Hello. I am Minerva Vazquez Santiago, Esq., an Elder Law and Estate Planning attorney focused on helping families enhance their lives today and secure their futures.

I guide my clients through the confusing maze of financial and legal decisions, as well as public benefits, to create plans that ensure the well-being of their families and the accomplishment of cherished family goals.

My husband and I are parents to two boys with disabilities, a personal detail that has made planning an everyday experience & necessity for my own family. I know first-hand the challenges of good planning, the many options available, and most importantly, the strategies that lead a family to a plan that protects a Legacy from being lost, and an Estate from being squandered.

I have considerable legal expertise including family protection, wealth preservation, and values-based planning, long-term care planning, as well as planning strategies for unmarried couples and divorced individuals. Whether you are married or single, young or elder, with a traditional family or blended one, starting out or just looking back on a life well-lived, I will help you to craft a plan that achieves your goals for your loved ones today and for years to come.

I graduated from Nova Southeastern Shepherd Broad Law Center in 1999. In over 23 years of practicing law, I have worked in the areas of estate planning, special needs planning, guardianship, probate and estate administration, business planning, asset protection and Elder Law.

I work with middle-aged individuals thinking ahead about their future, the future of their children and even the future of their aging parents. I also assist the elderly who are worried about protecting their legacy and assets, so they’re not completely depleted by the rising cost of long-term care.

Let’s get started on your plan today.

Firm Description

Special Needs Planning

[ Legally Remote, PLLC | Located in Gainesville, serving all Florida residents ]

Estate planning for a family with special needs children comes with a complex set of financial, social, and medical issues that some lawyers are ill-equipped to handle. But the experienced special needs planning attorneys with Legally Remote, PLLC are dedicated to ensuring your child with special needs will be well taken care of when you’re no longer able to serve as the primary caregiver. 

We offer a variety of estate planning tools and strategies designed to accommodate the unique circumstances presented by children with special needs and their families in Florida. We can help you pass on the financial assets needed for your child to live a rich quality of life without jeopardizing their eligibility for government benefits. We’ll also assist you in finding and appointing a trusted guardian and/or trustee to look after them in the event of your death or incapacity. And we’ll help with locating the best residential opportunities—as well as the means to pay for them. 

Elder Care Planning | Who Needs it?

[ Legally Remote, PLLC | Located in Gainesville, serving all Florida residents ] 

Thanks to healthier lifestyles and enhanced medical technology, life expectancy in the U.S. are at an all-time high. But that also means more seniors will require some form of long-term care. Whether in-home assistance or a long-term nursing home stay, it’s becoming inevitable that most of us will require such care at some point in our lives.

Problem is, such long-term care is growing more expensive every day. In fact, some studies estimate that nearly two-thirds of families will run out of money within the first year or two of moving into a nursing home. Unfortunately, most private health insurance plans and Medicare don’t cover long-term care costs—which can average $8,000 to $15,000+ per month in Florida, depending on the level of care you require.  

Legacy & Estate Planning

[ Legally Remote, PLLC | Located in Gainesville, serving all Florida residents ]

Planning for Everyone You Love and Everything You Have 

Do you know what would happen legally- to you, your loved ones, your money and everything else you care about – if something unexpected happened to you? 

If you have an estate plan and it’s out of date, your assets could be lost to the State Department of Unclaimed Property, or to an unnecessary Court process. 

If you don’t know exactly what would happen for everyone you love and everything you own, then the first step is to find out exactly what would happen, legally and financially, so that you can decide if the current state of your affairs is okay with you. 

Trust & Estate Administration

[ Legally Remote, PLLC | Located in Gainesville, serving all Florida residents ]

Legally Remote, PLLC works closely with the family, beneficiaries, and other advisors to ensure the decedent's trust assets are collected, debts are paid, and the remaining assets are distributed to the named trust beneficiaries, or to the heirs of the estate. Depending on the type of trust involved, assets may be distributed outright to the named beneficiaries, or they might be held in trust for the future benefit of the named beneficiaries. If there is no trust, assets will either be distributed outright to heirs named in a will, or by statute, or held by a guardian named by the court until an heir reaches the age of majority. 

During this time, Legally Remote, PLLC may also need to have appraisals of major assets completed in order to get a clear picture of what the decedent's net worth was for estate tax purposes. Additionally, the title of trustor, other estate assets may need to be changed to indicate new ownership by the named beneficiary outright or under a continuing trust.  

All of this can be hugely complicated and time consuming, but our trust and estate administration lawyer will transfer assets as quickly and smoothly as possible, resolve outstanding issues, and ensure that everything occurs within the applicable legal deadlines.  

Hours

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