Estate Planning Attorney in Opa-locka: Wills, Trusts, and Lady Bird Deeds
Attorney Yanitza Schoonover drafts complete estate plans for Opa-locka 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 Attorney Serving Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-locka has a history unlike anywhere else in Miami-Dade County, a city built in the 1920s around a Moorish Revival architectural theme, with street names straight out of the Arabian Nights and a City Hall that still looks like something out of a storybook. Underneath that unusual history is a community of longtime homeowners, working families, and a real sense of pride in a place that doesn’t get talked about the way its more famous neighbors do.
That history and that pride deserve an estate plan that treats Opa-locka as more than a zip code plugged into a city-page template. Right now, that’s exactly what’s missing, the firms that show up in Opa-locka estate planning searches are based an hour away in Boca Raton, run 30-city template farms with broken FAQ sections, or don’t serve Opa-locka as its own city at all.
Attorney Yanitza Schoonover is a Florida Bar licensed estate planning attorney who works with Opa-locka families from her office on Waterford District Drive in Miami, a short drive away. 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 shorthand you’re left to decode on your own.
Typical Home Value
Florida's 3% statutory probate fee on a $280,000 Opa-locka home equals around $8,400 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 Opa-locka'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.
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. Useful if you own your Opa-locka home outright or have multiple accounts to coordinate. |
| 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 Opa-locka 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 families’ minds when they first learn it: Florida law charges roughly 3% of a home’s value in attorney fees just to move it through probate court. On a $280,000 Opa-locka home, that’s around $8,400, gone before anyone in your family sees a dollar. A Lady Bird Deed can eliminate that cost completely.
Three Tools, Three Different Jobs
This is the question almost every Opa-locka family asks in their first conversation, and it’s a fair one, none of the four firms currently showing up in Opa-locka searches actually answer it clearly. Here’s the plain version.
Will
The most basic document. Says who gets what, but it still has to go through Florida probate court before anything gets distributed. That means months of delay and a real cost, roughly 3% of the estate's value in attorney fees alone.
Revocable Living Trust
The most complete tool. Holds your assets while you're alive and passes everything inside it to your chosen beneficiaries the moment you die, with no probate court involved at all. Takes more upfront work, assets have to be retitled into the trust's name to be protected.
Lady Bird Deed
One job, done extremely well. Passes your house, and only your house, directly to your beneficiaries at death, no probate, no retitling required during your lifetime. You keep full control the entire time you're alive.
Most complete Opa-locka estate plans use two of these together: a will or trust to cover everything else you own, and a Lady Bird Deed specifically for the home. A free consultation walks through which combination actually fits your situation, rather than guessing.
What Is a Lady Bird Deed, and Why Does It Matter Here?
If you own a home in Opa-locka, 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. None of the four firms competing for Opa-locka estate planning searches offer this service.
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.
Your Life Changes. Should Your Plan?
An estate plan written years ago doesn’t automatically update itself when your life 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.
- 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 Opa-locka?
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 Opa-locka families personally, from the initial consultation through trust funding and deed recording.
Opa-locka 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 Opa-locka 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
Weekly Availability
Why Opa-locka 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 Opa-locka, and serves this community directly, not remotely from another county.
Lady Bird Deed Services
We use this tool to help Opa-locka 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, no surprises.
Plain-Language Guidance
We replace dense legal jargon with clear, actionable explanations, so you understand every document in your plan and how it protects your family.
A Real Miami-Dade Office, Close to Home
Attorney Schoonover works from Miami, minutes from Opa-locka, so you're never dealing with a firm that treats your neighborhood as just another zip code.
Bilingual in English and Spanish
Full estate planning service in both languages. 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.
Estate Planning Attorney Serving Opa-locka and Surrounding Communities
Primary Service Areas
Opa-locka · Golden Glades · Miami Gardens · Hialeah
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 Opa-locka · All in-person visits by appointment only
Estate Planning Questions from Opa-locka Families
Common questions Attorney Schoonover receives from Opa-locka 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.
How to avoid probate in Florida?
The two main tools are a funded revocable living trust, which passes assets to beneficiaries without any court involvement, and a Lady Bird Deed, which does the same specifically for real estate. Most complete plans use both together.
How to create a trust in Florida?
A trust has to be properly drafted and signed, and then your assets have to actually be retitled into the trust’s name to be protected, a step called “funding” the trust. Attorney Schoonover handles both the drafting and the funding as part of a complete trust-based plan.
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.
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.
How much does a will cost in Florida?
At The Schoonover Law Firm, a basic will package typically runs $800 to $1,500, priced as a flat fee confirmed in writing before any work begins.
How much does a trust cost in Florida?
A complete trust-based plan, including a Lady Bird Deed for your home, typically runs $3,500 to $8,000, also priced as a flat fee.
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.
Start Your Opa-locka Estate Plan Today
A complete Opa-locka 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 Opa-locka, Miami Gardens, Hialeah, and surrounding communities; 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 Opa-locka 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
