Scranton Estate Lawyer

Estate planning lawyers with 55 years of experience guiding clients through complex matters.

If you need to create an estate plan, update an existing one, or address a gap in your current documents, a Scranton, PA estate attorney can help you put the right legal framework in place. Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives each serve a different purpose, and the right combination depends on your family, your assets, and what you want to happen.

Hoegen & Associates, P.C. has helped individuals and families plan their estates across Pennsylvania for over 55 years. Our Scranton, PA estate lawyer can assess your situation and help you build a plan that reflects your wishes. Schedule a free consultation with our office.

Estate Lawyer Scranton, PA

Estate planning is the process of creating legal documents that control what happens to your property, your medical care, and the guardianship of your minor children if you become incapacitated or pass away. Without a plan in place, Pennsylvania law makes those decisions for you. The results may not match what you would have wanted.

A good estate plan does more than distribute property after death. It names the people you trust to manage your affairs if you cannot do so yourself. It reduces the burden on your family during a difficult time. It can also minimize tax exposure and help avoid unnecessary court proceedings. The goal is to make sure your instructions are clear, legally enforceable, and current.

Types of Estate Planning Cases We Handle in Scranton

Estate planning needs vary widely. A young couple with children has different priorities than a business owner nearing retirement. A widow updating her documents after losing a spouse has different questions than a first-generation business owner trying to figure out what happens to the company when she steps away. Our firm has worked with families across Pennsylvania on estate planning matters for decades. Below are the types of cases we handle most often.

• Wills. A will is the most basic estate planning document, and also the most important. It directs how your property will be distributed, names an executor to manage that process, and can designate a guardian for your minor children. If you die without one, Pennsylvania’s intestacy statutes decide who inherits. We draft wills that account for each client’s specific family and financial circumstances.
• Trusts. A trust lets you transfer assets to a trustee who manages them for your beneficiaries. Some trusts help you avoid probate. Others protect assets from creditors, provide for a child with special needs, or reduce estate tax exposure. Revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts. The right one depends on the problem you are trying to solve.
• Powers of attorney. A power of attorney names someone to handle your financial and legal affairs if you become unable to manage them yourself. Without one, your family may need a court-supervised guardianship proceeding just to access your bank accounts or pay your bills. We prepare both general and limited powers of attorney depending on what the client needs.
• Living wills. A living will spells out your wishes regarding medical treatment if you cannot communicate. What kind of care you want. What you do not want. Whether you want life-sustaining measures continued under certain circumstances. This document works alongside a healthcare power of attorney, which names someone to make medical decisions on your behalf when you cannot.
• Guardianship designations. If you have minor children, you need a plan for who will raise them if both parents die or become incapacitated. A will is the primary vehicle for making that designation, but it has to be carefully considered and clearly documented. Family members who disagree about the appointment can challenge it in court, which makes getting it right the first time all the more important.
• Estate administration. When someone dies, the estate has to be managed. Assets gathered. Debts paid. Tax returns filed. Property distributed to the beneficiaries. We guide executors and administrators through each step, including the court filings and compliance requirements that Pennsylvania’s inheritance tax imposes.
• Probate. Some estates must go through the probate process in the Orphans’ Court. We represent executors, administrators, beneficiaries, and heirs in probate proceedings, including contested matters and disputes over the validity of a will.
• Estate planning for business owners. If you own a business, your estate plan has to address what happens to it when you can no longer run it. Succession planning. Buy-sell agreements. Ownership transfer strategies. Life insurance funding. All of these intersect with estate planning, and getting them wrong can put both the business and the family at risk.

Why Choose Hoegen & Associates, P.C. as My Estate Lawyer in Scranton, PA?

Experience With Estate Planning

Francis J. Hoegen has been advising Pennsylvania families on wills, trusts, and estate plans since 1989. Over more than three decades of practice, he has guided clients through every stage of the planning process, from initial document creation to periodic updates as families grow and circumstances change. He earned his J.D. from Capital University Law School and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Helping Families Across Pennsylvania

Hoegen & Associates, P.C. has served individuals and families in estate planning matters across Pennsylvania for more than five decades. Every family is different. Some need a straightforward will and a power of attorney. Others need a trust structure, a business succession plan, and coordinated beneficiary designations across multiple accounts.

