Estate Planning Attorney Serving North Miami: Wills, Living Trusts and Lady Bird Deeds
Attorney Yanitza Schoonover drafts complete estate plans for North Miami and North Miami Beach families. Flat fee pricing for all estate planning services. Lady Bird Deeds. Revocable living trusts. Every document personally handled. Bilingual English and Spanish. Florida Bar #124081.
Estate Planning Attorney Serving North Miami and North Miami Beach, Florida
North Miami and North Miami Beach are among the most diverse communities in Miami-Dade County, home to large Caribbean-American, Haitian-American, and Latin American families alongside a substantial senior population that has called this area home for decades. That diversity creates estate planning needs that are real, specific, and rarely served well by firms whose primary focus is real estate law, evictions, or probate litigation.
Attorney Yanitza Schoonover serves North Miami and North Miami Beach families from her office on Waterford District Drive in Miami, a short drive from both communities. She provides full estate planning service in both English and Spanish, drafts every document personally, and charges flat fees for all estate planning services confirmed in writing before any work begins.
The three firms currently advertising estate planning in North Miami are a real estate firm, a probate litigation practice, and a Boca Raton office. None of them focus on estate planning as their primary service. The Schoonover Law Firm does.
Flat Fee Estate Planning
The only estate planning firm serving North Miami that charges a flat fee for estate planning confirmed in writing before work begins. No hourly billing. No surprise invoices.
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, Hablamos Español.
What Estate Planning Services Does The Schoonover Law Firm Provide in North Miami?
A complete North Miami estate plan typically includes six legal documents. Every document is drafted to comply with Florida Statutes, Florida execution requirements, and Miami-Dade County recording procedures.
| Service | What It Does for North Miami Families |
|---|---|
| Last will and testament | Directs who receives your assets after death and names a guardian for minor children. Florida law requires 2 witnesses and notarization for a will to be legally valid. Without one, Florida's intestacy laws decide who inherits. |
| Revocable living trust | Transfers your assets to named beneficiaries at death through your successor trustee, without Florida probate court. One of the most effective estate planning tools available to North Miami homeowners and families. |
| 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. |
| Healthcare surrogate designation | Names who makes medical decisions for you if you cannot speak for yourself. Without this advance directive, Florida law assigns that role from a ranked list of relatives. |
| Living will | States your wishes on life-prolonging procedures in writing. Takes the burden of that decision off your family and healthcare providers at the most difficult moment. |
| Lady Bird Deed | Transfers your North Miami or North Miami Beach home to your beneficiaries at death without probate. Preserves Florida homestead protection and Medicaid eligibility while you keep full lifetime control of the property. |
Probate avoidance is the most common goal North Miami and North Miami Beach families bring to their first estate planning consultation. Florida probate takes 9 to 24 months on average and costs 3% of the estate in statutory attorney fees under Florida Statutes Section 733.6171, plus court filing fees and publication costs on top of that. A revocable living trust and a Lady Bird Deed on your home eliminate most of those costs entirely.
Lady Bird Deeds for North Miami and North Miami Beach Homeowners
North Miami and North Miami Beach have strong homeownership traditions built across generations. Many families here have owned the same home for decades, paying it off through years of hard work and hoping to pass it to the next generation cleanly and 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. A Lady Bird Deed, also called an enhanced life estate deed, transfers your home to your named beneficiaries at death without any probate proceeding. You retain complete ownership and control during your lifetime. You can sell, refinance, or revoke the deed at any time without your beneficiaries’ consent.
The deed preserves Florida homestead protection and the Save Our Homes assessment cap through the transfer. It does not trigger Medicaid disqualification under federal rules. None of the three estate planning firms currently serving North Miami and North Miami Beach offer a dedicated Lady Bird Deed service.
Incapacity Planning: The Documents That Protect You While You Are Still Alive
Most North Miami families think about estate planning in terms of what happens after they die. Incapacity planning addresses what happens while you are still alive but unable to manage your own affairs due to illness, injury, or cognitive decline. It is the part of a comprehensive estate plan that matters most during a health crisis.
