Michael G. Kula, P.A. is a general practice law firm.
Our attorneys practice primarily in the following areas:
Estate Planning
We have extensive experience providing our clients with estate planning services. Estate planning is the process of developing a strategy to address how your assets will be administered if you become incapacitated and distributed after your death. We offer a no-obligation initial consultation for new estate planning clients to gather and discuss detailed information about you, your family, your assets, objectives, and intentions. At the conclusion of this consultation we recommend the estate plan documents that are appropriate for you and provide an estimate of the fees and costs to engage our services. Depending on your situation, the estate plan documents we recommend may include a will, trust, power of attorney, or health care directive.
Will
A will is a legal document that directs how you want your assets distributed after you die. Your will nominates a personal representative (sometimes called an executor) to handle your affairs. Because your will can be changed at any time, it becomes effective only after your death.
Trust
A trust is an alternative to a will that, when properly created and funded, can avoid probate after your death. A trust directs how you want your trust property administered while you are living and distributed after you die. In your trust document you appoint a trustee who is responsible for managing your trust property and administering the trust.
Power of Attorney
A power of attorney is a document that gives the person you choose the authority to act on your behalf for legal and financial matters. Powers granted in this document terminate when you die. Because the person you appoint has significant authority over your affairs, they should be someone you know well and trust.
Health Care Directive
A health care directive (sometimes called a medical power of attorney or living will) gives the person you choose the authority to make medical decisions for you when you are incapacitated or unable to communicate. You can also designate your end-of-life wishes, including funeral planning, cremation or burial instructions, and organ donation.
Probate and Trust Administration
We have assisted our clients with the probate and trust administration of hundreds of estates and trusts. Probate is the process of settling a person’s final affairs through the court system. It involves having a personal representative appointed by the court, collecting and inventorying the person’s assets, paying final expenses and debts, and distributing the balance of the estate to the people designated in a probated will or according to Minnesota law. The probate process ends when the estate has been fully settled and distributed and the personal representative discharged. As your attorneys, we assist you in completing each of these tasks and ensuring that the probate process goes as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Trust administration involves many of the same tasks as probate, except that it usually does not involve the courts. We assist trustees and beneficiaries with asset collection, trust funding, preparation of accountings, subsequent management of the trust assets, and administration of the trust according to the trust document.
BUSINESS Law
As the owner and operator of a small business himself, Mike and his staff understand that your business is your livelihood and that, as with all things, businesses go through phases. We provide start-up assistance by helping you decide what type of entity is right for you and by drafting your organizational documents like articles, bylaws, and shareholder control agreements. For businesses that are already up and running, we provide day-to-day counsel and advice as problems and other issues arise. When it comes time to transition to retirement or other ventures, we help business owners with succession planning, business sales, and dissolution.
Taxation
As tax attorneys, we assist our clients year-round with tax return preparation and tax planning. We prepare and e-file individual, corporate, partnership, fiduciary, estate, and gift tax returns. We understand that no one likes surprises at tax time, so we also help you plan for and structure deals and transactions in order to account for the resulting tax consequences.
Real estate
Whether you are purchasing or selling a home or cabin, buying a commercial lot for development, dealing with a boundary line or land use issue, or simply looking to retitle your real estate for estate planning purposes, we can help you by drafting deeds, purchase agreements, and leases, doing title work, and otherwise working with your real estate agent to successfully close your transaction.