Services

Avoid Costly Litigation Down the Road

Kathleen Lawler Bodmer focuses on the following practice areas:

Estate Planning

Kathleen helps generations work together to organize their estates, determine the best options for their unique needs, and care for family members. This is all done in an effort to avoid the probate court and maintain control and privacy within the family. She prepares estate plans that may include wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, health care directives, and other related documents. Additionally, she assists in the trust funding process, which includes additional documents and guidance, individually developed to meet the needs of each client. This helps to ensure the goals of the client are met.

End of Life Planning

Seniors and their families are often faced with difficult, end-of-life decisions involving retirement, estate planning, and long-term care. Kathleen helps people make informed and deliberate choices so they can minimize family conflict and avoid protective proceedings through the court for guardianships and/or conservatorships. Additionally, she works with a team of professionals to best meet her client’s needs, and to help make sure all concerns are addressed and planned for as best as possible.

Trust Administration

In addition to establishing estate plans for clients while they are able to address the same, Kathleen also assists in the administration of trusts, once the grantor (creator of the trust) has died. Although a trust administration is usually a much simpler and more cost-effective process than a court probate, there are still numerous steps to address. Kathleen is able to walk clients through the process, making what can be a very difficult time more tolerable and less stressful.

Business Entity Formation

Do you need to create a limited liability company or corporation? Are you looking for liability protection and/or tax planning for your business? Kathleen has helped many business owners form legal entities using organizational documents ranging from the simple to complex. Such options include corporations (both subchapter S and subchapter C), LLCs, general and limited partnerships, and joint venture agreements.

Business Transactions

Once businesses are launched, clients often have ongoing legal needs, from contracts development and review, to employment and shareholder agreements. Kathleen counsels and represents companies, from their beginning through their natural growth and possible sale, earning a solid reputation for handling business transactions of numerous varieties.

Buying or Selling a Business

Along with general business representation, businesses may have an opportunity to be sold or acquired. From the very beginning of a purchase or sales negotiation, you need to protect your interests in all aspects of the transaction. Kathleen negotiates and drafts documents for buying and selling, from both sides of the table. Having represented both seller and buyers in different transactions enables Kathleen to address and account for issues that arise on both sides of a deal, helping to better position her client in the particular transaction on which she is then working.

Business Succession Planning

Here is one area where Kathleen’s estate planning and business transaction practice overlap and compliment each other. Clients who are business owners often need to develop an exit strategy or a plan of transfer for their business, in an effort to keep it viable upon the owner’s death, disability, or retirement. This may involve areas of estate planning, or it may be a pure business matter among employees of the business or outside resources. Kathleen enjoys discussing these ideas and options with clients and strategizing to help them identify their objectives and provide creative and pragmatic solutions.

Fees and Costs

Kathleen bills some work on a project basis, while other work is billed at an hourly rate, depending on the type of matter. She is happy to discuss her billing structure in more detail when you reach out to her, either in person or over the telephone, once she understands more about your legal needs.

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Get In Touch

Contact Kathleen Lawler Bodmer, Attorney at Law

831-462-3220 | klbodmer@bodmerlaw.com

Santa Cruz: 655 Capitola Road, Suite 103, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

(Please direct all correspondence to the Santa Cruz address.)

Los Gatos: 20 South Santa Cruz Ave., Suite 300, Los Gatos

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