Pennsylvania Estate Planning Attorney | Wills, Trusts & Estates
We Are Your Trusted Estate Planning Attorneys for Legacy Protection and Wealth Transfer, based in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. Moriconi Flowers Ltd. provides comprehensive wills, trusts, and estate planning legal services to individuals, families, and business owners throughout Pennsylvania. Whether you are creating an estate plan for the first time, updating documents to reflect life changes, or guiding an estate through probate, our attorneys bring a client-first approach to every case. Find out more about our Wills, Trusts & Estates services today.
Overview
As an individual or business owner, there is always more at stake than most people realize when it comes to estate planning. It is not simply about distributing assets. It is about making certain that your wishes are legally enforceable, your family is protected from unnecessary cost and conflict, and the wealth you have built is transferred on your terms. Here at Moriconi Flowers, our Philadelphia metro region estate planning attorneys are experienced in helping clients create plans that hold up when it matters most.
In addition to traditional estate planning services, the attorneys at Moriconi Flowers also advise business owners, including those in regulated industries such as pharmacies, professional practices, and emerging markets on integrating succession planning into their overall estate strategy. This includes structuring entity transfers, buy-sell agreements, and trust arrangements that protect the business and the family simultaneously.
The majority of estate disputes and probate complications could have been avoided entirely with sound legal planning from the outset. Our practice is to take a thorough, measured approach with every client. Understanding your assets, your family dynamics, and your long-term goals before recommending any structure, so that the plan we build is one that reflects your intentions.
The estate planning attorneys at Moriconi Flowers routinely advise clients that a plan created without proper legal guidance is often worth far less than no plan at all. Ambiguities in a will, an improperly funded trust, or a missing power of attorney can result in costly court proceedings, family conflict, and outcomes no one intended. Our job is to make certain none of that happens.
Moriconi Flowers Ltd. brings a thorough, detail-oriented approach to every estate plan, ensuring your documents are carefully coordinated, legally sound, and built to reflect your intentions. Every client works directly with an attorney, never handed off to support staff.
Moriconi Flowers provides estate planning services to a wide range of clients across the Commonwealth and throughout the Philadelphia metro region, including:
Individuals and families planning for the first time or updating documents after a major life event such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or the death of a spouse
Business owners and entrepreneurs in closely held companies, family enterprises, and partnerships who need succession planning integrated into their overall estate strategy
Owners in regulated industries who face unique structural and compliance considerations when transferring business interests
High-net-worth individuals with complex asset portfolios, multiple properties, or significant tax planning needs
Blended families navigating competing interests between spouses, children from prior relationships, and other beneficiaries
Parents of minor or special needs children who require guardianship designations, special needs trusts, or long-term asset protection structures
Executors and administrators who have been named to oversee an estate and need legal guidance through the probate process
Trustees seeking ongoing counsel on fiduciary duties and trust administration
Services we provide
Wills
A properly drafted last will and testament is the foundation of any estate plan. It names your beneficiaries, designates an executor to administer your estate, appoints guardians for minor children, and ensures your assets pass according to your intentions, not Pennsylvania’s intestacy laws, which apply automatically when no valid will exists. At Moriconi Flowers, we draft wills that are clear, thorough, and coordinated with your other estate planning documents so that every piece of the plan works together. We also anticipate contingencies, such as a beneficiary predeceasing you to ensure your plan holds under any circumstance.
Trusts
Trusts are among the most flexible and powerful tools available in estate planning, and they can do things a will cannot. Depending on your goals, a trust can be used to avoid probate, protect assets from creditors, provide for a beneficiary with a disability without affecting their government benefits, minimize estate and gift tax exposure, or preserve wealth across multiple generations. Moriconi Flowers advises clients on the full range of trust structures, including revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts, spendthrift trusts, charitable remainder trusts, and generation-skipping trusts. For clients with existing trusts, we also provide ongoing trustee counseling and trust administration support to ensure fiduciary obligations are met throughout the life of the trust.
Estate Administration & Probate
Serving as an executor or personal representative is a significant legal responsibility that carries real personal liability if handled incorrectly. The Pennsylvania probate process requires inventorying assets, notifying and resolving creditor claims, filing required documents with the Register of Wills, preparing formal accountings, and making distributions to beneficiaries, all within required timeframes. Our Philadelphia metro region probate attorneys guide executors and administrators through every phase of the probate process so that every obligation is met on time. When disputes arise whether a will contest, a challenge to a fiduciary’s conduct, or a disagreement among beneficiaries, our litigators are prepared to represent your interests in court.
