Estate Planning & Probate Lawyer in Weston, FL

Weston Estate Planning and Probate Attorney

Weston is a community built around family: top-rated schools, planned neighborhoods, and residents who are investing in the long term. At Bucelo Diaz Law, our home office is right here in Weston, at 2645 Executive Park Drive, Suite 643. If you are looking for an estate planning lawyer in Weston, we help families, professionals, and business owners across western Broward County with estate planning, probate, wills, trusts, and related legal matters.

We work in English and Spanish, and we focus exclusively on Florida law. That means every plan we build is grounded in the statutes, court procedures, and property rules that affect Weston residents, not boilerplate from another state.

Whether you need a first-time estate plan, an update after a major life change, or help guiding your family through probate in Broward County, call (954) 399-1910 or schedule your free consultation today.

Aerial view of Weston, Florida, a master-planned community in Broward County

Why Weston Families Need an Estate Plan

Many Weston residents put off estate planning, assuming it is something for later in life. But Weston’s population skews younger than much of Florida. Families here have children under 18. Many own businesses or hold professional licenses. And the community’s cultural diversity means many residents maintain financial ties across international borders.

The earlier you plan, the more options you have, and the more control you keep. An estate plan tailored to your life in Weston can:

• Designate guardians for your minor children so a Broward County court does not make that decision for you
• Protect your home’s value and preserve Florida’s homestead exemption for your surviving spouse and heirs
• Create trusts for young beneficiaries that control when and how children receive their inheritance
• Establish a business succession plan that keeps your company running without disruption
• Address international assets and family abroad through coordinated planning for cross-border concerns
• Prepare for incapacity with powers of attorney and healthcare directives so your family is never left guessing

Probate in Weston and Broward County

When a loved one passes away, their estate typically goes through probate in the county where they lived. For Weston residents, that means the Broward County Circuit Court, Probate Division (17th Judicial Circuit).

Probate cases for Weston families are filed with the Broward County Clerk of Courts and heard in the Probate Division at the Broward County Central Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Documents are submitted electronically through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, and routine, uncontested administrations move forward largely on written filings, so many families never need to appear in court. We prepare and file everything from our Weston office and keep you informed at every step.

We handle every stage of the probate process:

• Formal administration: the standard probate process for estates with nonexempt assets over $150,000 or when the decedent passed away less than two years ago. We guide personal representatives through creditor notifications, asset inventories, court filings, and distributions.
• Summary administration: a faster, simplified path for estates with $150,000 or less in nonexempt assets, a threshold that doubled from $75,000 on July 1, 2026, or when the decedent passed away more than two years ago.
• Ancillary probate: Weston’s diverse community includes families with ties to Latin America, the Caribbean, and beyond. When a Florida resident held assets abroad or a non-resident owned Florida property, ancillary probate may be required. We coordinate with out-of-state and international counsel.
• Beneficiary representation: we represent beneficiaries who need to ensure the personal representative is fulfilling their fiduciary duties and administering the estate properly.

Good estate planning avoids probate entirely. But when probate is necessary, having an attorney who knows Broward County’s procedures and timelines makes a real difference.

Planning for Weston’s Families and Business Owners

Weston is not a retirement community. It is a place where people are actively building: raising children, growing businesses, and planning for decades ahead. That distinction shapes everything about how we approach estate planning here.

Young Families and Guardianship

For parents of minor children, one document matters above all others: a will that names a guardian. Under Florida law, a court must appoint a guardian if both parents die without a valid will naming one. For Weston families, this is not a hypothetical. It is the most important reason to get a plan in place now.

Business Owners

Professionals and business owners throughout Weston need succession plans that address what happens if they become incapacitated or pass away. Without a plan, a business can stall, partners can dispute ownership, and families lose the income they depend on. We structure succession documents and powers of attorney that keep operations running.

Blended Families

Blended families need careful drafting to ensure children from prior relationships are provided for without unintentionally disinheriting a current spouse, or vice versa. We build plans that balance competing interests and reflect what you actually want.

Multigenerational Households

Common in Weston’s Hispanic and Latino community, multigenerational households often involve shared financial responsibilities, informally held property, and assets in other countries. We help these families formalize arrangements that protect everyone involved and comply with Florida and federal law.

