Bonita Springs Trusts Lawyer

Your Trust Should Work the Way You Intended, Not as a Guess

You want your assets to reach the people you choose without a court process picking through your family’s finances or a tax bill eating into what you meant to leave behind. A trust should make that automatic, but too often it is rushed, never properly funded, or built from a template that treats every family the same.

James R. Nici is a Bonita Springs trusts lawyer and a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Wills, Trusts & Estates, one of fewer than 250 attorneys in Florida to hold that certification. With an LL.M. in Taxation, he drafts trusts to the Florida Trust Code and structures them around your family’s tax situation, for clients in Bonita Springs and Southwest Florida.

Your first consultation is free and lasts 30 minutes. Tell us what you want to protect and who it is for, and we will show you a plan built to get you there.

The Trusts Our Bonita Springs Trust Attorney Builds for Families

Every family’s situation is different, and a template trust rarely fits. We build the structure around the assets you own and the people you want protected, whether that is a home, a family business, or savings you want passed down without disputes among your heirs.

Our trust attorney builds:

• Revocable living trusts: built to avoid Florida probate and keep your plan private.
• Irrevocable and creditor-protected trusts: structured to protect what you leave to your beneficiaries from lawsuits, divorce, and creditor claims.
• Special needs trusts: designed to preserve a beneficiary’s eligibility for government benefits.
• Charitable trusts: turning a gift into a lasting, tax-efficient legacy.
• Trust funding and retitling: making sure your accounts and property are legally inside the trust, not just referenced on paper.
• Trust administration: guiding trustees through their duties after a loved one passes away.

What Happens When a Bonita Springs Trust Isn’t Built Right

A trust only works if it is built and funded correctly. Skip a step, and an estate can end up back in probate court, the very process the trust was supposed to avoid. Many families also assume a trust protects everything from creditors the moment it is signed.

Under Fla. Stat. § 736.0505, property held in a revocable trust stays exposed to your own creditors during your lifetime, the same as if you owned it outright.

What protects an inheritance is deliberate design. That means choosing the right kind of trust and funding it correctly, before there is ever a problem to solve.

This is why our trust attorney checks funding and drafting together, not one without the other. Ask yourself: is your trust holding the assets it was meant to protect, or is it sitting in a drawer while everything stays titled in your own name?

A poorly drafted trust can also leave a family with an estate tax bill it never anticipated, especially when property sits in a state that taxes estates.

This reflects Florida law as of September 2026.

Estate Planning Designed Around Your Life

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Where Bonita Springs Trust Matters Are Filed

Most of Bonita Springs sits in Lee County, so trust and probate matters are heard in Lee County court, and deeds that fund your trust with Lee County property are recorded with the Lee County Clerk of Court. We draft trusts with that review in mind, so the documents hold up if a judge ever looks at them, not just look complete in a folder.

A Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Wills, Trusts & Estates, James R. Nici built the Strategic Estate Planning System® to help keep your trust properly funded and your family out of court wherever possible. He brings that approach to families in Bonita Springs and across Southwest Florida.

What Our Bonita Springs Clients Say

Bonita Springs Trust Attorney Questions We Hear Most

Is the first consultation free?

Yes. Your first consultation with our trust attorney is free and lasts 30 minutes. We talk through your family, your assets, and what you want your trust to do.

What happens during the consultation?

We learn about your family and goals, explain what Florida law requires, and outline the trust and related documents you need. If you move forward, our attorney drafts a trust built around your assets and your family.

What is the difference between a revocable trust and an irrevocable trust?

A revocable trust can be changed or canceled while you are alive, while an irrevocable trust generally cannot be changed once it is signed. An irrevocable trust you create for your beneficiaries can protect what you leave them from future claims, but you give up the ability to modify it later, and a trust you create for your own benefit generally does not shield those assets from your own creditors.

Do I still need a will if I already have a trust?

Yes. A pour-over will catches any asset that was never moved into the trust and directs it there after you pass away. Without one, that asset could end up in probate anyway.

How much does it cost to set up a trust in Florida?

Cost depends on the complexity of your assets and family situation. After your free consultation, we give you a clear, upfront number before any work begins, so there are no surprises later.

What happens if my trust is never funded?

An unfunded trust is just paperwork. In most cases, any account or property left outside the trust still has to go through probate. There are some exceptions, so it’s worth checking how each of your accounts and assets is titled.

How often should I update my trust?

Review your trust after a marriage, divorce, or death in the family, and at least once every three to five years regardless.

If your question is not listed here, that is what your free consultation is for.

Schedule Your Bonita Springs Trust Consultation

Request your free 30-minute consultation with a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Wills, Trusts & Estates serving Naples and Southwest Florida, and our team will reach out to schedule it.