Estate Planning Attorney in Kendall: Wills, Living Trusts, Lady Bird Deeds
Attorney Yanitza Schoonover drafts complete estate plans for Kendall, The Hammocks, Kendale Lakes, and Palmetto Bay families. Flat fee pricing confirmed in writing. Lady Bird Deeds. Revocable living trusts. Every document personally handled. Bilingual English and Spanish. Florida Bar #124081.
Estate Planning Attorney Serving Kendall, Florida
Kendall is one of the most established communities in Miami-Dade County, home to a large Cuban-American and broader Latin American population, multigenerational families with deep roots in The Hammocks, Kendale Lakes, and Palmetto Bay, and a significant number of homeowners who have built real wealth here over decades.
Attorney Yanitza Schoonover is a Florida Bar licensed estate planning attorney and bilingual estate planning attorney who serves Kendall families from her office on Waterford District Drive in Miami, minutes from Kendall. She provides full estate planning service in both English and Spanish, drafts every will, living trust, and Lady Bird Deed personally, and charges flat fees for all estate planning services confirmed in writing before any work begins.
Kendall FL · The Hammocks · Kendale Lakes · Pinecrest · South Miami · Palmetto Bay · Westchester · Tamiami
Typical Kendall Home Value
Florida's 3% statutory probate fee on a $450,000 Kendall home equals $13,500 in attorney fees before your family can access a single 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 Kendall's large Cuban-American and Latin American community, Hablamos Español.
Surprise Fees
Flat fee estate planning attorney, all fees confirmed in writing before work begins. No hourly billing. No surprise invoices.
What Estate Planning Services Does The Schoonover Law Firm Provide in Kendall?
A complete Kendall estate plan typically includes six legal documents. Every document is drafted to comply with Florida Statutes and Miami-Dade County recording procedures.
| Service | What It Does for Kendall Families |
|---|---|
| Last will and testament | Directs who receives your assets after death and names a guardian for minor children. Florida requires 2 witnesses and notarization. Without one, Florida's intestacy laws decide who inherits your Kendall home and everything else. |
| Revocable living trust | The most effective estate planning tool for Kendall families who want to avoid probate. Transfers your assets to named beneficiaries at death through your successor trustee without any court proceeding. Works for the family home, investment accounts, and all titled assets. |
| Durable power of attorney | Names a trusted agent to manage your finances if you become incapacitated. Prevents the need for a court-supervised guardianship proceeding through Miami-Dade Circuit Court without this document in place. |
| Healthcare surrogate designation | An advance directive that names who makes medical decisions for you if you cannot speak for yourself. Without one, Florida law assigns that role from a ranked list of relatives. |
| Living will | States your wishes on life-prolonging procedures in writing. Removes the burden of that decision from your family and healthcare providers at the most difficult moment. |
| Lady Bird Deed | Transfers your Kendall home to your beneficiaries at death without probate. This enhanced life estate deed preserves Florida homestead protection and Medicaid eligibility while you retain full lifetime control of the property. |
Probate avoidance is the most common goal Kendall families bring to their first estate planning consultation. Florida probate costs 3% of the estate in statutory attorney fees under Florida Statutes Section 733.6171, plus court costs on top of that. For a $450,000 Kendall home, that is $13,500 in attorney fees before your family can access a single dollar. A funded revocable living trust and a Lady Bird Deed eliminate that cost entirely for most Kendall families.
Lady Bird Deeds for Kendall and The Hammocks Homeowners
Kendall, The Hammocks, Kendale Lakes, and the surrounding communities have some of the strongest homeownership rates in Miami-Dade County. Many families here have owned the same home for 20 or 30 years, built equity through hard work, and hope to pass that home to the next generation without complications.
Without a plan, that home must pass through Florida probate court before any family member can sell it, refinance it, or transfer it. That process takes 9 to 24 months on average and is entirely public record. A Lady Bird Deed, also called an enhanced life estate deed, transfers your Kendall home to your named beneficiaries at death without any probate proceeding. You retain complete ownership and control during your lifetime and can sell, refinance, or revoke the deed at any time without your beneficiaries’ consent.
