The Estate & Asset Protection Law Firm Owner, Shannon Pawley writes about the Laws of Intestacy (dying without a will) and the devastating effects for unmarried partnerships when minor children are involved..

DECATUR, GA, December 26, 2022: Shannon Pawley, Owner of The Estate & Asset Protection Law Firm, has posted a new blog on the law firm’s website entitled “The Importance Of Designating Legal Heirs In A Will Or Estate Plan,” in which Ms. Pawley reveals the negative effects of the Laws of Intestacy.

Pawley states, “When someone dies without a will or estate plan and there are minor children left to be cared for, the loved ones left behind suddenly discover the negative effect of the Laws of Intestacy.” She continues, “This can be especially painful when, in a long-term partnership a minor child has not been adopted by the unnatural parent. Only legal heirs are recognized by the courts and the partner who has co-parented the child would not be able to continue to care for the child.” She emphasizes, “In this case, it will be up to the court to select a guardian.”

Pawley goes on to note, “Additionally, when an unmarried partner passes without a will (Intestacy), the living partner has no automatic legal rights to the deceased partner’s property or assets. Without a will,” she confirms, “the assets will typically be passed to the deceased partner’s family, and their estate will be distributed according to state law. And it doesn’t matter if the deceased partner has been estranged from family members or not.”

Pawley explains, “Intestate succession is the set of default laws dictating who receives what of a deceased person’s assets. Each state defines intestate heirs by their relationship to the deceased.”

The entire blog can be read at LINK HERE

About The Estate & Asset Protection Law Firm

The Estate & Asset Protection Law Firm was established to serve the legal needs of retiring citizens. The Firm focuses its entire practice on providing strategies to protect independence, privacy, assets and taxes from the government. Shannon Pawley has grown her law practice by providing excellent customer satisfaction with personalized wealth protection plans.

About Shannon M. Pawley, J.D., LL.M

As the owner of The Estate & Asset Protection Law Firm, Shannon M. Pawley and her entire team share a passion which focuses on being able to serve the legal needs of retiring individuals. In our firm, WE BELIEVE that people should not have to lose everything they’ve worked a lifetime to earn and that every person is an individual who deserves respect and the highest quality of life possible, regardless of age or ability. We also believe that privacy and protection are the keys to personal peace. Born and raised in the Tidewater area of Virginia to a tightknit family with strong military service roots, Shannon learned from an early age the value of hard work and the importance of social awareness to ensure you always leave a situation in a better place than how you entered it. In her junior year of high school, Shannon served as U.S. House of Representatives Page during the 101st United States Congressional Session in Washington, D.C. This experience exposed her to numerous new cultures and worldly issues. Walking away from her experience as a U.S. House of Representative Page, Shannon knew that she wanted to pursue legal studies and be able to assist others in obtaining the best results available in difficult situations.
Shannon earned her undergraduate degree at North Carolina Wesleyan College and pursued a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law. After obtaining her law degree and becoming a licensed attorney in Michigan, she continued her educational pursuit by acquiring a LL.M. (Master of Law) in Taxation from Wayne State University. After moving to Georgia in 2018, Shannon obtained her Georgia law license and has enjoyed being able to pursue her desire of ensuring persons are able to age with dignity, grace and independence.

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