Members of The Florida Bar. Gainesville-based, serving all 67 Florida counties.
A Florida estate plan that fits your family, written by attorneys who focus on this every day.
Wills, revocable trusts, lady bird deeds, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, drafted properly for Florida law. Based in Gainesville. Serving all of Florida.
- Your first call includes time with a Florida-licensed attorney, not just paralegal intake or a third-party answering service.
- A plan built around your family, your assets, and your wishes. Couples, parents, retirees, and small-business owners welcome.
- Flat-fee pricing on individual documents (deeds, POAs) so you know the cost before any work begins.
A full hour with an attorney for $100, discounted from our standard rate of $400 per hour.
Confidential · No engagement letter required to talk · Office line answered Mon-Fri 9-5 ET
"Kind, understanding, supportive, and so very easy to work with."
Sue S., via Google ★★★★★
A plan that holds up in Florida courts, not a template that almost does.
Estate planning is one of those things almost everyone knows they should do, and almost everyone keeps putting off. We understand. Our job is to make the process clear and the cost predictable, so you walk away knowing your family is taken care of.
The plans we see fail most often are the ones built around shortcuts:
- AI-generated wills and online templates that miss Florida-specific requirements (witnessing, notarization, self-proving affidavits) and quietly fail in probate.
- Big-firm quotes that feel padded, impersonal, and short on real explanation of what each document actually does.
- Plans that quietly fall out of date after a marriage, birth, divorce, or move, until the family discovers the gap years later.
- Wanting to spare your family probate without paying for legal structures you do not actually need.
Personalized drafting
A plan that fits your family, not a template.
Every plan is drafted by a Florida-licensed attorney. Most plans include some combination of a will, revocable trust, durable power of attorney, healthcare surrogate, HIPAA release, living will, and a lady bird deed where it makes sense for your homestead.
We tell you which documents you actually need and which you can skip. Nothing padded.
Transparent pricing
Flat-fee quotes in writing. No hourly surprises.
Comprehensive plans run $1,000 to $5,000 depending on complexity. The average couple-with-kids plan lands at $2,000 to $3,000. Individual documents (single lady bird deed, single power of attorney) are $300 to $500.
You get a written quote before any drafting starts.
Updates as life changes
Your plan grows with your family.
Marriage, divorce, a new baby, a death in the family, a move into or out of Florida, a new business interest. Each of these can quietly invalidate parts of a plan that was perfect a year ago.
We keep your plan current with flat-fee amendments, so updating it never feels like starting over.
A true lifeline for us.
As an older couple, the thought of sorting out our estate plan was daunting, and then when unforeseen medical issues arose, the urgency and stress multiplied. The team at PTM Trust and Estate Law was a true lifeline for us. They handled our complex situation with incredible professionalism, patience, and kindness.
Bobby G. · Via Google · ★★★★★
Five documents every Florida parent of a minor child should have.
Different stages of life call for different documents. Switch the tabs below to see the essentials for your situation.
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Revocable Trust
A trust you create during your lifetime to direct who manages and inherits your assets without probate court involvement. Especially useful for parents who want guardianship and inheritance planning in one document.
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Last Will and Testament
Directs who inherits assets that are not held in trust and names the guardian for your minor children if both parents pass away.
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Declaration of Preneed Guardian of a Minor
A Florida-specific declaration that names who you want to serve as legal guardian for your minor children if you become incapacitated.
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Designation of Healthcare Surrogate
Names who makes medical decisions for you when you cannot speak for yourself.
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Power of Attorney
Names who can handle your finances and legal affairs.
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Revocable Trust
For owners with property in more than one state, a properly drafted Florida revocable trust can hold out-of-state real estate alongside Florida assets and avoid probate in every state where you own property.
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Last Will and Testament
Directs how any assets not held in trust pass at death and serves as the safety net for assets you have not yet retitled into the trust.
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Deed(s)
Property deeds drafted to fund the trust, transfer ownership, or add probate-avoidance features (such as a Florida lady bird deed on your homestead).
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Designation of Healthcare Surrogate
Names who makes medical decisions for you when you cannot speak for yourself.
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Power of Attorney
Names who can handle your finances and legal affairs.
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Last Will and Testament
Directs how your assets pass at death and names a personal representative to administer your estate.
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Deed(s)
Property deeds reviewed and updated to support your estate plan, including lady bird deeds on a Florida homestead where appropriate.
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Declaration of Preneed Guardian
A Florida-specific declaration that names who you want to serve as your legal guardian if you become incapacitated as an adult.
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Designation of Healthcare Surrogate
Names who makes medical decisions for you when you cannot speak for yourself.
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Power of Attorney
Names who can handle your finances and legal affairs.
