Estate Planning Attorney in Pittsburgh, PA

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Lebovitz & Lebovitz, P.A. designs estate plans intended to hold up under Pennsylvania law and real world family dynamics. We represent individuals and families throughout Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania who want clarity, control, and long term protection of what they have built.

Estate planning is not simply drafting a will. It is aligning ownership, beneficiary designations, business interests, tax exposure, and family expectations into a structure that works during life and after death.

If you need assistance administering an estate after a death, visit our Estate Administration and Probate page.

Wills and Core Planning Documents

A properly drafted will names fiduciaries, directs distributions, and reduces uncertainty. Core planning typically includes a durable financial power of attorney and health care planning documents to provide continuity in the event of incapacity.

We draft documents intended to function within Pennsylvania probate practice, not generic forms that create problems later.

Revocable Living Trusts

A revocable living trust can centralize asset management, provide incapacity planning, and streamline administration after death. Trust planning is often appropriate where families hold multiple properties, privacy concerns, or blended family structures.

Trust planning must coordinate with how assets are titled. A trust that is never properly funded does not achieve its purpose. We align the documents and the ownership structure together.

Advanced Planning for Families with Significant Assets

For families with closely held businesses, long held real estate, or substantial accumulated assets, basic documents are often not enough. Advanced structures can reduce tax exposure, protect assets, and preserve control across generations.

Irrevocable Trusts may remove assets from a taxable estate and provide creditor or asset protection benefits when structured properly.

Family LLCs and Family Limited Partnerships allow consolidation of real estate or business interests while transferring economic value over time in a controlled manner.

These tools require coordination with tax advisors and existing ownership documents. We design plans intended to withstand scrutiny and function as intended.

Medicaid and Long Term Care Planning

Pennsylvania Medicaid planning involves a five year lookback period and strict asset transfer rules. Planning must occur before a crisis. Strategies may include irrevocable trusts and coordinated spousal planning.

Poorly timed transfers can create penalties. Advance planning preserves options.

Special Needs Trust Planning

A properly structured special needs trust can preserve eligibility for government benefits while allowing supplemental resources for a disabled beneficiary. Inheritances and settlements must be coordinated carefully to avoid disqualification.

Real Estate and Business Integration

Many Pittsburgh families hold wealth in real estate and closely held companies. Estate planning must account for title, operating agreements, shareholder restrictions, and buy sell provisions.

We coordinate planning with our real estate practice and business succession planning work so that documents do not conflict.