Estate Planning Attorney in Fort Collins
Give Your Family a Plan, Not a Puzzle
Our estate planning attorneys in Fort Collins, Colorado, build wills, trusts, and powers of attorney around what you own, and we stay with your family for what comes after.
An Outdated Plan Can Leave Your Family Stuck
Reviews From Colorado Families
Fort Collins Estate Planning Built on What You Own
Will Preparation
A will names who settles your estate and who would raise your kids if something happened to you. It also covers anything not already handled by a trust or a beneficiary form.
Our will preparation attorney starts with what you own, because a will that contradicts your accounts creates the very confusion it was meant to prevent. We handle the signing details too, so the document holds up later.
Living Trusts
A revocable living trust lets your home and accounts pass to your family without probate court, and you can change it anytime while you’re living.
The catch is funding. A trust only controls what’s been moved into it, which usually means recording a new deed with the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder and retitling accounts. Our living trust work walks you through that step, so the trust actually does its job.
Powers of Attorney
A power of attorney lawyer helps you name who can handle your money or medical decisions if you can’t. These documents only work while you’re alive, and you have to sign them while you can still understand what you’re signing.
Wait too long, and your family may need a court’s permission instead. We draft financial and medical powers of attorney together, so the right people can step in without delays at the bank or hospital.
Estate Planning Service
Some families need more than a will and a trust. Maybe there’s a business, a second marriage, kids from an earlier one, or land in another state.
Our full estate planning service lines up every piece, from the trust and the will to your retirement accounts and beneficiary forms, so nothing points the wrong way. When life changes, we revisit the plan with you instead of leaving it in a drawer.
Probate Attorney
When losing a loved one, the family is often left with a will, a stack of statements, and a lot of questions.
Our probate attorney team handles the court side and everything around it, from filings at the Larimer County Justice Center to closing accounts and settling a trust. Elizabeth August leads this part of the practice. She practiced at a boutique estate planning firm in Northern Colorado before co-founding August & Suchowski.
Why us?
Families Helped Across Colorado
Years Combined legal experience
Locations: Wheat ridge & Fort collins
The Best Time
To Plan is Before You Need It
Most people call us after something happens. A diagnosis, a friend's family fighting over an estate, a new grandchild. You don't have to wait for one of those. Tell us what's on your mind, and we'll tell you honestly whether you need a plan yet.
How the Estate Planning Process Works with Us
free call
Tell us about your family and assets, and we will map the options.
clear plan
We draft documents that match your actual situation, not a generic online template.
Signed & Funded
We make sure the plan is executed properly and actually holds your assets.
Meet The People Behind Your Plan
The August & Suchowski Difference
FAQs
What you shouldn’t put in a living trust usually starts with retirement accounts. IRAs and 401(k)s generally stay in your name and pass through beneficiary designations instead, since retitling them can create a tax problem. Vehicles are often handled outside the trust as well. The right list depends on what you own, so it’s worth reviewing account by account.
A Colorado will doesn’t have to be notarized, but it does have to be signed the right way. Generally, that means two witnesses sign it, or you acknowledge it in front of a notary. Many wills are also made self-proving, so no witness has to testify later. Getting the signing right matters as much as the wording.
The main downside of having a trust is the upfront work. A trust usually costs more to set up than a will, and it only controls assets that have been retitled into it. Skip that step and the estate may still end up in probate. For many families, the privacy and smoother handoff are worth it.
Signing a will once and never looking at it again is the biggest mistake people make. Marriages, divorces, new kids, and moves can all leave an old will out of step. Another common problem is account beneficiary forms that say something different from the will. Those forms usually control, so they need to match.
A will doesn’t keep an estate out of probate in Colorado. It tells the court what you want, but assets in your name alone still go through the court process. Accounts with named beneficiaries, jointly owned property, and assets in a funded trust can pass outside probate. That’s where planning ahead pays off for your family.
Yes. Our Fort Collins office is in Old Town, and Michael Suchowski meets with planning clients there by appointment. Video consultations work just as well if you live in Timnath, Wellington, or farther out, or if you’re helping a parent plan from out of state. Either way, the first consultation is free.
Put Your Wishes in Writing While It’s Your Choice
Areas Served
Proudly serving Fort Collins and surrounding communities, including Old Town, City Park, Parkwood, Rigden Farm, Lindenwood, and Timnath.
Probate & Estate Planning Attorneys in Fort Collins, Colorado
We’re on Maple Street in Old Town, a short walk west of Mason Street and just north of the Larimer County Justice Center. The Downtown Transit Center on North Mason is about a block away. Public parking is available two blocks south at the Civic Center Parking Garage, 120 N Mason St.