Estate Law and Small Business Law Firm Serving Chattanooga, TN
Protect your family's estate. Protect your small business. Secure your legacy.
Will you be the Protector and Provider the people in your life need you to be?
If you fail to legally protect your estate or your business, you risk:
An Unprotected Estate
- Unprepared for the unexpected
- Government could take control of your assets
- Heavy taxation and financial losses
- Family arguments and drama
- Chaos
An Unprotected Business
- Contract disputes and customer liabilities
- Employment disputes and employee liabilities
- Ownership disputes and complex exit issues
- Business arguments and drama
- Chaos
Walliser Law Firm will help you:
- Legally protect your estate or business
- Stay in control of your assets
- Leave a lasting legacy
Our Legal Services
Walliser law has been in business for 10+ years and has helped hundreds of clients protect their estates or small businesses.
As part of a family that owns multiple business, our firm has created family estate plans and trusts, developed employment documents and business contracts, formed new companies and partnerships, and has worked through mergers, sales, and acquisitions.
Our Family Estate Legal Services
It’s never too early to start planning for you and your family’s future. Tennessee estate planning encompasses everything you and your family may need in your lifetime, as well as after you have passed away. Anyone who is 18 or older needs basic estate planning documents like a will, a living trust, and financial and health care power of attorney. The government has estate planning rules; it’s up to you if you want to make your own, or if you want the government to have control of your estate.
Asset protection is not just for the wealthy. Anyone who has underage children and don’t want to see what they leave to them taken by someone else, people who want to protect their children in the event of death, and other countless situations require asset protection planning. Asset protection in the state of Tennessee can be achieved through testamentary trusts, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, and other planning tools. Ask how asset protection applies to you.
In Tennessee, power of attorney gives one or more persons the power to act on your behalf as your agent when it comes to legal, financial, medical, or other important decisions if you are unable to make them for yourself. In Tennessee, many estate plans include a financial POA or a medical POA. It is important to set up your financial and medical power of attorney before they are needed, as they help plan for the unexpected.
Do you have a child with special needs? In Tennessee, special needs include children with mental illnesses and addictions. In the event of your passing, you want to make sure you have planned ahead for your family to avoid government involvement. There are specific guidelines in the state of Tennessee for children with special needs, and unfortunately, they aren’t always going to work for every child. Ask about how you can plan ahead to protect your family.
If you have children under the age of 18 and haven’t made plans for their future, you run the risk of the government stepping in in the event of unforeseen circumstances. In Tennessee, an understated age beneficiary trust will allow you to plan ahead and secure your children’s future in case of an untimely death or tragedy.
In Tennessee, estate administration can include probate because probate administers your estate. However, probate on your terms is much easier than probate via the government’s rules. Probate also includes the administration of your estate if a trust is set up. This type of trust will determine how much, if any, help from an attorney is required. Regardless, upon your passing, some form of estate administration will take place. Planning ahead and setting up pre-determined administration is far less stressful than handling things after an untimely passing.
In the event of your passing, your estate will be administered through probate, regardless of if you have a last will and testament. The probate process can be stressful and put a lot of unnecessary pressure on your family. If you pass away without a will, your estate is subject to government guidelines, taking the control out of you and your family’s hands. Not to mention, probate is public, expensive, lengthy, and ties up your assets, keeping your beneficiaries from having access to them, and ultimately intertwines your estate with the government. You’ll have to hire an attorney to walk through every step of probate, which can be expensive and often does not end amicably.
Nearly 85% of our clients opt for a trust of some kind. A Tennessee living trust is a flexible and unique tool that keeps your assets out of probate. It can cover multiple generations, as well as reduces administration costs in the event of your passing, preserves the privacy of your estate, allows for beneficiaries to have almost immediate access to your assets, and can be changed whenever you like. A trust can provide for and protect your spouse, children, grandchildren, and can be a land or business planning tool.
Unlike a revocable trust, an irrevocable trust has portions that cannot be changed if you want it to work. Otherwise, it has all the benefits of a revocable living trust. In Tennessee, an irrevocable trust is typically used for asset protection, business protection, Medicaid planning, or in any situation where there is something you want to preserve or obtain.
Our Small Business Legal Services
Any new business needs to ensure they are in compliance with and understand government rules. Overlooking this step could result in lack of protection, fees, and excessive taxes.
If you are running a business of any kind in the state of Tennessee, you must pick the right kind of business entity, file it with the state, keep it current, and pay state taxes in order to stay compliant with the federal government. This also includes changing business entity type or business name. These are all processes that require legal counsel.
When it comes to contracts, many small business owners experience challenges and pitfalls. Entering into a contract without legal review or going the DIY route can have serious consequences. With the rise of artificial intelligence, it might be tempting to draft your own contract to avoid spending time and money, but because AI relies on your search terms, the contracts it generates may include false case law or clauses to support a fact frame that does not exist. Make sure you’re getting proper legal counsel when it comes to these crucial processes.
Whether you employee contractors or full-time employees or you are a contractor or full-time employee, there are a multitude of complex state and federal laws surrounding compliance, employee and employer rights, policy, payment, and more. Make sure you find an experienced attorney to help you navigate these complicated legal processes.
Walliser Law has worked with businesses in their formation, during crisis, policy and law updates, and other transitions. Additionally, we have helped businesses with mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, complete business overhauls, and represented them before government authorities like OSHA, ERISA, and FMLA.
Walliser Law Firm exists to help people who are unaware of, unprepared for, or unprotected against the risks they face to their personal estate or small business.
Everyone wants to be prepared for the future.
Everyone wants to feel secure.
But everyone faces major risks to their personal estate or small business that they may not be prepared for, protected against, or even aware of.
Laws that govern estates and small business are complex.
The process of planning and creating legal documents for estates and small businesses is complex.
Some documents require specific knowledge and are likely to be completed incorrectly without the help of a qualified attorney.
Some documents can only be completed by an attorney.
Many families and business owners carry a heavy emotional burden.
When your estate or small business is not legally protected, it creates worry, fear, and frustration.
Worry about what might happen to your spouse, children, or family members if something happens to you.
Worry about what might happen to your business if there is a contract dispute or lawsuit.
Frustration over the confusing government forms and legal documents that you need to have in place to protect yourself.
Carrying heavy emotional burdens through life will wear you down and create anguish.
Tragedy is not something we want to think about.
Nobody wants to think about it, but something tragic could happen any day.
Every family estate and every small business is at risk if they aren’t fully prepared and legally protected.
Everyone deserves to be protected and in control of their estate and their business.
We specialize in estate law and small business law.
When you work with Walliser Law Firm you will be…
- Educated on the risks to your estate or business.
- Protected with legal documents and legal structures.
- Prepared to leave a secure legacy.
Jaclyn Walliser is the proud owner of The Walliser Law Firm, PLLC and has been practicing law since 2015. She has been handling estate planning and administration matters since 2015. She has been highly involved in the corporate and employee/employer rights area of the law since 2018. After becoming a licensed attorney, Jaclyn opened her own firm after noticing that there was a need for quality legal advice and legal representation that was not financially overburdensome, while also taking into consideration each client’s needs, treating them as she would her own family, with kindness and grace. This idea is what Jaclyn and her team are guided by. Jaclyn is also a member of the Estate Planning Council, Inn of Court, SETLAW, Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, as well as the Association of Corporate Counselors.
Phone
(423) 667 2906Meet with Walliser Law to Protect Your Estate or Your Business
Start Learning Now – Don't Leave Your Legacy Unprotected
Follow our videos, articles, and social media updates to learn top strategies for securing and protecting your assets and your business.