The deed preserves Florida homestead protection, the Save Our Homes assessment cap, and Medicaid eligibility under current Florida estate recovery rules. None of the estate planning firms currently serving Kendall offer a dedicated Lady Bird Deed service with flat fee pricing.
Incapacity Planning: Protecting Your Kendall Family Before a Crisis
Estate planning is not only about what happens when you die. Incapacity planning addresses what happens if you become unable to manage your own affairs while you are still alive, due to illness, injury, or cognitive decline. It is the part of a comprehensive estate plan that matters most during a sudden health crisis, and it is the part most Kendall families overlook entirely.
Durable Power of Attorney: Your Finances
Authorizes your named agent to manage your bank accounts, real estate, and financial affairs immediately upon your incapacity, without any court involvement. Without this document, your family must petition for guardianship through Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
Healthcare Surrogate Designation: Your Medical Decisions
An advance directive that names the person who makes medical decisions for you when you cannot. Without it, Florida law assigns that decision to a ranked list of relatives who may not know your wishes.
Revocable Living Trust with Successor Trustee: Your Trust Assets
Your named successor trustee takes over trust administration privately and immediately upon your incapacity, skipping the 60 to 120-day delay and $3,000 to $5,000 cost of a Miami-Dade guardianship proceeding. For Kendall families, this is the most underused and most important feature of a properly funded living trust.
Miss any one of these three documents and your family faces a court proceeding for that specific category. None of the estate planning firms currently serving Kendall address incapacity planning as this structured three-document framework.
A family member who needs to manage your affairs must file for guardianship through Miami-Dade Circuit Court, a process that takes 60 to 120 days and costs $3,000 to $5,000 before any protective authority is granted.
Medicaid Planning and Elder Law Planning for Kendall Seniors
Kendall has a substantial senior population, many of whom have owned their homes for decades and built meaningful savings. Long-term nursing home care in Florida costs approximately $10,646 per month for a private room, according to the 2024 Genworth/CareScout survey. A two-year stay at that rate consumes well over $250,000 in savings.
Medicaid planning is the legal process of structuring your assets so that you or a family member can qualify for Medicaid long-term care coverage without first spending down everything you have built. The Lady Bird Deed is central to Medicaid and elder law planning for Kendall homeowners because it transfers the family home at death outside of probate without triggering a disqualifying transfer under Medicaid rules during the owner’s lifetime.
Attorney Schoonover incorporates Medicaid planning and elder law considerations into every estate plan she drafts for Kendall seniors, addressing Florida homestead law, asset structuring, and long-term care costs before a health crisis forces a rushed decision.
- 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 Kendall?
Yanitza Schoonover is a Florida Bar licensed estate planning attorney and bilingual 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 Kendall families personally, from the initial consultation through trust funding and deed recording.
Kendall estate planning requires more than a generic will or a template from a firm that treats estate planning as a side service to real estate closings or statewide litigation. The multigenerational homeownership traditions of The Hammocks, Kendale Lakes, and Palmetto Bay, Florida homestead restrictions on how a family home can be passed down, and the specific Lady Bird Deed and probate avoidance tools that protect Kendall families demand an attorney who handles every document personally, charges flat fees confirmed in writing, and provides full service in both English and Spanish.
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 Kendall Families Choose The Schoonover Law Firm
The estate planning options currently serving Kendall each have a significant limitation. Sugarman and Sugarman is a real estate firm. Niebla Probate handles only probate and guardianship, not estate planning. Rarick is a statewide litigation firm for law firms, not everyday families. None offer flat fee pricing, a Lady Bird Deed service, or bilingual estate planning with direct attorney access.
Lady Bird Deed
Every estate planning firm serving Kendall overlooks the Lady Bird Deed. It is a core service here for Kendall homeowners in The Hammocks, Kendale Lakes, and Palmetto Bay.
