Joan Watke

I have been practicing law for over 25 years. My primary focus is helping clients with their estate planning. It all happened because I was out with friends one evening, having left my 3 small children with a teenage babysitter and I thought, what if I was severely injured in a car accident on the way home, or worse yet, died? As a parent of small children, I agonized for days and weeks choosing their daycare (on more than one occasion). Yet, I didn't have anything in place to protect them if I became disabled or died. I had life insurance, but that's only money. Who would raise my children as I would?

If I was hospitalized, who would pay my bills? Nowadays, most of us pay our bills online. Who knows your passwords? Who even knows what bills need to be paid?

My answer to all of these questions was easy and frightening - I hadn't done anything to protect my children if something happened to me. I quickly realized that if I hadn't done anything to protect my family, my clients probably hadn't either.

It really is surprisingly simple process to protect your assets and your children. I use plain English to explain everything to you, so you get exactly what you need. 

If a loved one becomes incapacitated and doesn't have Powers of Attorney in place, I help their folks establish guardianship and conservatorship to help them care for their loved ones.

The secret is that adoptions are my favorite area to practice. Helping people create a forever family is the most fulfilling thing I do professionally.

I also practice in the area of divorce. I enjoy helping people keep their focus on negotiating a fair division of their assets and liabilities and what's best for their children (if they have children), so people can move forward with their lives.