What Is Important to Understand About Estate Planning Cases?

Key Estate Planning Documents and What They Do

Estate planning involves several legal documents, and each one handles a different part of the picture. Most plans include at least a will, a power of attorney, and an advance directive. More complex situations call for one or more trusts, guardianship provisions, and business succession documents.

• A will controls the distribution of assets after death and names an executor to manage the process. It only takes effect after you die, and it goes through probate. A trust, by contrast, can take effect while you are still alive. It can avoid probate entirely, and it gives you more control over how and when your beneficiaries receive their inheritance. Some clients need both. Others can accomplish their goals with one or the other.
• Powers of attorney handle the financial side of incapacity. A healthcare directive handles the medical side. If you have neither, your family may need to petition a court for guardianship authority, which costs time and money and puts decisions in the hands of a judge who does not know your preferences. For business owners, the plan also needs to cover what happens to the company. Succession planning, buy-sell agreements, and ownership transfer documents are part of that conversation.

What Are Important Aspects of an Estate Planning Case?

Several factors shape how an estate plan should be built. Getting them right at the start saves time, money, and family conflict later.

• Your family situation drives most of the planning. Married couples need provisions for each other and for their children. Single parents need guardian designations. Blended families need careful attention to how assets pass between current spouses and children from prior relationships. And families with dependents who have special needs may require a trust that preserves eligibility for government benefits.
• Your assets determine which documents are necessary. Real property, retirement accounts, life insurance, brokerage accounts, and business interests each follow different rules for transfer. Some pass through the will. Others pass by beneficiary designation or by operation of law, regardless of what the will says.
• Your wishes about medical care need to be documented clearly. A vague or incomplete advance directive creates confusion at the moment when clarity matters most. And your plan needs to stay current. Marriages, divorces, births, deaths, relocations, and changes in tax law can all make an existing plan outdated. We recommend reviewing your documents every few years or after any major life change.

What Is the Estate Planning Case Timeline?

How long it takes to complete an estate plan depends on what the client needs.

• A basic plan with a will, power of attorney, and healthcare directive can generally be completed within a few weeks of the initial meeting
• Plans involving trust formation, business succession, or coordination with accountants and financial advisors take longer depending on complexity
• Revisions and updates to existing documents are typically faster than creating a plan from scratch

What Should You Bring to Your Estate Planning Consultation?

Bring what you can to your appointment with us. The more information we have at the start, the more productive the first meeting will be.

• A list of your assets: real property, bank accounts, retirement accounts, investment accounts, life insurance policies
• Existing estate planning documents, including prior wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designation forms
• Information about debts such as mortgages, loans, and other obligations
• Names of the people you are considering for key roles: executor, trustee, guardian, power of attorney agent
• Any specific concerns, such as providing for a child with special needs, protecting assets, or planning for a business transfer

We offer free consultations for estate planning matters. During the consultation, we will discuss your goals, review any existing documents, and outline a plan for moving forward.

Important Pennsylvania Legal Resources for Estate Planning Cases

Pennsylvania law governs how estate planning documents are executed, how estates are administered, and how disputes are resolved. These resources provide useful starting points.

• Lackawanna County Register: Wills office handles the filing of wills, appointment of personal representatives, and collection of inheritance tax in Lackawanna County
• Orphans’ Court Clerk: Office manages filings for guardianships, trust matters, and other proceedings that may arise from estate planning documents
• Pennsylvania Court System: Offers information on Court of Common Pleas procedures, including how estate-related matters are handled in Lackawanna County

Reach Out to Hoegen & Associates, P.C. to Schedule a Consultation

If you need to create an estate plan, update existing documents, or address a question about your family’s legal and financial future in Scranton, PA, Hoegen & Associates, P.C. can help. We have spent over 55 years helping individuals and families with estate planning across Pennsylvania. Free consultations are available. Contact us to schedule a time to speak with a Scranton estate planning attorney about your situation.