Powers of Attorney & Advance Directives
A complete estate plan does not only address what happens after your death, it also addresses what happens if you become incapacitated and can no longer make decisions for yourself. A durable financial power of attorney authorizes a trusted agent to manage your finances on your behalf. A healthcare power of attorney designates someone to make medical decisions if you cannot. A living will also called an advance directive, documents your specific wishes regarding end-of-life care so that your family and physicians are never left guessing. Without these documents in place, your family may be forced to seek court intervention through a guardianship or conservatorship proceeding, which is costly, time-consuming, and public. We draft these instruments with the precision necessary to prevent ambiguity, misuse, and conflict.
Business Succession Planning
For business owners, estate planning and succession planning are deeply connected. Failing to address both together is one of the most common and costly mistakes we see. Without a clear succession plan, a closely held business interest can become a liability for your heirs at exactly the wrong moment, potentially forcing a sale, fractured ownership, or significant unnecessary tax exposure. Moriconi Flowers can structure succession plans for closely held businesses, family enterprises, and companies in all kinds of regulated industries. We structure buy-sell agreements, family limited partnerships, operating agreements, and trust arrangements designed to transfer ownership on your timeline, protect the business’s continued operations, and preserve the value you have built.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an estate planning attorney in Pennsylvania?
While Pennsylvania law does not require you to hire an attorney to create a will or trust, the consequences of doing it wrong can be severe. An improperly executed will can be challenged or voided entirely. An unfunded trust offers no protection. A missing power of attorney can force your family into costly court proceedings. Working with an experienced estate planning attorney ensures your documents are legally sound, properly coordinated, and built to hold up when it matters most.
What is the difference between a will and a trust?
A will takes effect only after your death and must pass through Pennsylvania’s probate process before assets are distributed. A trust, by contrast, can take effect during your lifetime and allows assets to pass directly to beneficiaries without court involvement. Trusts also offer benefits a will cannot, including creditor protection, privacy, and the ability to control how and when assets are distributed. Many clients benefit from having both, working together as part of a comprehensive estate plan.
How do I avoid probate in Pennsylvania?
The most common way to avoid probate in Pennsylvania is through a properly funded revocable living trust. Assets held in trust pass directly to beneficiaries without court involvement, saving time, cost, and maintaining privacy. Other strategies include joint ownership, beneficiary designations on financial accounts, and transfer-on-death designations. An estate planning attorney can help you determine which combination of tools makes the most sense for your specific situation.
What does an executor do in Pennsylvania probate?
An executor is responsible for administering the estate of someone who has passed away. In Pennsylvania, this includes filing the will with the Register of Wills, inventorying assets, notifying creditors, addressing Pennsylvania inheritance tax obligations, preparing formal accountings, and distributing assets to beneficiaries, all within statutory timeframes. Executors carry personal liability if these duties are handled incorrectly, which is why many choose to work with a probate attorney throughout the process.
What happens if you die without a will in Pennsylvania?
If you die without a valid will in Pennsylvania, your estate is distributed according to the state’s intestacy laws, not your personal wishes. Pennsylvania’s intestacy rules follow a strict hierarchy based on family relationships, which may result in outcomes you never intended. For example, unmarried partners receive nothing under intestacy laws regardless of the length of the relationship. Creating a will is the only way to ensure your assets go to the people and causes you choose.
Do business owners need a separate estate plan?
Business owners face unique estate planning challenges that go beyond what a standard will or trust can address. Without a clear succession plan, a closely held business interest can become a significant liability for your heirs, potentially forcing an unwanted sale or creating fractured ownership at the worst possible moment. Moriconi Flowers has extensive experience integrating business succession planning into comprehensive estate strategies, including for owners in regulated industries such as cannabis, pharmacy, and other emerging markets.
How much does estate planning cost in Pennsylvania?
The cost of estate planning in Pennsylvania varies depending on the complexity of your situation, the documents required, and the attorney you work with. A basic estate plan including a will, power of attorney, and advance directive will differ in cost from a comprehensive plan involving multiple trusts, business succession arrangements, or tax planning strategies. At Moriconi Flowers, we encourage prospective clients to schedule a consultation so we can understand your specific needs and provide clear guidance on scope and cost.
Ready to protect what matters most? Let's start the conversation.
LOCATION
HISTORIC CHESTNUT HILL
40 West Evergreen Avenue, Suite 104
Philadelphia, PA 19118