The Hive Law
Complete Estate Planning in Georgia — Trusts, Wills, and Powers of Attorney
Without an estate plan, your family goes to probate court. Georgia law decides who gets your home and your money. That process takes about 13 months and costs an average of $14,700.
What Georgia Estate Planning Actually Covers — and What Most Families Get Wrong
Many Georgia families have a will but no trust, which means their assets still go through probate after they die. An estate plan built around a revocable living trust keeps your property, finances, and healthcare decisions in your hands — not a judge's. Every plan at The Hive Law is drafted by Melissa Breyer, a Georgia-licensed estate planning attorney.
What Happens to Georgia Families Without an Estate Plan
If you die today without a trust, most of what you own in your name alone goes through probate court.
Probate in Georgia takes about 13 months on average. A complex estate takes about 25 months. Rental homes, a blended family, or land in another state can make an estate complex. Your family cannot sell your home until it is put into their own names at the end of probate.
On average, a simple estate costs $14,700 in court and lawyer fees. A complex one costs $29,700. And every document becomes a public record that anyone can search.
Georgia does not have a state estate tax. But that does not mean your family is protected. Without a trust, Georgia intestacy laws decide who gets what. Those laws follow a formula. They do not consider your relationships, your wishes, or your family’s situation.
A will does not avoid probate. A will tells the court what you want. The court still has to approve it, and that process still takes about 13 months on average and costs thousands of dollars.
How We Handle Estate Planning at The Hive Law
Melissa Breyer works exclusively on trust-based estate planning for Georgia families. She does not do standalone wills, standalone powers of attorney, or one-off legal documents. Every client gets a complete plan.
The Complete Family Trust Package includes six documents, three working sessions with Melissa, and four post-signing services. The flat fee is $3,500. No hourly billing. No surprise charges.
The six documents: a revocable living trust, a pour-over will, a quitclaim deed to transfer your home into the trust, a financial power of attorney, an advance healthcare directive, and a HIPAA authorization.
But the documents are only part of it. Most estate plans fail because the attorney creates the trust and never funds it. At The Hive Law, Melissa walks you through every document in plain language. She runs a trust funding session where she helps you retitle your accounts and tells you exactly what to say to your bank. Then she follows up to verify everything transferred correctly.
The guide to what assets to put in a trust in Georgia walks through each one and how it moves in.
We guarantee that each asset we move into your trust and check will skip probate. If an asset on your Funding Checkup list ends up in Georgia probate because of our error, we handle the legal work at no charge, up to $5,000 in total legal fees. Our guarantee terms show the limit.
Getting Started
The first step is a free 15-minute call with Shawn. Tell him what is going on with your family and assets. If it is a fit, your next step is a Design Meeting with Melissa and Shawn. That is where you get an exact quote and a clear recommendation. The entire process is virtual. No office visits required. You’ll have your documents to review about 2 to 3 weeks after your Design Meeting.
Core Estate Planning Documents
The foundational documents every Georgia family needs. Together they protect your assets from probate, name who manages your finances and healthcare if you cannot, and ensure your wishes are followed.
Ways to Keep Your House Out of Probate
Three legal tools that let your Georgia home pass directly to the next owner without going through probate court. Each works differently — your situation determines which one fits.
Powers & Healthcare Planning
Documents that protect you and your family if you become incapacitated. Without them, your family may need a court order to manage your finances or carry out your medical wishes.
Business & Property Planning
For families who own a business or real estate. These documents connect your assets to your estate plan so your family can act without going to court.
Planning For Your Specific Situation
If you own rental properties or a business, your situation has layers a standard estate plan does not address.
The Difference a Trust Makes
Without a Plan
- Probate takes 9 to 18 months or longer for complex estates
- Court and attorney fees cost $15,000 or more
- Every document becomes a public record
- Your family cannot access bank accounts or sell property during probate
- Georgia intestacy laws decide who gets what
- A will still goes through probate court
With The Hive Law
- Your family skips probate court entirely
- Flat fee of $3,500 covers your complete estate plan
- Your trust stays private no public records
- Your spouse or children get access to your assets right away
- You decide who gets what, when, and how
- One trust covers property in every state
How It Works
A 15-Minute Call With Shawn
Tell us what is going on with your family. Shawn walks you through your options and what each one costs. Free.
The Design Meeting With Shawn and Melissa
In a 60-minute meeting, Shawn and Melissa review your assets, your family, and your goals together and confirm your price. This meeting is credited toward your plan if you move forward.
