Birmingham Living Trust Lawyer

Are you looking for a living trust lawyer in Birmingham, AL? 

At Bachus, Brom & Taylor, LLC, we have built a living trust practice on more than 20 years of advisory experience for Alabama clients.

If you own a home in Birmingham, a retirement account, and a share of a family business, your estate may already be more involved than a simple will can handle well. A revocable living trust lets a trustee you choose manage and distribute those assets without opening a probate case.

Bachus, Brom & Taylor, LLC has advised Alabama families for over 20 years, and estate planning is one of our core practice areas. Our Birmingham, AL living trust lawyer can review your assets, explain your options, and prepare a trust that is funded correctly from day one. Schedule a consultation to begin.

Living Trust Lawyer Birmingham, AL

Of Jefferson County’s 665,742 residents, 18.7 percent were 65 or older in 2025, according to Census QuickFacts. For many of those households, the bigger risk is not death but incapacity. A trust lets a successor step in to pay bills and manage property without a court-supervised conservatorship.

Our Birmingham living trust lawyer prepares the trust agreement, transfers assets into it, and drafts the documents that support it. You usually serve as your own trustee while you are able, so daily life does not change. The successor you name takes over if you become incapacitated, and after your death, distributes the property on the terms you set. Assets the trust holds pass outside probate, which keeps the details of your estate out of the public court file.

Types of Living Trust Cases We Handle in Birmingham

A trust-based plan usually involves several documents and some careful work after signing. Our Birmingham living trust attorneys handle each piece, from the first draft through administration.

• Revocable living trusts. We draft the trust agreement, name the successor trustees and beneficiaries, and set the distribution terms. You keep control during your lifetime and can amend the trust as your family or finances change.
• Trust funding. A trust controls only what it owns. We prepare and record deeds for Birmingham property, retitle bank and brokerage accounts, and coordinate beneficiary designations. Part of Birmingham lies in Shelby County, so we confirm which county’s records each deed belongs in.
• Irrevocable trusts. Some goals, such as reducing estate tax exposure or protecting an inheritance, call for a trust you cannot easily change. Specialized designs like a beneficiary defective inheritor’s trust fit narrower situations, and we explain the trade-offs first.
• Trusts for children and blended families. A trust can hold an inheritance until a child is older and protect children from an earlier marriage. Parents planning during a child custody battle often need these provisions most.
• Small business. Many Birmingham business owners hold their largest asset in an LLC or corporation. We move those interests into the trust and confirm the company agreements allow the transfer and support succession.
• Business formation. Owners of rental property sometimes form an LLC to hold the real estate, then place the LLC interest in the trust. We set up the entity and coordinate both documents.
• Probate. If an asset never made it into the trust, we open the necessary proceeding in Jefferson County Probate Court and move the asset where it belongs.
• Trust administration. After a death, the successor trustee must inventory assets, notify beneficiaries, pay final expenses, and distribute property. We guide trustees through each step.

Birmingham Living Trust Infographic

Why Choose Bachus, Brom & Taylor, LLC as my Living Trust Lawyer in Birmingham, AL?

Steven M. Brom’s Ties to Birmingham and Trust Work

Steven M. Brom is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association, founded in 1885 and one of the oldest local bar associations in the country. His practice covers estate planning, probate, and trusts, along with corporate governance and commercial litigation. That mix helps when a trust holds business interests or might face a challenge from a disappointed heir.

He was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2001 after earning his law degree from the University of Colorado, and he also holds a history degree from the University of Georgia. In 2019 he added a Georgia license, which can matter for Birmingham families who own a lake house or other property across the state line. Clients get an estate planning lawyer in Birmingham, AL who can plan for assets in both states.

Over Two Decades of Estate Work for Alabama Families

Our firm has represented Alabama clients for more than 20 years, and our case results reflect a practice that reaches across estate, trust, and business matters. The work that our Birmingham living trust attorneys handle includes:

• Revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, and beneficiary designations
• Powers of attorney, living wills, and guardianship designations for minor children
• Estate administration and estate tax planning
• Will contests and probate litigation

What Is Important To Understand About Living Trust Cases?

Key Estate Planning Documents and What They Do

Families often ask how wills and trusts work together when meeting with our Birmingham living trust lawyers. In a trust-based plan, each document has its own job.

• Revocable living trust: Owns your assets, names your successor trustee, and sets out who receives what and when.
• Pour-over will: Sends anything left outside the trust into it and nominates guardians for minor children.
• Durable power of attorney: Lets an agent handle finances the trust does not reach, such as retirement accounts.
• Advance directive for health care: Records your medical wishes and names someone to make health decisions for you.
• Assignment of personal property: Moves household goods, jewelry, and similar items into the trust in one document.

What Are Important Aspects of a Living Trust Case?

A well-drafted trust can still fail on the details, and our Birmingham living trust lawyers pay close attention to these.

• Successor trustee choice. Pick someone organized and trusted, and name a backup. When relationships sour, beneficiaries sometimes try to remove a trustee, so clear trust terms matter.
• Business interests. Before an LLC interest goes into the trust, we confirm the company is in good standing with the Secretary of State’s Business Services division and that the operating agreement allows the transfer.
• Long-term care. A revocable trust does not shield assets from nursing home costs. Families should also understand how Alabama Medicaid’s estate recovery rules work before relying on any single strategy.
• Taxes. Most estates will never owe federal estate tax, but larger ones need planning. The IRS publishes answers to common estate tax questions, and we explain how Alabama estate tax laws fit your situation.

What Is The Living Trust Case Timeline?

The drafting is usually the quickest part when meeting with our Birmingham living trust attorneys, while funding and coordination with banks take the longest.

• First meeting. We review your family, assets, and goals.
• Drafts. You read the documents and ask questions, and we revise them.
• Signing. The trust, will, and powers of attorney are signed before a notary and witnesses.
• Funding. Deeds are recorded in the county where each property sits, and accounts are retitled.
• Later reviews. We update the plan after marriages, births, deaths, moves, or major purchases.

What Should You Bring to Your Living Trust Consultation?

When meeting with our Birmingham living trust lawyers, we recommend that you bring the following:

• Deeds for your Birmingham home and any other real estate
• Recent bank, brokerage, and retirement account statements
• Life insurance policies and current beneficiary designations
• Any existing will, trust, or power of attorney
• Operating agreements or stock records for businesses you own
• Names and contact details for the people you want as trustees and beneficiaries

We will go through your goals, recommend the documents that fit, and explain each next step before you leave.

Jefferson County Probate Court and Local Resources

Jefferson County’s probate court has two divisions. The Birmingham Division sits in the Jefferson County Courthouse at 716 North Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard, and the Bessemer Division serves the western part of the county. The Recording Office records deeds that move a home into a trust, and its records are open to the public. Staff cannot prepare deeds or give legal advice. Homes in the Shelby County portion of Birmingham are recorded with Shelby County’s probate office instead. Subscribers can also search Jefferson County land records online. If you are named as a successor trustee, the CFPB’s free trustee guides explain the basic duties in plain language.

Reach Out to Bachus, Brom & Taylor, LLC to Schedule a Consultation

Whether you need a new trust or a review of one that was never funded, our firm can help you build a plan your family can rely on. We will review what you own, answer your questions directly, and outline the documents you need. Clients often mention how quickly our attorneys respond. Contact us to schedule a consultation with our Birmingham living trust lawyers today.