04/28/2013 (press release: legalrich) // Rich Hechter
Minneapolis law firm gives engaged couples advice and key legal documents to start their new lives together as successfully as possible.
The most important wedding gift a couple should receive won’t be found on their registry at Macy’s, Target or Nordstrom. It’s not made from gold, platinum or silver, but has much greater value. What engaged couples really need is an immediate consultation with an experienced family lawyer to get their future, married home in legal and financial order. This service is exactly what one of Minnesota’s boutique law firms provides.
Richard W. Hechter & Associates, LLC. Of St. Louis Park, Minnesota is a well known and respected boutique law firm focusing on Personal Injury, Criminal Defense and Family Law. One very unique and acclaimed focus of the practice is to provide newlyweds and engaged couples with consultation and advice on how to financially and legally set up a household in a way designed to maximize marital benefits for the couple, as well as minimize long-term fights and disharmony over how assets should be controlled, spent and separated.
Hechter & Associates provides couples with the key initial legal documents a new family needs. These include a Will, a Living Will (often called a Health Care Directive or Proxy), a Power Of Attorney Form, and a Pre-nuptial or Post-nuptial Agreement. “When couples don’t have a will, they are, in essence, letting the State decide where their assets go. This is probably far from what they want,” Hechter says. “Living Wills allow the couples to make their opinions and wishes known for tough medical choices which, hopefully, will never have to be made. A Power of Attorney allows one spouse to legally act on behalf of the other if one should be out of the state, or incapacitated.
Finally, Pre-nuptial Agreements allow the couples to expressly agree on how their assets and accumulations of wealth will be handled, titled and divided should the unthinkable happen (i.e., divorce or separation). Hechter notes, “People have the misconception that they don’t need a Pre-nuptial Agreement when they start life’s journey together if they have little to no assets. In reality, couples should have such agreements on the front end so when they do reach their earnings potentials and do have an accumulation of assets, such as 401K accounts, IRAs, Pensions, Money Market accounts, etc, those items are protected and not randomly divided.
“Pre-nuptial Agreements do not jinx a marriage,” shares Hechter. “They are simply good business planning tools in a country where close to 50 percent of
all marriages end in separation or divorce Richard W. Hechter & Associates charges $650.00 for the “Newlywed Package” Which includes an hour of education on how to most effectively set up a new financial household, and provides a simple Will, Living Will, Powers of Attorney, and a Pre-nuptial or Post-nuptial Agreement. Hechter suggests and advises that couples really need to obtain these services and documents after they become engaged, but before they are married.
Richard W. Hechter has been practicing law since 1988. He has been named a “Super Lawyer” by his peers and is certified as a civil trial specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association – one of only 3% in the state. Mr. Hechter also holds an MBA degree from Augsburg College in Minneapolis and a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. In addition, Hechter teaches law in the Twin Cities, acts as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, and conducts private mediations and arbitrations.
Hechter is the author of the well-received and reviewed book, “Divorced in 60 Seconds”, available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To learn more about Richard W. Hechter & Associates, please visit the firm’s website at www.richhechter.com or use the following contact information for further information, comments or to make an appointment.
Contact Information:
Richard W. Hechter, JD, MBA
Richard W. Hechter & Associates
4517 Minnetonka Boulevard, Suite 101
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Office telephone: 952-920-0840
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.richhechter.com