Durable Power of Attorney
Authorizes your named agent to manage your bank accounts, real estate, and financial affairs immediately upon your incapacity, with no court involvement required. Without it, your family must file for guardianship of the property through Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
Healthcare Surrogate Designation
An advance directive that names the person who makes medical decisions for you when you cannot. Without this document, Florida law assigns that role from a ranked list of relatives.
Revocable Living Trust with Successor Trustee
Your named successor trustee steps in immediately upon your incapacity to manage trust assets privately and without court oversight, skipping the 60 to 120-day delay and $3,000 to $5,000 cost of a Miami-Dade guardianship proceeding.
The firms currently advertising estate planning services to North Miami families are primarily real estate firms, probate-litigation firms, or out-of-county offices. None of them address incapacity planning as a structured framework. Building this protection into every estate plan is a core service here for North Miami and North Miami Beach families.
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 to initiate before any protective authority is granted.
Medicaid Planning and Elder Law Planning for North Miami Seniors
North Miami and North Miami Beach have a substantial senior population, many of whom have owned their homes for decades and built savings through years of work. 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 structures 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 this planning 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 North Miami seniors, addressing Florida homestead protection, 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 North Miami?
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 and North Miami Beach families personally, from the initial consultation through trust funding and deed recording.
North Miami estate planning requires an attorney whose primary practice is estate planning, not real estate law, not probate litigation, and not a templated location page managed from Boca Raton. Florida Statutes execution requirements, Miami-Dade County recording procedures, and the flat fee Lady Bird Deed and probate avoidance tools that protect North Miami homeowners demand an attorney who handles every detail personally and charges a flat fee confirmed in writing before any work begins.
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 North Miami Families Choose The Schoonover Law Firm
The three firms currently ranking for estate planning services in North Miami and North Miami Beach each have a significant limitation. Here is what that means for North Miami families.
Estate Planning as the Focus
Attorney Schoonover's practice is dedicated to estate planning. Every document, every consultation, and every signing appointment handled personally.
Flat Fee Pricing, Written First
All estate planning fees confirmed in writing before work begins. A written quote is provided for all other legal services before any work starts.
Bilingual in English and Spanish
Full estate planning service in both languages for North Miami and North Miami Beach's diverse community. Hablamos Español.
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, when North Miami families actually have time.
Based in Miami, Minutes Away
The Schoonover Law Firm is based in Miami on Waterford District Drive, minutes from North Miami, with direct knowledge of Miami-Dade County recording procedures.
Estate Planning Attorney Serving North Miami, North Miami Beach, and Surrounding Communities
Primary Service Areas
North Miami · North Miami Beach · Aventura Surfside · Bay Harbor Islands · Bal Harbour Miami Shores · Biscayne Park · El Portal
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 North Miami · All in-person visits by appointment only
Estate Planning Questions from North Miami Families
Common questions Attorney Schoonover receives from North Miami and North Miami Beach families during initial consultations.
How do I avoid probate if I own a home in North Miami or North Miami Beach?
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 North Miami or North Miami Beach 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 North Miami families.
What does flat fee estate planning mean and how much does it cost?
Flat fee estate planning means you pay a single fixed price for your estate plan, confirmed in writing before any work begins. You will never receive a surprise invoice for time spent on phone calls, revisions, or document review. At The Schoonover Law Firm, 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.
What is a successor trustee and why do North Miami families 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 North Miami families with a funded revocable living trust, the successor trustee can access bank accounts, manage property, and distribute assets to beneficiaries without waiting months for court approval. This is the most practical and most underexplained benefit of a properly funded revocable living trust.
Does The Schoonover Law Firm serve North Miami families in Spanish?
Yes. Attorney Schoonover provides full estate planning representation in both English and Spanish. Every consultation, every document review, and every signing appointment can be conducted in Spanish for North Miami and North Miami Beach families who prefer it. Hablamos Español. Call (305) 299-7496 or email info@estateplanningattorney.us to schedule a free consultation in the language you prefer.
Start Your North Miami Estate Plan Today
A complete North Miami 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 North Miami and North Miami Beach 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
