, Hablamos Español
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Flat fee for estate planning, fee quote provided before any work begins
