Documents do not govern themselves.
Estate planning can be treated as a stack of documents. The harder task is to align authority, ownership, and intent. A plan that names a successor but leaves control unclear may invite the very disagreement it was meant to prevent.
This becomes especially important when an estate includes a closely held business or a family whose interests are not identical. The legal structure must be legible to the people who will use it under pressure.
Think beyond the immediate question.
Authority
Make clear who can act, and on what terms, when the original decision-maker cannot.
Business succession
Connect the estate plan to the company’s actual ownership and governance.
Dispute risk
Look for gaps that could turn uncertainty into costly litigation.
Counsel shaped by what happens when plans are tested.
Nicholas’s experience spans dozens of matters, including litigation in Washington’s superior courts, the Washington Court of Appeals, and the Washington Supreme Court. He approaches planning with the perspective of someone who has seen how documents are interpreted when a disagreement reaches court.