Name: John Even
Address: 1221 East Osborn Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85014
Telephone: 602-277-7000
Price range: Free 30 Minute Consultation
Rating: 4.9

Free 30 Minute Consultation 602-663-9263

What is Your Legacy?

When you think of leaving a legacy, what do you think of? The inheritance that you would like to pass on to your children? A gift to your family’s church or your favorite charity that will continue on past your life time? Perhaps the successful transfer of a family business to the next generation? Most importantly, you may think of the transfer of the family values and work ethic that have helped you become successful during your lifetime. Although you may key in on one of these particular elements of your legacy depending on your circumstances, I encourage all of my clients to look at the idea of legacy planning in a broader sense when we are discussing the legal documents they will need for their estate planning and business planning. This blog discusses same general aspects of planning that you need to consider when drafting the legal documents you need to leave the legacy you want.

First, you need to look at the financial side of things. What do you currently own? How do you currently own it? Finally, if something happened to you, who would you want to receive it? If you are married, you most likely want to leave it your surviving spouse and then to your children after the second spouse passes. This plan makes sense in general, but there are few additional nuances that you need to look at when thinking through your plan. First, if this is not a first marriage situation, you may want to create a trust that divides your trust in two trusts at the first spouse’s death, with a portion of the trust being irrevocable at the first spouses’ death. In this way, the children of the first spouse to die will be protected by an irrevocable trust if something happens to that spouse. In addition, it is important to ask a few more questions about the children to determine how best to structure distributions to them. Are the children minors or young adults? Are they responsible with managing their money? Do they have any drug, alcohol, mental health, or other issues that would make an outright distribution an issue for them? Thus, the question of “how” the distributions occur is critical. Finally, although equal distributions to the children is generally the best way to go to avoid family conflict, clients are welcome to choose other options. They just need to be fully informed about the possible consequences of doing so.

Second, sometimes leaving a legacy can mean the impact that you leave in your community, especially through a gift to your family’s church or your favorite charity. All of us have a certain causes that we care deeply about and are currently supporting. It could be a charity that helps the sick or the poor, one that provides scholarships for education, or one that supports another important cause that you are passionate about. Whatever your passion is, leaving a legacy can mean supporting that organization with you time, talents, and treasure even after you have passed on.

Third, when a family business is involved, and the family wants to pass on the business to the next generation, there are a whole host of other issues that need to be addressed. Who is in the best position to run the business after the founders retire? How can Mom and Dad create an equitable distribution plan when some of the children work in the business and others do not?

Finally, and most importantly, leaving a legacy can mean leaving a legacy of your life, such as your values, your goals, and your vision for the next generation. This piece of your legacy is more introspective and is also the most important in many ways, even though the documents that are drafted do not cover these issues in the same amount of detail. How do you want your children and your family to remember you? What can you do during your life to pass on those values that are so important to you? How can you document the values in your estate planning and your business planning documents in a practical way?

Although you will need to do some interior work on your own to define what your legacy will be given your circumstances, an experienced estate planning and business planning attorney can help you to draft the legal documents need to leave the legacy you want.

Need help? Please call me today – 602.663.9263

John Even Our firm has helped hundreds of families just like yours handle a wide variety of estate planning, business planning, probate, trust, and elder law issues. When families or business owners are not getting along, we can also handle any disputes and litigation related to their businesses, wills, trusts, guardianships, or conservatorships. Please give me a call, so that I can help you work through these difficult issues with confidence.

By John Even | Published November 1, 2019 | Posted in Business Law, Estate Planning

Testimonials

"Thank you for my peace of mind, knowing that my estate and medical attention are in place for my children to handle easily. I appreciate your expertise covering areas I was unaware I should address. John and his staff were very professional and efficient in my estate amendment. I highly recommend this office." -Chris February 28, 2025
"One of the best decisions I ever made was selecting John Even to oversee settlement of my mom’s estate/trust. His wisdom and insight on reaching a positive outcome for each family member was priceless. Without his patient encouragement over three years, I would have settled for a bad compromise early on. Each meeting was concise and educational. John only proposed a meeting when necessary, saving our estate thousands of dollars. " -Bradley December 03, 2024
"It was a pleasure to work with Attorney John B. Even and his excellent legal assistant, Emily, and paralegal, Jacqueline. This competent team seamlessly worked to develop our Will and Family Trust. Mr. Even patiently explained each document to us. John is a knowledgeable and compassionate attorney with a deep understanding of the law and a great ability to clearly explain complex legal issues. " -Rita November 22, 2024
"I enjoyed working with him and his team - everybody was delightful, and they made the process very easy. John is warm and friendly, impressively knowledgeable and explained all the details in simple terms for me to understand. I now have peace of mind about how my assets will be distributed and wishes will be carried out and know that my loved ones won't be burdened by debate, hassle, or financial hardship if I ever end up incapacitated." -Mirelle April 18, 2024
"We have known John Even for many years. So, I will say that he was our first choice. I get many advertisements in the mail for trusts and estate planning and at various prices. I called a few of them. We stayed with John for several reasons. He had a flat fee with us. So there was NO chance of getting billed extra hours for this and that. Which is often the cast once you sign on the dotted line. John was very explanatory about the process of setting up a trust, He looked at all our information. our children, accounts, and many things I had never considered. This was what I needed to get clear on the whole process. " -Thomas January 28, 2024
"Attorney Even and his staff are professional, personable, responsive, and clearly expert in the estate planning world. The time spent gathering our information allowed Mr. Even to produce thoughtful, custom documentation that will serve us well. The print and electronic versions of our records that were provided will make maintaining them, and sharing them as appropriate, very easy...a real plus." -Larrh January 24, 2024
"Our Estate Planning journey with John B. Even and his team was a “5 Star” experience! John’s character, values, and knowledge was evident throughout the entire process. John and his team listened carefully to our wishes, and yet, asked great questions to help us collaborate on exactly the right Estate Plan. We would highly recommend John and his team!" -Rob & Terri September 25, 2023
"Once I made my initial call to Mr. Even‘s office I never looked back – great decision! His staff is courteous, caring and efficient. Mr. Even is professional, highly knowledgeable, good listener and adviser. I highly recommend Mr. Even. It is a privilege to have him on my team!" -Trusts & Estates May 14, 2018
"John is an excellent wordsmith, and did a great job of putting my thoughts, ideas, and issues into a clear legal document. I have known and worked with him for 25 years on business issues, including business purchases, of two companies and then selling them for retirement. He is also a delightful person to work with and has an excellent group of to-workers." -Estate Planning May 3, 2018
"He was willing to spend time explaining things." -Estate Planning February 24, 2018

Reviews and Ratings

5.0/5.0

I have known John Even professionally for 20+ years and he displays the highest level of integrity and honesty in serving his clients.

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Marketing Partner
5.0/5.0

He is an excellent attorney, very knowledgeable, and very helpful to the community.

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Managing Partner
5.0/5.0

I have always been very impressed with John as an attorney, but perhaps most importantly, as a really great person of the highest ethics. I highly recommend John for the highest Martindale Hubbell rankings.

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Partner
5.0/5.0

John is a highly competent and ethical attorney working in the area of estate planning. I have worked with Mr. Even on several cases, both on opposite sides and the same side of issues. He is very professional, thorough and fair.

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Partner
5.0/5.0

i would hire this lawyer for my mother

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Managing Partner