Trusts & Estates
Planning for the Four-Legged Member of a Family

A pet trust instrument may not be of common knowledge to the average pet owner. You may help educate your client about this available option now permitted in California. Your clients may appreciate how attentive you are to the whole family’s needs by including estate planning elements for your pet. Adding pet elements to your estate planning practices is a great tool to retain your attorney-client relationship and simultaneously gain additional business. Be sure to ask plenty of questions and inform your clients of the benefits behind drafting a pet trust. There is a good chance that until the moment you ask your clients questions about their pets future care, they had not given it much thought. While cats and dogs are common house pets, the pet trust can be drafted for the benefit of other animals such as horses, cows, or any other domestic or pet animals. Be sure to ask about all types of fourlegged pals and explore your state’s probate code for pet trust provisions.
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