Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning Attorney in Dania Beach, FL

Dania Beach is the oldest city in Broward County, incorporated in 1904, and a lot of its homes have been in the same families for a long time. Some of those families have a will. Fewer have a trust, a current power of attorney or a deed that keeps the house out of probate. Newer owners in the condos near the beach and along Dania Beach Boulevard often have no plan at all.

Pamela Schatten has practiced for 20 years and is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. From our office on Cypress Creek Road in Fort Lauderdale, she prepares wills and trusts, handles probate and guardianship, and takes care of the real estate and title work that goes with them for Dania Beach clients. She handles every matter herself.

Why Dania Beach Clients Choose Barash-Schatten Law

1. Wills and trusts are the core of the practice

Pamela learned estate work beside her father, A. Jeffrey Barash, a Super Lawyer with roughly forty years in estate and tax law. Wills, trusts and the documents that go with them are most of what she does.

2. The deed gets done with the trust

A revocable trust only avoids probate if the house is actually transferred into it. Pamela is an underwriting agent with Attorneys’ Title Fund and of counsel to a Florida title company, so she prepares and records the deed as part of the plan. Older Dania Beach homes sometimes have title issues from past family transfers, and those are easier to fix now.

3. One attorney, quick replies

You’ll work with Pamela directly. Most messages get a response within two hours during the business day.

4. Written quotes

Every matter is scoped and priced in writing before any work begins.

Will or Trust? How Florida Law Frames the Choice

Dania Beach is in Broward County, the 17th Judicial Circuit, where probate cases are filed. Florida has no state estate or inheritance tax, so for most families the choice between a will and a trust comes down to probate.

A will has to go through probate before property can be transferred. In Florida that means a court case, the appointment of a personal representative, publication of a notice to creditors and a three-month claim period under section 733.702, before anything is distributed. A funded revocable trust skips that process for whatever it holds. The trade-off is upfront work: the trust has to be drafted, and the house and accounts have to be retitled into it. A will is simpler to sign and costs less today; a trust usually saves time and expense later.

For some Dania Beach homeowners, a ladybird deed is a middle path. The owner keeps full control of the home for life, and the house passes to the named beneficiaries at death without probate. It works well for a single property and a simple family situation. It doesn’t replace a will or a trust for everything else.

Estate Planning Services for Dania Beach Clients

Wills and Trusts

• Wills: Signed with two witnesses under section 732.502 and made self-proving, so no one has to locate the witnesses after your death.
• Revocable living trusts: You stay in control as trustee during your life. At death or incapacity, your chosen successor trustee takes over without court involvement.
• Trust funding: Deeds, account retitling and beneficiary designations reviewed so the trust actually holds what it’s supposed to.
• Ladybird deeds: For owners who want the home to pass outside probate without a full trust.
• Pour-over wills: Catch anything left outside the trust and direct it into the trust.

Planning for Incapacity

• Durable power of attorney: Signed before two witnesses and a notary (section 709.2105). Powers to make gifts or change beneficiaries require separate initials.
• Health care surrogate and living will: Under Chapter 765, so a person you choose can make medical decisions and your wishes are in writing.
• Preneed guardian designation: Names who you’d want as your guardian if one is ever needed (section 744.3045).

Probate and Trust Administration

• Formal administration in the Broward circuit court, from the petition to the final distribution.
• Summary administration for estates of $75,000 or less, excluding exempt property, or when the death was more than two years ago (section 735.201).
• Trust administration for successor trustees, including notices and accountings under Chapter 736.
• Homestead determinations so the home can pass or be sold free of creditor claims.

Guardianship

• Adult guardianship for a parent with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or another condition that affects decision-making, with limited guardianship considered first.
• Guardian advocacy for a young adult with a developmental disability, under section 393.12.
• Minor guardianship when a child inherits more than $15,000.

Real Estate and Title Work

• Selling a parent’s home out of an estate or trust, or after a move to assisted living.
• Deeds between family members and into trusts, with Broward documentary stamp tax ($0.70 per $100 of consideration) handled correctly.
• Residential closings and title insurance through Attorneys’ Title Fund.

Family Law

We also handle family law matters for Dania Beach clients.

What a Complete Plan Usually Includes

For most Dania Beach homeowners, a complete estate plan is a short stack of documents:

1. A revocable living trust
2. A pour-over will
3. A deed transferring the home into the trust
4. A durable power of attorney
5. A health care surrogate designation and living will
6. A preneed guardian designation
7. A review of beneficiary designations on retirement and bank accounts

Once it’s signed and the trust is funded, the hard part is over. After that, a review every few years, or after a marriage, death, divorce or move, keeps it current.

How We Work

01. A short call
We ask about your family, your home and any documents you already have.

02. Consultation and written quote
At our Fort Lauderdale office or by video, followed by a written scope and fee.

03. Drafting
Pamela drafts the plan and explains it in plain language, including what each document does and doesn’t do.

04. Signing and funding
Sign in person or remotely through our electronic estate planning package. Then we record the deed and confirm everything is titled correctly.

Serving Dania Beach and Nearby Communities

We work with clients across Dania Beach, from the neighborhoods near Dania Beach Pier and Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park to the areas along Federal Highway and west of I-95. We also serve neighboring Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Davie, Hallandale Beach and Pembroke Pines.

Meet Pamela Schatten

Attorney · AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Pamela was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2006 and is a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section. She practices in Broward’s 17th Judicial Circuit and Miami-Dade’s 11th. Read Pamela’s full bio.