Estate Planning Statistics in Scranton, PA

Lackawanna County has one of the older populations in Pennsylvania, and that demographic reality drives demand for estate planning across Scranton. More residents are reaching the age at which powers of attorney, advance directives, and succession arrangements stop being theoretical. Homeownership is also high, which means most estates in the area include real property that has to pass to someone by a documented method.

The figures below describe the population an estate lawyer in Scranton, PA serves. They come from the Census Bureau’s county profile for Lackawanna County.

• Approximately 20.9% of Lackawanna County residents are 65 or older, according to Census QuickFacts, a share above both the state and national averages.
• The county population was estimated at 216,859 as of July 2024.
• Lackawanna County contains 100,391 housing units, and 65.4% of occupied units are owner-occupied.
• The median value of an owner-occupied home in the county is $189,900, an asset that ordinarily passes through a will, a trust, or by operation of law.
• The county is home to 10,934 veterans, a group whose benefits and survivor entitlements interact with estate planning. The Pennsylvania Department of Aging publishes information on the programs available to older residents.

What Are the Steps in the Estate Planning Process?

An estate plan is built in a sequence. The process below reflects how our firm handles a planning matter from the first meeting through execution.

1. Take inventory of what you own. List real property, bank and brokerage accounts, retirement plans, life insurance, business interests, and significant personal property. Note how each asset is titled, because titling frequently determines how an asset transfers regardless of what any other document says.
2. Identify the people involved. Decide who inherits, who manages the estate, and who raises minor children if that becomes necessary. These decisions are often harder than the drafting, and they benefit from discussion before anyone puts language on paper.
3. Clarify your objectives. Some clients want to avoid probate. Others want to protect a beneficiary from creditors, preserve eligibility for benefits, or keep a family business intact. The objective determines the structure rather than the reverse.
4. Select the documents. Nearly every plan includes a will, a financial power of attorney, and an advance directive. More involved circumstances call for one or more trusts, a guardianship designation, or business succession instruments.
5. Address the business, if you own one. Ownership transfer, buy-sell arrangements, and funding mechanisms belong in the plan. Owners approaching retirement should coordinate the succession question with the rest of the estate rather than treating it separately.
6. Coordinate beneficiary designations. Retirement accounts and life insurance pass by designation, not by will. A designation that still names a former spouse will control the account, which is among the most common defects we find in existing plans.
7. Review the real property. Deeds, joint tenancies, and any encumbrances need to be examined, and property questions may require input from our real estate lawyer alongside the planning work.
8. Execute the documents properly. Pennsylvania imposes formal requirements on signing and witnessing. A document that fails on execution can be set aside, which is a frequent basis for a will contest.
9. Distribute and store the originals. The executor, the agent under the power of attorney, and the healthcare representative each need to know where the documents are kept and what authority they carry.
10. Review the plan periodically. Marriage, divorce, birth, death, relocation, a business sale, or a change in the tax rules can all render a plan outdated. A review every few years, and after any significant life event, keeps the documents aligned with the circumstances.

Scranton Estate Lawyer FAQs

What does an estate attorney in Scranton charge?

Planning work is frequently handled on a flat fee for a defined set of documents, which allows the client to know the cost before the drafting begins. More involved matters involving trusts, business succession, or coordination with accountants are quoted after the initial meeting.

Is the first consultation free?

Yes. Consultations for estate planning matters are provided at no cost, and the meeting is used to identify what documents your circumstances actually require.

Do I need a trust, or is a will sufficient?

That depends on the objective. A will directs distribution after death and passes through probate. A trust can take effect during life, avoid probate, and control the timing of distributions. Many clients are well served by a will alone, and we say so when that is the case.

What happens if I die without any documents?

Pennsylvania’s intestacy rules determine who inherits, and the court appoints someone to administer the estate. The outcome frequently differs from what the decedent would have chosen, and it offers the family no opportunity to influence the result.

Can I write my own will?

Handwritten and form documents are sometimes valid and frequently defective. Execution errors, ambiguous language, and provisions that conflict with beneficiary designations are the usual problems, and each of them is discovered after the person who could have clarified the intent is gone.

How does probate differ from estate administration?

