Florida Family Wills
As a concierge firm, we provide personalized service and the ideal attorney for your situation. We cater to families, veterans and business owners and work towards caring and serving our clients with high quality legal services and client care. With business and legal strengths that are highly complementary, Kelly Sturmthal, Esq. provides a broad set of services, including a membership option.
Estate and Business
Planning
Revocable Trusts and Wills
Health Care Surrogate
Power of Attorney
Probate
Trust Administration
Special Needs Trusts
Business Growth and Exit Planning
Business Agreements
Transactional Business Law
Trademark Law
Contracts
Real Estate
Meet Kelly!
Attorney | Advisor | Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)
Business Owner | Author | Speaker.
Kelly is the resident expert in estate planning, business consultation, and planning for your family and your business.
She is driven by an altruistic mindset and fortunate to own several businesses that allow her to impact others and make a difference in her local community. Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, she has owned her own consulting firm and an estate and business planning law firm for over 25+ years.
Kelly has experience in growth and exit planning for entrepreneurs, finance, banking, real estate, natural skills alignment, estate planning, law firm partnerships,
family business ownership.
If you want to connect with Kelly as a business owner or
discuss estate planning, business planning, business growth and exit planning, connect with Kelly today.
Meet Laura!
Office Manager and Legal Assistant
Laura is the heart of our office and often the first voice you hear when you call.
With over 25 years of experience in project management, contracts, and customer service—including 26 years at Tuscan Harvey Estate Homes—Laura joined Kelly in 2017 and has been instrumental in helping clients navigate their planning process ever since. She keeps our office running smoothly and ensures every client is fully supported.
A long-time Jupiter resident, Laura and her husband Collins have raised two children here, both proud Gators and part of Jupiter High School’s Medical Academy. She's also served as a PTO Treasurer, volunteers with Basset Hound Rescue, and enjoys time at her family’s pecan farm in North Carolina.
Our Mission
We are committed to helping you plan for future life events in a convenient and affordable way, giving peace of mind to you and your family.
We’re here to help you as life happens. We serve a wide range of clientele, and value
every client relationship greatly. Each engagement benefits from the depth and breadth of our expertise. We approach every client with a focus on integrity, advocacy, and
understanding.
Team Effort
We pride ourselves in maintaining a small-firm feel by treating each case with care and consideration. We’ve hand-picked a high-quality team of law professionals qualified to create a plan that fits each of our individual clients. No issue is too big or too small and we look forward to assisting you with determining the best plan for you, your family and your business.
Your wishes
After an initial consultation, we provide our clients with a quote for the services needed and often we are able to determine a flat fee. As a concierge firm, we find the best fit for you to accomplish your legal needs. Of course, you will always be able to communicate directly with Kelly even as you work with another attorney. Accomplishing your legal goals is our priority.
Convenience
We have offices in Jupiter, close to I-95 and the Florida Turnpike. If necessary, we may be able to visit your home or office to meet with you and your loved ones. We can also offer ZOOM, phone consultations and in person meetings.
Personal Contact
We use the latest technology to provide you with personalized service. We introduce you to several legal professionals so that you always have someone available to assist you with your legal questions.
We represent a wide array of clientele ranging from individuals with minimal assets and
simple estate planning needs, to families and businesses with substantial and complex
assets requiring sophisticated planning and protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the definition of estate planning?
A set of directions that you leave for your family and loved ones directing them what to do in the event of your death or incapacity.
What is an estate?
All the personal and real property that a person owns when they die.
Why would I need an estate planning attorney?
To protect your family. A properly drafted and signed will legally protects your spouse, children, and assets. It also allows you to determine how your assets are distributed upon your passing instead of the probate court deciding for you. There are many details associated with estate planning, please contact us to discuss. We offer a free 30-minute consultation.
What is a Trust?
A document that is created by the trust maker or grantor to state how to transfer ownership of certain assets and who to appoint as a trustee to manage those assets for the benefit of the beneficiaries.
Why should I set up a trust?
It simplifies the process for your beneficiaries and provides an estate planning tool to implement a plan for particular assets.
What are the different types of trusts?
A will can include a testamentary trust that provides a plan for beneficiaries that are minors. One of the most flexible types of trust is a revocable living trust. Of course, many different trusts can be created to ensure your wishes are implemented.
What is Pet Estate Planning?
Florida law allows a pet owner to establish a pet trust to provide for pets during the pet’s lifetime.
What are Special Needs trusts and why would I need one?
The term Special Needs describes any trust intended to provide benefits without causing the beneficiary to lose public benefits he or she is entitled to receive.
Is an estate account a trust account?
No. An estate account is held in the name of the decedent during probate. A trust account is owned and associated with a properly signed trust and does not involve the probate court.
What is estate conservation?
In Florida, we do not have a state estate tax. If your estate is subject to the federal estate tax, you should meet with an attorney to plan effectively so that you do all you can to conserve the value of your estate.
How much does it cost for an estate lawyer?
It depends. Some complex situations are billed on an hourly basis. We do provide flat fees for many of our services plus a free 30-minute consultation. We want you to be able to plan so all you need to invest is 30 minutes to determine what is necessary to create your estate plan.
How much does it cost to create an estate plan?
We offer flat fees for most estate planning and we do our best to create documents that will work for you in many different future situations. If things stay the same, you should have to create 1 estate plan. We do provide individual documents and estate planning packages that include all of the documents or tools needed to ensure you are able to protect your family or your business. Since we offer a 30 minute FREE no obligation consultation, we suggest you meet with us so you can budget for your estate planning.
What if either I or my loved one cannot get to your office?
DSM Law is known to go to our clients, if necessary. Our goal for our clients is to get their wishes properly documented in their estate plans so we do our best to do what is necessary to accomplish that goal.
What is the role of a probate attorney?
The process of properly assessing, dividing and distributing assets can be time consuming and complicated for a personal representative. A probate attorney guides, oversees and explains all of the details associated with one’s estate to a personal representative as it is processed through our probate system. The probate system provides the legal means to transfer assets and serves to ensure (or does all that is possible to ensure) that asset ends up where the owner intended. Often through our probate system, an attorney is necessary to distribute an asset that was owned by a deceased person.
What does it mean to probate a will?
To transfer those assets that are owned only by the decedent (the person who passed away) to beneficiaries. The process is supervised by the probate court.
What can a trust account be used for?
To create a trust, the property owner (grantor) transfers legal ownership to a person or an institution (trustee) to manage that property for the benefit of 3rd party (beneficiary). The grantor may act as the trustee himself or herself, and retain ownership instead of transferring the property, but he or she still must act as a fiduciary. A grantor may also name himself or herself as one of the beneficiaries of the trust. In any trust arrangement, however, the trust cannot become effective until the grantor funds the trust or in other words, transfers the property to the trust.
What is business succession planning?
It is a plan that sets forth the legal, financial, psychological, familial and management strategies for the transfer or sale of your business upon your retirement or death.
Is business planning only for large corporations?
Absolutely not. If a business is profitable, it needs a succession plan. The business is an asset and therefore it has some type of value for one’s beneficiaries.