Why Wills and Trusts Are Critical for Weston Families

A will is the only legal document that lets you name a guardian for your minor children under Florida law. It also directs how your assets are distributed and names a personal representative to manage your estate. For families in Weston with young children, this single document can be the difference between your wishes being followed and a judge making those decisions.

But a will alone means probate. For Weston homeowners who have built significant equity, a revocable living trust lets your home and other assets pass directly to your beneficiaries without going through Broward County probate court, saving time, reducing cost, and keeping your affairs private. You maintain full control during your lifetime and can modify the trust as your family grows. Homeowners whose main goal is passing the house itself can also consider a lady bird deed, which transfers the home at death without probate while you keep full lifetime control.

Dual-income couples often prefer a joint trust that manages combined assets under a single plan. This simplifies administration and provides clear direction for what happens when the surviving spouse passes.

For business owners and high-earning professionals, irrevocable trusts can shield assets from creditors and reduce estate tax exposure, a tool that matters when professional liability is a real concern.

Weston Trust Attorney: Revocable, Irrevocable, and Joint Trusts

As a Weston-based trust attorney, Bucelo Diaz Law drafts and administers the full range of Florida trusts. We help clients choose between revocable living trusts (which avoid Broward County probate), irrevocable trusts (for asset protection and Medicaid planning), and joint trusts for married couples managing combined assets. Every trust we draft complies with Chapter 736 of the Florida Statutes and is tailored to your family situation. Alexis Bucelo Diaz holds an LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law and has structured trusts for Weston families for more than 15 years.

Spanish-speaking clients can review the same services in their native language at Abogado de Fideicomisos en Florida.

Why Weston Clients Choose Bucelo Diaz Law

Spanish-Speaking Estate Planning Attorney in Weston

Weston is home to one of South Florida’s largest Hispanic communities. Venezuelan, Colombian, Cuban, and Argentine families often prefer to discuss inheritance, trusts, and probate in the language of their family conversations. Bucelo Diaz Law is a fully bilingual estate planning and probate firm: every consultation is available in Spanish, every document can be reviewed bilingually, and Alexis Bucelo Diaz personally meets with Spanish-speaking clients at our Weston office.

For native Spanish-language information on our services, visit:

• Abogados de Herencias y Sucesiones en Florida for probate and inheritance representation
• Abogado de Planificación Patrimonial for estate planning
• Abogado de Testamentos for wills
• Abogado de Fideicomisos for revocable and irrevocable trusts
• Poder Notarial Duradero for durable power of attorney

Llame a nuestra oficina de Weston al (954) 399-1910 para programar una consulta gratuita en español.

Visit Our Weston Office

Serving the Greater Weston Area

We work with clients in every Weston neighborhood, including Weston Hills, The Ridges, Savanna, Emerald Estates, Bonaventure, and Windmill Ranch Estates, and throughout western Broward County. We also maintain offices in Naples and Ocala for clients across the state.

• Weston
• Pembroke Pines
• Miramar
• Davie
• Southwest Ranches
• Cooper City
• Sunrise
• Plantation
• Fort Lauderdale

No matter where you are in the greater Weston area, our team is accessible by phone, video consultation, or in person. If you are a new Florida resident, we also help you update out-of-state plans to comply with Florida law.

Living Wills and Health Care Planning in Broward County

Weston families are often younger than the retirees people picture when they hear “estate planning”: professionals with kids in school, a mortgage, and aging parents nearby. That stage of life is exactly when incapacity documents matter most. A living will records your wishes about life-prolonging care. A health care surrogate designation names who speaks for you. A durable power of attorney keeps the household running if you cannot. We prepare all three under Florida law for clients throughout Broward County.

Because so many Broward families live in two languages, we draft and explain these documents in English or Spanish, whichever your family will actually read when it matters.

Probate for Weston Families: The 17th Judicial Circuit

Broward County has its own judicial circuit, the 17th, and one of the busiest probate divisions in the state. Estates are filed electronically and administered from the Broward County Central Courthouse on SE 6th Street in Fort Lauderdale. Our Weston office is a short drive away when a hearing is needed, though most administrations, from summary administration under the $150,000 threshold to full formal administration, conclude without the family ever entering the courthouse.

Start with our Broward County probate guide, compare fees in the Florida probate cost guide, or get the full picture in the Complete Guide to Florida Probate.