Review Every Document With Melissa
Before you sign, Melissa walks through every document with you in plain language. No legal jargon. No confusion about what you are signing.
Sign at Home
You sign at home, in front of a notary and witnesses you line up. Your signing instructions tell you who needs to be there. After you sign, you get a written checklist of what to do next.
Melissa Breyer
Georgia Estate Planning Attorney
Melissa Breyer is a Georgia estate planning attorney who works exclusively on trust-based estate planning and LLC formation. She personally designs and drafts every plan at The Hive Law after the initial call. Every plan is built from scratch for your specific family, your specific assets, and your specific wishes.
127+ Five-Star Google Reviews
What Our Clients Say
After my father passed away, my mother had to rely on my father's employer to navigate the estate. It was a disaster. After this experience, I knew I needed a plan. I turned to The Hive Law to set up a trust. I no longer have to worry about my wife and children going through a difficult process if something happens to me. I highly recommend The Hive Law!
My biggest fear was that if I died first, my wife would have no idea how to navigate the estate and legal system. I reached out to The Hive Law and they put my mind at ease immediately. Their process is easy to follow and they took care of everything. The Hive Law is the best decision I've made for my family's future.
Working with Melissa Breyer to set up our Living Trust was a wonderful experience. She and her entire team were knowledgeable, professional, and made the whole process easy to understand. I highly recommend The Hive Law for all your estate planning needs!
We highly recommend Hive Law. They were extremely patient and responsive, answering our many rounds of questions regarding trusts and estate planning. Shawn consistently responded the same day we sent our questions, even while his family was on vacation, which we greatly appreciated. Shawn was also always available to discuss matters by phone whenever we needed additional clarification on the options we were considering. Both are very knowledgeable in estate planning, and we would confidently recommend Hive Law to friends and family.
The Hive Law made the entire estate planning and trust process easy to understand and stress-free. Melissa and Shawn walked us through every step and answered all of our questions. We feel confident that our family is protected. Highly recommend!
My mom chose The Hive firm to help with estate planning and developing a trust to protect her assets. I sat in on her meeting with Melissa, and Melissa did a great job of simplifying complex legalese into easily understood concepts. Shawn was very quick to get us our documents and all steps in the process were clear and easy. They make a great team and we are thankful for their help!
I used The Hive Law to help me create a trust for my family. The process was straightforward and Melissa and Shawn made sure I understood each step. They were responsive to all of my questions. I feel much more confident about my family's future now. Highly recommend!
Working with Shawn and Melissa at The Hive Law has been an excellent experience. They were one of three firms we contacted, but she made the strongest impression during our initial call. They asked great questions to understand our situation and clearly explained what we needed to put in place. We initially had some reservations about their fully virtual approach, but those concerns were quickly put to rest. After the first two calls, it was clear how easy they are to work with and how well connected we felt. Communication has been clear, organized, and reassuring throughout the process. Shawn and Melissa are professional, approachable, and thorough. We feel confident we're in good hands and highly recommend The Hive Law for estate planning.
The Hive Law Firm, and specifically Melissa, has been wonderful to work with during our estate planning process. She is knowledgeable, patient, and thorough. She answered all of our questions and made the process easy to understand. I highly recommend The Hive Law!
Shawn and Melissa were amazing to work with! My partner and I recently bought a house and wanted to get important things like wills, healthcare directives, etc. set up. They were incredible at answering all our questions and working with us to make sure we felt confident in all of the legal aspects. Having tried to do this online before with one of the DIY tools, it was just an amazing experience to get to talk through what we wanted with a knowledgeable human and have them take care of the details.
Hive Law was awesome to work with! Melissa and Shawn explained everything, kept things stress-free, and were always quick to respond to my questions. They made the whole process simple and smooth from start to finish. Highly recommend if you want a team that's knowledgeable but also easy to work with.
I lost my father in February of this year without any estate planning in place. The process of dealing with the probate court has been overwhelming and expensive. After this experience, I contacted The Hive Law to set up a trust so my children never have to go through what I've been through. Melissa and Shawn were compassionate, knowledgeable, and made the entire process simple. I highly recommend The Hive Law!
I used to know the bare minimum about probate and trust. I first encountered Shawn Breyer on Facebook. He was offering a webinar that I watched. That gave me a better understanding of probate versus trust. I was impressed enough to have him and his wife represent me. I had my initial one on one interview with Melissa Breyer, it went smoothly and she made everything clear. We are now proceeding with getting a revocable trust in place.
