keep your estate in the hands of your loved ones, not the courts.
A well-written trust keeps your home, savings, and life insurance out of probate and in the hands of the people you choose.
Get personalized guidance from Atlanta trust attorney Sarah Siedentopf, helping Georgia families since 2012. You’ll get an estate plan written in plain language and summed up on a single page, so you can easily see how it all fits together.
Without proper trust planning, georgia families often face:
Lengthy Probate Battles
Every estate that passes through a will goes through probate court, a public process that can tie your loved ones up for months during an already hard time.
Family Conflicts
Unclear or informal instructions invite disputes between family members, straining relationships when unity matters most.
Delayed Access to Assets
Your family may struggle to access the funds they need while the estate works its way through probate.
Unnecessary Taxes & Legal Fees
Without a trust, your beneficiaries can face avoidable court costs and legal fees.
Loss of Privacy
A will becomes part of the public court record; anyone can see what you owned and who inherited it. A trust keeps your affairs private.
a trust from siedentopf law helps you avoid these challenges by:
making your wishes clear
Clear, legally sound instructions written in plain language, so nothing is open to interpretation.
Streamlining Asset Transfer
Assets titled in your trust pass to your beneficiaries directly and privately, without probate.
Maximizing Tax Efficiency
Structure your estate to minimize tax implications for your heirs, helping to protect generational wealth.
keeping the peace
Well-drafted terms head off the misunderstandings that can tear families apart.
do I really need a trust if i already have a will?
If you have children or own property, you probably need a revocable living trust. A will is a solid starting point, but it has limitations: every will has to go through probate, and every will becomes public record.
A trust does what a will can’t. Assets in a revocable living trust pass to your beneficiaries outside of probate, faster and with far less friction for the people you leave behind. You stay in full control of everything during your lifetime and can make changes as you see fit.
types of trusts we help georgia families create
Trusts aren’t one-size-fits-all. We’ll always recommend the best structure for your situation.
A revocable living trust is the right fit for most families. If you have kids or own property, you probably need one. You keep full control of your assets during your lifetime and can change the terms any time, but you’ll still avoid probate and keep your affairs private.
People are frequently told they need an irrevocable trust to avoid estate taxes, but the federal exemption is high enough that most families never owe estate tax. We’ll tell you whether this type of trust is right for your goals, but in most cases, it’s not needed.
A Special Needs Trust provides for a loved one with a disability without jeopardizing their eligibility for government benefits like Medicaid and SSI.
Georgia law lets you set aside funds and name a caregiver for your animals, so your pets are cared for exactly as you intend. Learn more about estate planning for pets.
A testamentary trust is created through your will to take effect after death. It’s often used to manage an inheritance for minor children until they’re old enough to receive it.
Meet Sarah Siedentopf: the georgia trust attorney who wrote the book on estate planning
As an accomplished trust attorney and active member of the Atlanta Bar Association, Sarah Siedentopf brings both extensive legal expertise and strategic insight to trust creation and estate planning. Her book, Peace of Mind Through Estate Planning, is a valuable resource for anyone just starting the estate planning process.
Sarah’s unique Estate Design process sets Siedentopf Law apart. Because she’s seen where families hit practical snags in estate plans that look good on paper, Sarah solves them up front instead of leaving them for your loved ones to untangle later.
Sarah starts with your goals and works backward from there, not from a template. She writes every document (including your trust) in plain language, so you never need a lawyer to decode your own plan. When your plan is done, Sarah sums it all up on a one-page map your family can understand at a glance.
3 Simple Steps to Start Planning Your Trust
share your goals
The first step is a relaxed Strategy Session where we talk about the people you love and what you want for them. There’s no legal jargon and no need to arrive with decisions already made; we’ll walk you through every choice.
design your plan
Sarah maps your goals to the right tools (often a revocable living trust), with the expert guidance you need to prevent common mistakes that can cause problems later.
sign with Confidence
We finalize your documents and hand you a one-page map of your entire estate plan, so you and your family can see exactly how it all works.
Ready to take the first step?
What Clients Are Saying
Sarah and the team at Siedentopf Law were excellent! They provided a services package that delivered complete and accurate advice, support, and all the legal documents necessary for my estate planning goals. I know my family is better positioned today because of their work.
Al C.
Working with Eve has been an exceptional experience. She promptly set up a trust for us and went above and beyond by sending a personalized video explaining the details. Eve made everything easy to understand and was incredibly easy to work with. This is by far the best experience we have had with a lawyer.
Michelle K.
I was unfortunate to lose my wife recently, but Siedentopf were there for me again when I needed to update my information. Very caring organization. I would definitely suggest using their services if the need arises.
Ayers B.
our proven estate design process
You want to know your children and other loved ones will be cared for after you’re gone. To do that, you need a clear, legally sound trust built specifically for your family—but estate planning feels overwhelming, and that’s exactly why so many people put it off until it’s too late.
At Siedentopf Law, we’ve helped hundreds of Georgia families past that hurdle. We specialize in making the process feel painless; we walk you through every step, write every plan in plain language, and sum it all up on one page so there’s no confusion about what happens and when.
Pro tip: In the meantime, download our free guide to understanding trusts. This guide will help you decide if a will or a trust is right for you and your family.
FREQUENTly asked questions about trusts in georgia
Trust Matters
You’ve worked hard to build a legacy for your family. A trust is how you protect it. With Siedentopf Law, you get a trust attorney who puts your goals and your family first, creates a thorough plan without overcomplicating it, and thinks ahead so all the details hold up when your family needs it most.