Winchester Law

Attorney Chris Winchester is the founder of Winchester Law, LLC, and practices exclusively in the areas of estate planning and probate. Winchester received his undergraduate degree in Legal Studies from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and graduated cum laude from Marquette University Law School, where he focused his studies on estate plannng and probate.

We are well-versed in all areas of estate planning, wills, trusts and powers of attorney. We provide a free initial consultation to discover how we can best help you. We know people lead busy lives so we'll be happy to meet with you whenever and wherever is convenient for you. We service the Minneapolis/St Paul area as well as the Hudson and River Falls, Wisconsin areas.

When people think of the phrase "estate planning, " the first thing that comes to mind is a will. Not coincidently, a will is also one of the most important documents used in planning for your future. With a properly structured will, you can direct where your property will go after your death, provide guardians for your minor children, and even create trusts.

The primary difference between a revocable trust and an irrevocable trust is how much control you retain over the trust after its creation. With a revocable trust, you retain the power to modify or revoke the trust. Revocable trusts are useful as "will substitutes" that allow your property to pass to your desired beneficiares outside of probate when you die, which can save your heirs the time and expense of going through the probate process.

Powers of attorney are an important, but often overlooked, part of any comprehensive estate plan. Properly designed powers of attorney can give you peace of mind for the future and provide needed continuity for an estate plan should you become unable to act on your own behalf. A power of attorney is a document that nominates a person, called an "agent, " to act on your behalf in certain specified areas.