Bilingual Estate Planning in English and Spanish
Full estate planning service in both languages for Kendall's large Cuban-American and Latin American community. Hablamos Español.
Flat Fee Estate Planning: Written First
All estate planning fees confirmed in writing before work begins. Written quote for all other legal services before any work starts.
Direct Attorney Representation
Attorney Schoonover handles every will, every living trust, and every Lady Bird Deed personally from the initial consultation through trust funding and deed recording.
Extended Availability Beyond 9 to 5
In-person Mon–Fri before 5 PM. Evening and weekend consultations by phone or Zoom only, Mon–Sun 8 AM to 9 PM.
Medicaid Planning for Kendall Seniors
Every senior estate plan accounts for Florida homestead law, Medicaid eligibility, and long-term care costs from the start.
Estate Planning Attorney Serving Kendall and Surrounding Communities
Primary Service Areas
Kendall · The Hammocks · Kendale Lakes Palmetto Bay · Pinecrest · South Miami Westchester · Tamiami · Cutler Bay
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 · Minutes from Kendall · All in-person visits by appointment only
Estate Planning Questions from Kendall Families
Common questions Attorney Schoonover receives from Kendall, The Hammocks, and Palmetto Bay families during initial consultations.
How do I avoid probate on my Kendall home?
There are two primary tools. A revocable living trust holds your titled assets during your lifetime and transfers them to your named beneficiaries at death through your successor trustee, without any Florida probate court involvement. A Lady Bird Deed transfers your Kendall home to named beneficiaries at death without probate, while you retain full ownership and control during your lifetime. Used together, a funded revocable living trust and a Lady Bird Deed on your home eliminate formal probate administration for most Kendall families. For a $450,000 Kendall home, that eliminates $13,500 or more in statutory attorney fees alone.
What does a bilingual estate planning attorney in Kendall actually offer?
A bilingual estate planning attorney provides the full range of estate planning services, including wills, revocable living trusts, Lady Bird Deeds, powers of attorney, healthcare surrogate designations, and living wills, in both English and Spanish. Every consultation, every document review, and every signing appointment is conducted in the language you prefer. For Kendall’s large Cuban-American and Latin American community, working with a bilingual estate planning attorney means your family members who prefer Spanish are never excluded from the planning process. At The Schoonover Law Firm, Attorney Schoonover conducts the full engagement in Spanish for families who prefer it. Hablamos Español.
What is a successor trustee and why does my Kendall family need one?
A successor trustee is the person you name in your revocable living trust who takes over management of your trust assets when you become incapacitated or pass away. Unlike a personal representative in Florida probate, a successor trustee acts immediately and privately without any court appointment or judicial oversight. For Kendall families with a funded revocable living trust, the successor trustee can manage the family home, pay bills, distribute assets to beneficiaries, and handle trust administration without waiting months for court approval. It is the most practical and most underexplained benefit of a properly funded living trust.
How much does estate planning cost in Kendall?
The Schoonover Law Firm charges flat fees for all estate planning services, confirmed in writing before work begins. A basic will package including a last will and testament, durable power of attorney, healthcare surrogate designation, and living will typically ranges from $800 to $1,500. A complete trust-based estate plan including a revocable living trust, pour-over will, all four supporting documents, and a Lady Bird Deed for your home typically ranges from $3,500 to $8,000. A written quote is provided before any work begins, for estate planning and all other legal services.
Start Your Kendall Estate Plan Today
A complete Kendall estate plan takes 1 to 4 weeks from consultation to signing. Attorney Schoonover reviews your assets, family structure, and goals in the first call and confirms exactly which documents you need and what they will cost before any work begins.
Attorney Schoonover drafts complete Florida estate plans for Kendall, The Hammocks, Kendale Lakes, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami families including last wills, revocable living trusts, Lady Bird Deeds, durable powers of attorney, healthcare surrogate designations, and living wills.
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