Three steps, no surprises.
You will know what to expect at each stage, what it costs, and when you are done.
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I
Your initial consultation
A short paralegal intake (about ten minutes) gathers the basics, then attorney Allison L. Carter or Blake Moore joins you for a full hour. We listen: your family situation, your assets, what is keeping you up at night. Then we tell you, in plain English, which plan would fit and what it would cost. That hour is $100, discounted from our standard rate of $400 per hour, and you leave knowing where you stand whether or not you hire us.
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II
Personalized plan drafted
We draft the documents your situation actually calls for: will, trust, powers of attorney, healthcare surrogate, lady bird deed where it makes sense. We send drafts for your review and walk through each clause so nothing feels like fine print.
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III
Sign, store, and done
We coordinate signing in our office, via mobile notary, or remotely where Florida law allows. Originals are stored securely with us, and you walk away with a plan that holds up in Florida courts and a clear path for updates as life changes.
Office line monitored Mon-Fri 9-5 ET.
Meet the PTM team.
At a lot of firms, you meet the attorney once and then deal with paralegals for the rest of the engagement. We work differently. The lawyer who answers your first call is the lawyer who drafts your plan.
Allison L. Carter
Trust and Estate Attorney
Allison handles estate planning, probate, and trust and estates litigation at PTM. She is a double Gator and a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and she has called Gainesville home for most of her adult life.
Blake Moore
Trust and Estate Attorney
Blake handles trust litigation and complex probate matters at PTM. He has presented to Gainesville probate attorneys on updates to the Florida Trust Code.
Our paralegals
Alasia
Emily Massey
You leave knowing where you stand.
Your initial consultation is a full hour with an attorney for $100, discounted from our standard rate of $400 per hour. It is a working meeting: we review your family and financial situation, answer the questions you came in with, and explain which documents fit your circumstances and why. By the end of the hour you know where you stand, whether or not you hire us.
Every document we draft is reviewed by a Florida-licensed attorney. Nothing is generated by AI without attorney review. Nothing is pulled from a generic template.
Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Outcomes depend on the specifics of each matter.Book your consultation.
Quick form, under a minute. Our team reaches out to schedule your consultation with attorney Allison L. Carter or Blake Moore.
Confidential. Your information stays with our firm. · Office line answered Mon-Fri 9-5 ET; voicemails returned the next business day.
Common Florida estate planning questions.
How much does estate planning cost at PTM?
Comprehensive estate plans range from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on complexity. The average couple-with-kids plan runs $2,000 to $3,000. Individual documents (a single lady bird deed, a single power of attorney) are $300 to $500.
Every quote is written and flat-fee. No hourly surprises.
I'm only 40. Do I really need an estate plan?
Yes, especially if you have minor children, own a Florida home, or have any retirement assets. The five documents every Florida adult should have are a will, a durable power of attorney, a healthcare surrogate designation, a HIPAA release, and a living will.
We can put those in place for you in a couple of weeks.
What is a lady bird deed, and do I need one?
A lady bird deed (also called an enhanced life estate deed) lets you keep full control of your Florida homestead during your lifetime, then automatically transfer it to your chosen beneficiary at death, without probate.
It is one of the most effective and affordable probate-avoidance tools for Florida homeowners. We can tell you on the phone consult whether it fits your situation.
Can I just use an online service or AI to make a will?
You can, but we do not recommend it. Florida has specific requirements for valid wills (witnessing, notarization, self-proving affidavits) and Florida-specific tools (lady bird deeds, homestead protections) that generic online services often miss.
We see the fallout regularly in probate court. The cost of fixing a flawed plan after the fact usually exceeds the cost of doing it right the first time.
How often should I update my estate plan?
At minimum, review your plan every three to five years. Update sooner after any major life event: marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, the death of a spouse or beneficiary, a significant change in assets, or a move to or from Florida.
We offer flat-fee amendments so updates stay predictable.
Do you only serve Gainesville?
No. We are physically based in Gainesville but serve clients in all 67 Florida counties. Most clients work with us remotely via phone, Zoom, and electronic signing. Where signing requires being in person, we coordinate with mobile notaries near you.
The most expensive estate plan is the one you never get around to writing.
If something happens before your plan is in place, your family is left with months of probate and, sometimes, an intestate distribution that does not reflect your wishes. One hour with an attorney is enough to know what you actually need.
- A full hour with an attorney for $100, discounted from our standard rate of $400 per hour
- Flat-fee quote in writing before any drafting starts
- Plans drafted by Florida-licensed attorneys, not pulled from an AI template
- Office line answered live Mon-Fri 9-5 ET; voicemails returned the next business day
