Protecting Companion Animals Through Estate Planning

When addressing estate planning with clients, what happens to those non-human members of their family?  The family is rapidly changing in this world, and estate planning is so important to ensure that all “family” members are included.  Attorneys are not fully serving their clients in preparing estate documents without considering how the law treats our non-human family members and what our clients can do to rectify some of the issues.

After attending this program, legal professionals will be better informed about how to protect these “family” members under the law, and their clients who care for them will appreciate the knowledge in this area, which many attorneys overlook.  This program will explore the different ways a will can protect a pet, how pet trusts can be used to ensure a pet's next stage is prepared, and other important avenues that attorneys can consider to protect pets in the estate planning process.

This course is designed for attorneys of any experience level interested in estate planning. Attorneys who are preparing estate documents for clients, as well as those who are doing estate planning for their clients or just for those who want to make sure that their pets are protected, are encouraged to attend.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the benefits of having estate planning documents, including the benefits for non-human family members.
2. Identify the different components of an estate plan and how each component can include protection and consideration for “family” members. 
3. Describe the different types of pet trusts and the reasons why they are necessary.
4. Identify the different types of power of attorney documents and advance directives, including provisions to alleviate confusion and distress for pets.