Living Will Attorney in Nassau County

Advance Directive Planning Rooted in Estate Law & Elder Law Experience

A living will is a written legal document that records your preferences for medical treatment if you become unable to communicate, particularly decisions about life-sustaining procedures at end of life. An advance directive is the broader category covering all documents used to plan for future medical decision-making, including living wills, health care proxies, and do not resuscitate orders. These are separate from a last will and testament, which governs what happens to your assets after you die.

At Kirshblum Taber PC, we prepare living wills and advance directives for individuals and families throughout Nassau County and the surrounding Queens County area. Attorney Orly Taber focuses her practice on estate planning and elder law, including these documents. When you call, you reach an attorney directly. On-site interpreters are available for Spanish, Hebrew, and Russian-speaking clients.

If you’re ready to put your medical preferences in writing, call our Nassau County living will attorneys at (516) 908-8842. We can schedule a consultation and walk you through the documents your situation may call for.

What New York Does Without Your Advance Directive

New York’s Family Health Care Decisions Act (FHCDA), enacted in 2010, designates a surrogate to make medical decisions for a person who lacks capacity and has no advance directive. That surrogate follows a statutory priority list: a court-appointed guardian first, then a spouse or domestic partner, then an adult child, parent, adult sibling, or close friend. The person the law selects may not be who you would have chosen.

If no appropriate surrogate is available, a guardianship proceeding may be initiated in Nassau County Supreme Court. That process can be time-consuming and costly, and the outcome may not reflect what you would have wanted. Verbal statements to family, such as “no heroics” or “don’t keep me on machines,” generally don’t meet New York’s standard for withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. A clearly drafted living will can help reduce ambiguity for physicians and reduce the burden of those decisions on family members at an already difficult time.

Why Nassau County Clients Work with Kirshblum Taber PC

We don’t use generic templates. Every advance directive we prepare is tailored to your individual goals, medical circumstances, and family situation. Direct attorney access from your first call means you’re not passed off to intake staff while making these decisions.

Judicial Background in Incapacity & Guardianship

Attorney David A. Kirshblum served as a Queens County Family Court Judge for more than 24 years. That background gives our firm a practical understanding of how courts handle incapacity and guardianship proceedings when no planning documents are in place. It also shows how that process can affect families who weren’t prepared.

Attorney Orly Taber’s Credentials & Focus

Attorney Orly Taber graduated from Hofstra University School of Law on a full scholarship in 2014. During law school, she worked as a paralegal at a trusts, estates, and guardianship practice, and before opening her own firm in 2016, she clerked for an elder law and trusts and estates office. She has since focused on estate planning, elder law, trusts, and guardianship. She regularly lectures to seniors and diverse community groups on asset protection and long-term care planning, received a commendation from Assemblywoman Judy Griffin for her service to the West Hempstead community, and is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star.

Speak with a Nassau County Living Will Lawyer Today

Putting your medical preferences in a legally effective document is one of the most protective steps you can take for yourself and your family. We serve Nassau County clients and welcome Spanish, Hebrew, and Russian speakers. Call (516) 908-8842 to reach an attorney at Kirshblum Taber PC directly and schedule your consultation.