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Contact: Contact Kristin Weber at 202/887-8255, kweber@halt.org
 Washington, DC—HALT, which publishes a line of legal self-help publications that empower citizens to handle their own simple legal affairs, today released a resource that guides people through the estate planning process. The Citizens Legal Guide Plan Your Estate is available for free on HALT's Web site and through HALT's Legal Information Clearinghouse.
Studies show that many Americans fail to plan how their assets should be dispersed after their death and neglect to plan for future illnesses by laying out health care directives. "According to some estimates, as many as 70 percent of us will die without a will. If you die without making decisions about who gets your property or who takes care of your dependent loved ones, the court will make those decisions for you," said HALT Program Director Theresa Meehan Rudy.
The easy-to-understand guide outlines the major steps of estate planning. It informs consumers about the most popular estate planning tools for transferring assets-wills and trusts. Consumers will learn how to create a legally valid will and also gain valuable insight into the various kinds of trusts, including the popular revocable living trust. The guide goes on to discuss other probate avoidance techniques, such as holding assets in joint tenancy, naming a beneficiary on your life insurance policy or IRA, or making outright gifts of money or property.
The resource also leads readers through different types of health care directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney. With each topic, HALT lets consumers know how they can handle the issue themselves, by using do-it-yourself books and software, or in conjunction with a professional.
HALT's 8-page Citizens Legal Guides are the newest additions to HALT's selection of self-help publications. The new booklets, which also include Where Do I Go for Legal Help and I Have a Problem with My Lawyer, supplement HALT's existing range of resources, which includes brief brochures and handouts along with Citizens Legal Manuals, full-length books that offer detailed information on a legal topic, such as legal research, probate or small claims court.
Because it receives thousands of letters through its Legal Information Clearinghouse, HALT is uniquely positioned to identify legal consumers' needs. Each publication HALT creates fills a gap in the existing publications for legal consumers. All of HALT's articles, brochures and Citizens Legal Guides are offered to consumers for free on the Internet and by mail. HALT's Citizens Legal Manuals (full-length books) are kept to an affordable cost.
Founded in 1978, HALT—An Organization of Americans for Legal Reform is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest organization. HALT pursues an aggressive education and advocacy program that challenges the legal establishment to improve access and accountability and reduce costs in the civil justice system. Please visit www.halt.org for more information.
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