Estate Planning Lawyer in Seattle

Personalized Estate Plans for Seattle Families, Individuals & Business Owners

Estate planning can address asset distribution after death and decision-making authority during periods of incapacity. A well-coordinated plan may need to account for personal assets, real property, business interests, beneficiary designations, and digital assets together. We maintain direct communication throughout that process and focus on building long-term relationships with clients and their families as their needs evolve.

At Kirschner Rychlick PLLC, we approach estate planning the way every client deserves: with time spent understanding your family circumstances, financial picture, long-term objectives, and the legal questions that are specific to your situation. We help you evaluate available legal tools, explain how each one works, and select an approach that is both effective and cost-conscious. Our practice covers estate planning, estate litigation, and business law, and we bring that combined background to the plans we develop.

Plan for your legacy with an experienced estate planning lawyer in Seattle. Contact us online or call (206) 203-8802 for personalized estate plans tailored to your needs.

Estate Planning Services in Seattle

Estate planning involves preparing legal documents and making decisions to manage your assets in the event of incapacity or death. Washington residents face a distinct set of legal considerations: community property rules, a state estate tax that operates separately from the federal system, King County Superior Court procedures for probate matters, and the need to coordinate assets held in multiple forms or locations. We provide customized legal guidance rather than applying a single planning structure to every client.

Our estate planning practice includes wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, charitable trusts, asset protection trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives. For clients with business interests, our experience in business law and estate litigation also informs how we approach planning questions that could otherwise become future disputes.

Key estate planning considerations for Seattle and King County residents include:

• King County probate procedures: Understanding how probate works in King County Superior Court and evaluating whether and how to structure a plan around it.
• Community property rules: Washington’s community property laws affect how married couples and registered domestic partners hold and dispose of property, including separate property, jointly held assets, and inherited assets.
• Washington estate tax exposure: Assessing whether an estate may be subject to state estate tax and identifying planning options suited to each client’s circumstances and current law.
• Business succession planning: Facilitating generational transfer and continuity planning for clients who own or operate businesses.
• Out-of-state and digital assets: Identifying how property located outside Washington and digital assets fit within an overall plan.

Washington Estate Tax Planning for Seattle Clients

Washington imposes a state estate tax separate from the federal estate tax, making it one of a small number of states to do so. The applicable rules and threshold depend on the date of death and the facts of the estate. For dates of death on or after July 1, 2026, Washington’s estate tax filing threshold and exclusion amount are both $3,000,000. Because these figures can change and the analysis depends on individual circumstances, we work with each client to evaluate their specific situation under current law rather than applying general assumptions.

Jerimy Kirschner holds a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law, which informs the tax-related legal guidance we provide in estate planning matters. Potential planning considerations can include asset ownership structures, lifetime transfers, charitable planning, and trust arrangements, but whether any particular approach is suitable depends on a client’s facts and current law. We explain available options, outline how each one works, and help clients make informed decisions aligned with their objectives.

How We Build Personalized, Cost-Conscious Estate Plans

Our attorneys take time to understand each client’s family circumstances, financial position, objectives, and legal concerns before recommending any planning approach. We explain the legal tools available, describe how they function, and help clients select strategies based on effectiveness, efficiency, and cost. Education and open communication are central to how we work, and we carry that approach through every phase of a matter.

Our experience extends across estate planning, business law, negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, trials, and appeals. That range of experience is directly relevant to estate planning: clients who own businesses or who have complex family and asset situations benefit from attorneys who understand how planning decisions interact with litigation risk, business transitions, and dispute resolution. We don’t offer a single template. We build plans around individual objectives.

Creating a Will in Seattle

A will is a foundational estate planning document. It can identify beneficiaries, nominate a personal representative to administer your estate, nominate guardians for minor children, and establish directions for how your property is distributed. Our estate planning attorneys provide will drafting as part of a broader planning process that accounts for your family structure, asset types, and long-term goals.

It’s important to understand that a will doesn’t by itself control every asset. Property held through beneficiary designations, joint ownership, or a trust passes according to those arrangements, not through the will. Washington’s community property rules add another layer of complexity for married couples and registered domestic partners, affecting how assets are held and what can be directed through a will. Blended families, dependents with special needs, business ownership, and property held in multiple states can each create additional planning considerations that we work through with our clients.

Our will planning coordinates with the broader set of documents in your plan, including any trust documents, powers of attorney, and health care directives, so that each piece works together rather than creating gaps or conflicts.

Trusts & Complementary Planning Tools for Seattle Residents

At Kirschner Rychlick PLLC, we assist clients with revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, charitable trusts, and asset protection trusts, explaining how each type functions and how it fits a client’s specific circumstances.

A revocable living trust can address management of trust assets during your lifetime and distribution after death, subject to the trust’s terms and how assets are coordinated with the trust. An irrevocable trust generally limits the settlor’s ability to revoke or amend the trust once established, subject to the document and applicable law. One point that matters in practice: trusts don’t automatically control assets that were never transferred to the trust or otherwise coordinated with the overall plan. Proper asset coordination is part of the planning process, not an afterthought.

Powers of attorney and health care directives address decisions during your lifetime. A power of attorney can authorize another person to act in specified financial or legal matters during your lifetime. A health care directive communicates your medical-care preferences and can identify or appoint decision-makers as permitted by applicable law. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and similar assets also require attention, because they operate independently of a will or trust.

Our estate planning attorneys in Seattle can assist with:

• Identifying the right type of trust based on your assets, family situation, and objectives
• Drafting trust documents in compliance with Washington law
• Coordinating trust structures with wills, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations
• Evaluating how estate planning tools interact with business interests or potential future disputes
• Reviewing and updating existing plans to reflect life changes and current law

Discuss your estate plan with our Seattle attorneys. Call (206) 203-8802 or get in touch with us to book your consultation.