Seymour Law Firm

06/03/2026

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
PLEASE TAG SOMEONE YOU KNOW THAT IS A 1ST RESPONDER

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

Who Needs a Special Needs Trust in Mississippi?

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is:

"My child receives disability benefits, so everything will be fine when I'm gone."

Unfortunately, it is not always that simple.

If you have a child, grandchild, sibling, or other loved one who receives government benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid, leaving them money directly could cause them to lose those benefits.

A Special Needs Trust may allow assets to be set aside for your loved one's benefit while helping preserve eligibility for important government programs.

A Special Needs Trust may be worth discussing if your loved one:

*Receives SSI benefits

*Receives Medicaid benefits

*Has a physical disability

*Has an intellectual disability

*Has special medical needs

*May inherit money, property, life insurance proceeds, or retirement funds in the future

Every family's situation is different. There is no "one-size-fits-all" estate plan.

The best time to address these issues is before a crisis occurs. Proper planning today can help protect your loved one tomorrow.

At Seymour Law Firm, PLLC, we help Mississippi families create estate plans that are tailored to their unique circumstances, including Special Needs Trust planning.

📞 228-697-3476

🌐 seymourlawms.com

Seymour Law Firm, PLLC

06/01/2026

🐊 HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS – DAY ONE

Do you have a hurricane plan in place?

Our litigator is asking this important question today—because when a storm is coming, it’s too late to “wing it.”

Here’s what your hurricane plan should include:

✔️ Evacuation Plan – Where you’ll go and how you’ll get there
✔️ Communication Plan – How your family will stay in touch
✔️ Important Documents – IDs, insurance, estate plans, and legal papers in a waterproof, grab-and-go folder
✔️ Emergency Supplies – Water, non-perishables, medications, flashlights, batteries, and cash
✔️ Home Prep – Secure outdoor items and know how to shut off utilities
✔️ Stay Informed – Know your evacuation zone and follow local updates

📌 A little preparation now can save a lot of stress later.
Make your plan today.

🐊 Check back tomorrow for Day Two!

05/24/2026

Part Five of “It’s About Time”

Why Do I Need an Estate Planning Attorney?

(Originally published in 2018)

By law, Mississippi does not allow a person to present probate papers to the court without hiring an attorney.

There is no getting around that.

It is Mississippi law.

So my question is this:

Why would you not hire an attorney on the front end to help ensure your affairs are in order…when the court system may eventually REQUIRE your family to hire one on the back end if you leave a mess behind?

A good Estate Planning Attorney does far more than simply hand you documents to sign.

A good attorney reviews your assets with you and helps identify potential problems before they become expensive legal battles later.

Every estate plan is personal.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution when it comes to protecting your family, your assets, and your wishes.

In fact, the simplest oversight can cause an otherwise smooth transfer of assets to end up in probate court.

Probate is expensive.

Even relatively simple probate cases can cost thousands of dollars and may take anywhere from six months to several years to fully complete.

Now let’s talk about what happens if the intent of the Testator — that’s you — becomes unclear after death.

If an attorney has to reconstruct your intent in court, that work is billed hourly.

If the estate becomes contested, you may also be dealing with:
• Multiple hearings
• Depositions
• Discovery requests
• Medical records
• Expert witnesses
• Physician testimony
• Travel expenses
• Additional court filings
• Countless attorney meetings

Those costs add up quickly.

You also risk leaving your assets exposed to creditors who may not otherwise have had access to your estate.

Many of these issues could have been prevented with a simple Estate Planning session before death or incapacity occurred.

See where I’m going with this?

Spend a little NOW…

With the potential of saving your estate — and your family — thousands later.

Trust me…

We all love a bargain.

As I often say in my Estate Planning seminars:

Estate Planning is about CONTROL.

Control over the assets you spent your lifetime building.

Control over who receives them.

Control over protecting your loved ones.

Control over reducing unnecessary stress, expense, and conflict after you are gone.

Wouldn’t you rather your heirs receive the benefit of your hard work…

Instead of watching a significant portion of your estate disappear into court costs and attorney’s fees?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to get everything organized NOW rather than leaving your family to piece together evidence later in court about what you “would have wanted”?

As I always tell people in my seminars:

Hire someone who knows what they are doing and who can explain the hows, whys, and what-ifs that can arise if you become incapacitated or pass away.

Hire someone who actually practices probate law…

Someone who is in the trenches on a weekly basis…with actual, real-life experience in how chancery court judges are deciding probate cases…not just someone who took an online class about estate planning and started writing estate plans.

What you read online about probate and what actually happens in chancery court in your jurisdiction are two completely different things.

But if you don’t know where to start…

You can call us.

📞 228-697-3476

🌐 Seymour Law Firm, PLLC

05/23/2026

How to enter to win:

Like this post
Follow all three sponsor pages
Tag at least three dads

05/23/2026

Part Four of “It’s About Time”

Do I Need a Trust…or Do I Need a Will?

(Originally published in 2018)

One of the most common questions I hear as an Estate Planning Attorney is:

“Do I need a Will…or do I need a Trust?”

The answer depends entirely on your circumstances.

If you have:
• Investments
• A larger estate
• Real estate
• Multiple bank accounts
• Retirement or savings plans
• Young children
• Children with special needs
• Adult children receiving government benefits
• Blended families or children from previous relationships
• Or a desire to leave behind a structured legacy for your loved ones

…then a Living Trust may be one of the best tools available to help your beneficiaries avoid expensive and time-consuming legal proceedings just to access their inheritance.

Trusts are more complex than Wills, however, which is why it is extremely important to seek legal advice before deciding which option best fits your family and your assets.

And if your situation involves multiple beneficiaries, real estate, investments, special needs planning, or complicated family dynamics, you truly need to consult with an attorney who understands both Estate Planning and Probate law.

