Debra M. Garcia

LAW OFFICE OF DEBRA M. GARCIA
http://www.DebraGarciaLaw.com/

Areas of Focus: Kids Protection Planning, LGBTQIA+ Planning, Life and Legacy Planning

Licensed States: California

What to expect from Debra M. Garcia

A 15- minute introductory call to understand your goals and needs.
2-Hour Working Life & Legacy Planning Session: A comprehensive look at your current family dynamics and your assets, including a comprehensive inventory of everything you have so none of it is ever lost.
Education on how the law impacts your family and assets, focused specifically on your County, State and Country of residence.
A transparent discussion of your options to care for what matters most to you, no matter what happens. Planning options that work for you and the people you love. Relational, compassionate counsel to help you make "eyes wide open" choices for yourself and the people you love.
A clear plan (not just documents) for how your assets and those you love will be taken care of, throughout every stage of life, and in the event of your incapacity or death.

About Debra M. Garcia

Hello. I’m Debra Garcia and I help members of the LGBTQ+ community (and allies) ensure that our wishes are honored in the event of incapacity or death. I don’t just prepare estate planning documents (e.g., Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, etc.) and send you on your way. Instead, I work with you until your plan is firmly in place and continue to work with you if there are ever any changes in your life.

I chose to become a Personal Family Lawyer because I do things differently than traditional estate planners. I take the time to get to know you and what is most important to you; this enables me to prepare a comprehensive plan that takes into account the uniqueness of your individual life circumstances. It is of the utmost importance to me that your wishes are honored. LGBTQ folks and our families often have to jump through extra hoops to protect ourselves and our loves ones. Being a Personal Family Lawyer allows me to take the time to best serve my clients.

In addition to serving the LGBTQ+ community, many of my clients are empty nesters with adult children. I particularly love educating and empowering my clients on the choices they have to ensure that their legacy (however you want to define legacy) makes a difference in the lives of their loved ones.

On a personal note, I’m a California native, animal lover, tree-hugging liberal who wants to make a difference in the world, at least my small part of it.

Testimonials

After years of putting it off, I finally hired Debra to help me get my financial and medical affairs in order including establishing a living trust. Debra stayed on top of it from start to finish. She offers a unique combination of ease of communication, sensitivity to personal situations, attention to detail and exceptional legal competence in the field of estate planning. Debra provided invaluable information to help me make smart decisions and persevered to keep me on track. I highly recommend hiring Debra for any and all of your estate planning needs. – Julie T.

My husband and I, both in our 60s, were encouraged by a friend to get our estate plan written. She also referred us to Debra Garcia. It’s not easy to hire a stranger to deal with such an important, delicate and personal matter as one’s future wishes, but Debra exceeded our expectations. From the start, she was responsive, respectful, knowledgeable, extremely thorough and approachable. She took the time we needed to understand all of our questions and concerns. We met both in person and virtually. Debra was clear about what could be set in stone and where the “gray” areas existed so we could have a full understanding of what we needed to consider and decide for ourselves. She did an amazing job putting together the plan as well as the schedule of assets. We love that the deliverable came in both hard copy and digital formats.
The result was a great sense of accomplishment, peace of mind and the knowledge that our future wishes would be clear to our executors. A gift that cannot be overestimated. We could never have done this without Debra’s help, guidance and expertise. – Lis and Mason M.

We were overwhelmed w/ the thought of the process. Debra was/is reassuring, provided gentle reminders and explanations. The family mtg was super helpful (others that I spoke to about our experience were shocked and envious that Debra offered a family review/meeting). – The Geiken Family

Schedule a Consultation

THE PERSONAL FAMILY LAWYER PROMISE

What makes PFL lawyers different?

How you hire us.

We begin with a comprehensive inventory of everything you own, and everyone you love, and consider it all in a working meeting, called a Family Wealth Planning Session, to guide you to clarify your financial life and legacy goals before we draft a single document.
How we plan.

We work with you throughout every life stage to map out the most likely scenarios for you and the people you love, planning for each as your life, the law, and your assets change over time.
What we protect.

Our Life & Legacy Planning process ensures everything that matters most -- from your financial assets to your values, insights, stories and experience -- are captured and documented during your life and cared for over the generations to come.
What you see.

Transparency in our process, and our fees … all of which are flat fees, agreed to in advance, based on your choices and with no surprises, ensuring we stay on the same side of the table - supporting you to make a lifetime of great decisions - every step of the way.
How we deliver.

Our systems help you get clear and organized, overcoming the exact issues that keep most estate plans from actually working when they are needed most. We help you leave your family with a gift of love, and not a mess.
How our plans work.

One-and-done estate plans focused only on money are a recipe for a big mess. We help you throughout every stage of life and be there for the people you love, when you can’t be.