The terms overlap in ordinary usage. Probate refers to the court process that establishes a will’s validity and authorizes the personal representative, while administration covers the broader work of collecting assets, satisfying debts, filing returns, and distributing property. We address estate administration and probate as related stages of the same matter.

How often should the plan be updated?

Every few years as a general practice, and promptly after any significant change in the family or the assets. An outdated plan can be worse than none at all, because it directs a result the client no longer intends.

What should I do about a family business?

Address it directly in the plan. Succession arrangements, ownership transfer terms, and funding all require attention, and our business lawyer in Scranton works alongside the planning attorney when a company is part of the estate.

Does an estate plan reduce taxes?

It can influence exposure, though the effect depends on the size and composition of the estate. We identify where planning affects the tax picture and where it does not, without overstating what any document can accomplish.

Do you handle contested matters as well as planning?

We handle both. Our estate planning practice includes representation in disputes over document validity, executor conduct, and beneficiary claims when a matter becomes contested.

Important Resources for Scranton Estate Planning Cases

Lackawanna County Probate Court and Local Offices

Estate matters in Scranton are administered through the Lackawanna County Government Center on Wyoming Avenue. The Register of Wills accepts wills for probate, issues letters to executors and administrators, and collects Pennsylvania inheritance tax. Matters requiring judicial involvement, including guardianships, trust questions, and disputes over a will, proceed in the Orphans’ Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas. Deeds, mortgages, and recorded powers of attorney are maintained separately by the Recorder of Deeds, which matters when real property forms part of an estate. Families dealing with incapacity rather than death often begin with the county’s aging services rather than the courts, since many of the practical questions arise before any legal proceeding becomes necessary.

What Are Important Local Resources for Scranton Estate Planning?

The offices and organizations below assist Scranton families with the practical side of aging, incapacity, and estate matters.

• The Inheritance Tax Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, 717-787-8327, answers questions on estate tax filings.
• Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, 570-963-6740, provides caregiver support, protective services, and in-home assistance.
• Allied Services Hospice, 570-341-4320, offers hospice care throughout the Scranton area.
• The Commonwealth’s PA Link program, 570-963-6740 locally, connects older adults and caregivers with services in their area.

These organizations are named here for reference. Hoegen & Associates, P.C. does not endorse any of them, and none of them endorse this firm.

About Hoegen & Associates, P.C.

Five decades of practice in Pennsylvania have given this firm a long view of how family circumstances and asset structures change over time. Francis J. Hoegen has served as President of Responsible Party Services, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, and has sat on the Advisory Board of FNCB Bank, roles that reflect the community and financial dimensions of the work. He was named Dean of the Capital University chapter of the Delta Theta Phi law fraternity during his studies. Across its practice areas, the firm has recovered results including $277,315 in a commercial and real estate matter.

What Our Clients Say

★★★★★

“Frank and his law firm were absolutely amazing with handling my father’s affairs and honestly me and my emotions. During the most difficult time of my life, they were compassionate, considerate, and patient. All of my questions were answered, all of my emails were responded to and all of my concerns were handled; with grace. (Frank even drove me to the courthouse when the systems were down) Commitment & Compassion! They took the time to familiarize themselves with my situation and moved forward accordingly. I could not be more grateful and my father would also be so thankful. Thankful that his daughter had a trusted advisor. Frank and Tania, I will forever be grateful.”

• Christina Brewen

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Additional Resources for Scranton Estate Planning Cases

• What If the Will Does Not Name an Executor?
• What Is a Minor Child Entitled To When Their Parent Dies?
• How an Estate Planning Lawyer Can Help You Create a Strong Plan
• The Role of an Estate Planning Lawyer in Protecting Your Assets
• Choosing the Right Estate Administration Lawyer

Contact Hoegen & Associates, P.C.

Estate planning is postponed more often than any other legal task, usually because nothing about it feels pressing until circumstances change. Whether the need is a first set of documents, a revision prompted by a marriage or a death, or a second opinion on a plan that may no longer fit your circumstances, our estate lawyer in Scranton, PA will review the situation and recommend what your circumstances call for. Free consultations are available for estate planning matters, and that meeting addresses your assets, the people you intend to provide for, and the instruments required to carry your intentions out. Contact us to arrange a conversation about your plan.