Does this firm offer estate planning services in Spanish?

Yes. The Schoonover Law Firm offers consultations, documents, and signing appointments in English and Spanish.

Estate Planning Attorney in North Miami Beach: Wills, Trusts, and Lady Bird Deeds

Q: Does a Lady Bird Deed avoid probate?

Yes. A properly drafted and recorded Lady Bird Deed can transfer the property to the named beneficiary at death outside the probate process.

Q: Do I need a will in Florida if I already have a trust?

Usually yes. Most trust-based estate plans include a pour-over will to address assets that were not transferred to the trust.

Q: Do I need a trust in Florida, or is a will enough?

It depends on your assets, family situation, and estate planning goals. A will does not by itself avoid probate, while a trust may help with probate avoidance and private administration.

Q: How much does estate planning cost in Florida?

The Schoonover Law Firm provides estate planning services for a flat fee confirmed in writing before legal work begins. A basic will package typically runs $800 to $1,500, while a complete trust-based plan including a Lady Bird Deed typically runs $3,500 to $8,000.

Q: How often should I update my estate plan?

A good rule is to review your estate plan every 3 to 5 years and after major life events such as marriage, divorce, a new child or grandchild, relocation, or the death of someone named in your documents.

Attorney Yanitza Schoonover drafts complete estate plans for North Miami Beach families. Flat fee pricing confirmed in writing. Florida Lady Bird Deeds. Every document personally handled and explained in plain English, never legal jargon you’re left to guess at. Florida Bar #124081.

Estate Planning in North Miami Beach

Estate Planning Attorney Serving North Miami Beach, Florida

Here’s something most people don’t realize: North Miami Beach isn’t actually on the beach. It sits inland, along the Intracoastal side of northeast Miami-Dade County, a few minutes from the water but its own city with its own character, a mix of longtime homeowners who’ve been in the same house for decades, younger families, and residents who moved here from all over the world. That kind of mix means there’s no single “typical” North Miami Beach estate plan, and a good one shouldn’t pretend otherwise.

Homes in North Miami Beach carry real, meaningful equity, even in the city’s more modest neighborhoods, often $400,000 to $550,000 for a typical single-family home today. Without a plan, that value doesn’t pass to your family automatically. It goes through Florida’s probate court first, and that process costs real money and real time.

Attorney Yanitza Schoonover is a Florida Bar licensed estate planning attorney who works with North Miami Beach families from her office on Waterford District Drive in Miami, a short drive away. Estate planning isn’t one of several things her firm 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, never legal jargon you’re left to guess at.

Typical Home Value

Florida's 3% statutory probate fee on a $450,000 North Miami Beach home equals $13,500 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 North Miami Beach's diverse community, Hablamos Español.

Surprise Fees

Flat fee pricing for all estate planning services. Written quote before work begins; no hourly billing, no surprise invoices.

Estate Planning Services in North Miami Beach

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 if you own your North Miami Beach home outright or have multiple 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 North Miami Beach 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 North Miami Beach families’ minds: Florida law charges roughly 3% of a home’s value in attorney fees just to move it through probate court. On a $450,000 North Miami Beach home, that’s $13,500, gone before anyone in your family sees a dollar. A Lady Bird Deed can eliminate that cost completely.

Lady Bird Deeds for North Miami Beach Homeowners

What Is a Lady Bird Deed, and Why Does It Matter Here?

If you own a home in North Miami Beach, 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 set to inherit it. They have no legal claim to the home until you pass away.

Yes, a properly drafted Lady Bird Deed does avoid probate on that specific property. 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. This is a service The Schoonover Law Firm provides routinely for North Miami Beach homeowners.

Incapacity Planning for North Miami Beach Families

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.

A durable power of attorney, healthcare surrogate designation, and living will function best as a coordinated set, each document supporting the others so there are no gaps if an emergency occurs. A well-structured plan keeps your family out of court and in control from day one.

Keeping Your Plan Current for North Miami Beach Families

Your Life Changes. Should Your Estate Plan?

North Miami Beach has a lot of multigenerational households and blended families, parents and adult children under one roof, stepchildren, family members who’ve moved here from elsewhere. An estate plan written for one version of your family doesn’t automatically update itself when your family does.

A good rule of thumb: review your plan every 3 to 5 years, and always after a major life event; a marriage, a divorce, a new child or grandchild, a move, or the death of someone named in your documents. A plan that’s 10 years old may still name an ex-spouse as your agent, or leave out a grandchild who wasn’t born yet when it was signed. This is quick and inexpensive to fix, but only if it gets caught before it matters.

About the Attorney

Why Choose The Schoonover Law Firm for Estate Planning in North Miami Beach?

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 North Miami Beach families personally, from the initial consultation through trust funding and deed recording.

North Miami Beach 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 North Miami Beach families, particularly the Florida Lady Bird Deed, demand an attorney who knows local law and explains it in plain language, not legal shorthand.

Every estate planning document, every client question, and every signing appointment handled personally by Attorney Schoonover.

Years in Estate Law

Years Licensed

Consecutive Rising Stars

91h

Weekly Availability

Why Choose The Schoonover Law Firm

Why North Miami Beach Families Choose This Firm

At The Schoonover Law Firm, P.A., estate planning for Miami-Dade families is the entire practice, not a side offering. Attorney Yanitza Schoonover works from her office on Waterford District Drive in Miami, minutes from North Miami Beach, and serves this community directly, not remotely from another county.

North Miami Beach & Surrounding Service Area

Estate Planning Attorney Serving North Miami Beach and Surrounding Communities

Frequently Asked Questions

Estate Planning Questions from North Miami Beach Families

Common questions Attorney Schoonover receives from North Miami Beach families during initial consultations.

What is a Lady Bird Deed in Florida?

A Lady Bird Deed, also called an enhanced life estate deed, lets you transfer your home to a chosen beneficiary at death without probate, while keeping full control, including the right to sell or change your mind, during your lifetime.

Does a Lady Bird Deed avoid probate?

Yes. A properly drafted and recorded Lady Bird Deed transfers the property directly to your named beneficiary at death, outside of the probate process entirely.

Do I need a will in Florida if I already have a trust?

Usually yes. Most trust-based plans still include a simple “pour-over” will to catch anything not already titled in the trust’s name.

Do I need a trust in Florida, or is a will enough?

It depends on what you own. A will alone still requires probate. If avoiding probate matters to you, especially for a home or multiple accounts, a trust or a Lady Bird Deed (or both) is usually the better fit. A free consultation can walk through which makes sense for your situation.

How much does estate planning cost in Florida?

At The Schoonover Law Firm, 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, typically runs $3,500 to $8,000.

How often should I update my estate plan?

Every 3 to 5 years, and always after a major life event, marriage, divorce, a new child or grandchild, a move, or the death of someone named in your documents.

Does this firm offer services in Spanish?

Yes. Every consultation, document, and signing appointment is available in Spanish. Hablamos Español.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Start Your North Miami Beach Estate Plan Today

A complete North Miami Beach 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, with no obligation to move forward.

Attorney Schoonover drafts complete Florida estate plans for North Miami Beach, North Miami, Aventura, and Miami Beach families; including last wills, revocable living trusts, Lady Bird Deeds, durable powers of attorney, healthcare surrogate designations, and living wills. Want to understand how to avoid probate in more depth first? Start there, then come back to build your North Miami Beach plan.

Start With a Free Consultation

Email info@estateplanningattorney.us
Schedule a Free Consultation at estateplanningattorney.us
In-person meetings by appointment only.
English and Spanish, Hablamos Español
Flat fee for estate planning, fee quote provided before any work begins