The Hive Law has been amazing throughout the process of setting up our trust. Every detail is considered and no stone is left unturned. They have been easy and enjoyable to work with. I would absolutely recommend them! Don't let your estate be turned over to Probate!!
The Hive Law helped us set up a revocable trust. Their webinar is great for answering any questions you may have, to clarify and avoid probate. Get in touch with them right away, you won't be disappointed.
Melissa was great! She gave me an honest review of my future plans that I already have in place. Turns out, I already had my ducks in a row!!! She was a pleasure to talk with!!
For several years now I have been thinking about having a will drawn up, but continued to procrastinate until an older sibling had a medical situation occur which none of the family was prepared for. This was the determining factor for me to get it done. We never know when an emergency medical situation could arise and I didn't want my other siblings to be scrambling around trying to figure things out in the event I couldn't make any decisions for myself, or God forbid I pass away. My attorney (Melissa), was very funny and made the whole experience quite entertaining. She listened to what I wanted and explained the type of plan I needed. Thanks Melissa & Shawn for making the process an enjoyable experience.
The Hive Law Firm did an excellent job helping my mother-in-law with her estate plan. The process felt overwhelming at first, but their team walked us through every step with compassion and professionalism. They listened to our concerns, explained things in simple terms, and made sure our mother's wishes were honored. We're very grateful for their guidance.
The Hive Law firm did an outstanding job helping my family members with their estate planning. They made the process clear, smooth and stress free. Truly professional and caring team, highly recommend!
The whole process of creating a family trust felt simple, clear, and stress-free. We really appreciated how patient, helpful, and easy to communicate with the team was throughout everything. Shawn and Melissa gave us great guidance and helped us feel confident every step of the way. We're grateful for their support and would definitely recommend them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Georgia splits your estate between your spouse and your children when there is no will. Under O.C.G.A. 53-2-1(c)(1), your spouse shares equally with the children, and your spouse can never receive less than a one third share. If you have no children or grandchildren, your spouse takes everything. Georgia also has no elective share, so a surviving spouse cannot simply claim a fixed slice of the estate the way a spouse can in some other states. The formula runs whether or not it matches what you would have wanted.
Only a will can name the guardian for your minor children. O.C.G.A. 29-2-4 gives that job to a will, and a trust cannot do it no matter how well the trust is drafted. This is one of the main reasons a complete plan still includes a will alongside the trust. Without your nomination, the probate court chooses from whoever comes forward.
Georgia limits how much a parent can manage for a child without going to court. Under O.C.G.A. 29-3-1, once a child inherits more than $25,000, a court appointed conservator has to manage it under court supervision until the child turns 18. Then the entire balance is handed over at once, at an age when most people are not ready for it. A trust avoids both problems, because your trustee manages the money and you choose the ages at which it is released.
Georgia has no state estate tax. There is still a federal estate tax, but it only reaches very large estates, so most Georgia families never come near it. Taxes are usually not the reason a Georgia family needs a plan. The real exposure is probate: the delay, the court and attorney fees, and the fact that every filing becomes public. Those apply at any size of estate.
The Complete Family Trust Package is $3,500 as a flat fee, with no hourly billing. It covers the revocable trust, the pour-over will, powers of attorney for both spouses, the healthcare directive, the HIPAA form, and the deed that moves your home into the trust. You start with a Design Meeting with Melissa and Shawn. That meeting is paid, and the fee is credited in full toward your plan if you move forward, and it is where you get an exact quote if your situation needs add ons.
An existing trust usually does not need to be replaced. The Hive Law reviews an existing trust package for $1,050 as a flat fee. That covers the trust, the pour-over will, the financial power of attorney and the healthcare directive, a check on whether the trust was ever actually funded, a look at whether your beneficiary designations still match, a call with Melissa, and any amendments the review turns up. Older plans usually fail on funding rather than on drafting.
Find Out Where You Stand
You’ve been meaning to do this for a while now. That’s normal. Most families wait until something happens, then wish they hadn’t.
A 15-minute call tells you exactly what you have, what’s missing, and what your family needs next. No paperwork, no obligation, just a straight answer.
- No sales pitch. Just a straight answer about where you stand.
- No confusing terms. We explain everything in plain English.
- A real next step. You’ll know exactly what to do when we hang up.
Where We Serve
Georgia Counties We Serve
We help families across Georgia protect their assets and avoid probate. Select your county to learn more about estate planning where you live.
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