Because if you’ve ever watched a family torn apart arguing over an estate…

You understand exactly why planning ahead matters.

As a Probate Attorney, I see it far too often.

Money changes people.

Probate court often becomes the place where years of unresolved grief, resentment, hurt feelings, and family conflict finally come exploding to the surface.

One of the hardest parts of my job is watching families who once loved each other become completely divided after the death of a parent.

I recently spoke with a daughter whose mother passed away without a Will.

She showed me a Facebook memory from the previous Christmas — a smiling, laughing family gathered around their mother’s Christmas tree.

Now?

Months later, some of the siblings are no longer speaking at all.

Only two of the children are even considering having Christmas together this year.

Sadly, the legal battle over the estate may continue for years because neither side is willing to compromise or even discuss a fair resolution.

That is the emotional cost of failing to plan.

Now, it’s important to understand this:

Simply having a Will does not necessarily mean your family can avoid probate.

In fact, probating a Will can still cost a family thousands of dollars.

I say this often:

If your Estate Plan is not prepared correctly — and if your assets are not titled and coordinated properly — your loved ones may still find themselves in probate court.

That’s why working with a competent Estate Planning Attorney who also understands the probate process matters so much.

And yes…

As a Probate and Estate Planning Attorney, I can usually tell within seconds which Wills were created online.

So can a judge.

Some online forms contain blank spaces, vague provisions, conflicting language, or documents that simply do not comply with state law requirements.

I honestly cringe when I review some of them.

Here is the hardest truth of all:

Once you are gone, it is too late to fix mistakes.

Too late to sign corrections.
Too late to amend documents.
Too late to explain what you “meant.”

What you leave behind is what your family has to work with.

That is why planning now matters.

If you believe there may someday be challenges to your Estate Plan, there are steps you can take now to create documentation and legal protections that can significantly strengthen your wishes later in court.

But those protections must be put into place while you are alive.

So don’t wait.

It’s About Time.

Call Seymour Law Firm, PLLC today to set up your Estate Plan.

05/22/2026

Part Three of “It’s About Time”

How Do I Choose a Guardian for My Child?

(Originally published in 2018)

Let’s be honest for a minute.

Who has time to plan ANYTHING these days?

As parents, our schedules are packed with school projects, sports practices, extracurricular activities, family obligations, work, and trying to remember whether we switched the laundry over before it started smelling funny.

Most days, you’re lucky if you keep up with the truly urgent things on your calendar.

So sitting down to think about who would raise your children if something happened to you?

That probably feels impossible.

I mean…it’s not exactly a life-or-death decision…right?

Well…

Actually, it is.

If parents are suddenly gone, someone has to step in and pick up that schedule.

Someone has to make sure your children are:
• Safe
• Fed
• Sheltered
• Loved
• Supported
• And still able to get to all the important moments in their lives

So yes.

It absolutely IS a life-or-death decision.

Now, once we establish that this conversation matters, the next question becomes:

“How do we choose a guardian?”

Or maybe an even harder question:

“What if my spouse and I can’t agree?”

Here’s my advice as an Estate Planning and Probate Attorney:

DO SOMETHING.

Because if you do nothing, then a judge — someone who does not know you, your children, your family dynamics, or your values — will make that decision for you.

And I know that’s not what most parents want.

Truthfully, there may never be a perfect solution.

But there is almost certainly a better solution than leaving your children’s future entirely in the hands of the court system.

Some parents avoid the conversation altogether because they think:

“If we don’t talk about it…maybe it won’t happen.”

Guys, I handle estate planning and probate matters every single week.

I talk with grieving families every week.

And I can tell you this:

Very few people wake up in the morning knowing it’s their last day on Earth.

No one knows when their time is up.

Yes, it’s uncomfortable.
Yes, it’s morbid.
Yes, nobody wants to talk about it.

But responsible parents protect their children.

And sometimes that means thinking about the unthinkable.

The good news?

You do not have to make this process more complicated than it needs to be.

Start here:

Sit down with your spouse or significant other and make a list of every person you would potentially trust to raise your children.

Do not overthink it.

Do not judge the list yet.

Do not even worry initially about whether they would say yes.

Just write down the people you know, like, trust, and believe your children also know, like, and trust.

Sometimes it helps if each parent makes their own list separately and compares notes later.

Then put the lists aside.

Next, make a completely separate list:

What values matter most to you when it comes to raising your children?

Things to consider:
• Parenting style
• Discipline philosophy
• Education values
• Emotional stability
• Prior relationship with your children
• Religious or moral beliefs
• Lifestyle and home environment

And let me say this clearly:

KEEP MONEY OUT OF IT.

Do not choose a guardian based on financial resources.

It is YOUR responsibility to create the financial plan that supports your children if something happens to you.

That may include:
• Life insurance
• Investments
• Trusts
• Savings
• Other financial planning tools

Your guardian should not have to financially carry the burden alone.

Once you’ve identified your values, compare them against your guardian list and rank your choices.

First choice.
Second choice.
Third choice.

Then ask yourself these practical questions:

• Does my child already know and trust this person?
• Would my child have to move far away from everything familiar?
• Do they share our values and beliefs?
• Are they physically and emotionally capable of raising children long term?
• Would our children blend well into their existing family dynamic?
• Are they actually willing to take on this responsibility?

And PLEASE…

Do not let someone discover after your death that you named them guardian without ever discussing it with them first.

That conversation matters.

Finally — and most importantly —

DOCUMENT YOUR CHOICES.

Legally.
Clearly.
Properly.

Make sure your wishes are in writing and will hold up in court.

So…

What are you waiting for?

It’s About Time.

Call Seymour Law Firm, PLLC today and let’s get started.