Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. A Will sets forth your instructions for legal guardianship of minor children and asset distribution upon death. However, a Will alone does not avoid probate court—it serves as your instructions to the probate judge.

Assets titled solely in your individual name without designated beneficiaries or trust ownership must go through Maine Probate Court. Establishing a properly funded Revocable Living Trust allows your estate to bypass probate entirely, keeping your family's financial affairs private.

A Financial Power of Attorney authorizes a trusted agent to manage your financial accounts, pay bills, and handle property decisions if you become incapacitated or unavailable, preventing the need for court-ordered conservatorship.

An Advance Healthcare Directive (or Living Will) designates a healthcare agent to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to speak for yourself. It explicitly outlines your preferences regarding end-of-life treatment, life support, organ donation, and medical interventions under Maine law.

A trust is a legal arrangement where the trust holds assets managed by a trustee for designated beneficiaries. It provides precise rules for managing and distributing wealth during your life, during incapacity, and after death.

A Revocable Living Trust can be amended, changed, or revoked at any time while you are living and capable, providing flexibility and probate avoidance. An Irrevocable Trust generally cannot be freely altered once created, but it offers advanced benefits such as Medicaid asset protection and creditor shelter.

A Will takes effect only after death and requires probate court oversight to transfer assets. A Trust takes effect immediately upon execution and funding, operates privately without court intervention, and manages assets during your lifetime if you become incapacitated.

While a Revocable Living Trust does not protect your own assets from your own personal creditors during your lifetime, upon your death it converts into irrevocable lifetime sub-trusts for your children or beneficiaries. By keeping inherited assets inside protective trust shares governed by discretionary distribution standards and spendthrift clauses, future generations receive robust protection against outside creditors, lawsuits, personal bankruptcy, and division in marital divorce proceedings.

A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is an irrevocable trust designed to hold assets (such as your primary residence or liquid savings) so they are not counted as available resources when qualifying for MaineCare long-term care benefits, while protecting your home for heirs.

When applying for MaineCare long-term care coverage, state authorities review all financial transfers made within the prior 5 years (60 months). Transfers made into a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust must satisfy this look-back window to avoid transfer penalties.

Yes. By transferring property into a properly drafted Medicaid Asset Protection Trust well in advance of needing care, or utilizing specific Maine caregiver child and spousal exemptions, families can protect homes from state estate recovery claims.

A Limited Liability Company (LLC) establishes a legal shield between your personal assets (home, savings) and business liabilities, lawsuits, or debts incurred by your commercial enterprise.

An LLC operating agreement specifies ownership transfer rules upon incapacity or death. Assigning your LLC membership interests into your Revocable Living Trust ensures uninterrupted company management without probate intervention.

We handle custom operating agreements, annual state report filings, registered agent representation, entity restructuring, and ownership succession planning on a flat-fee schedule.

No. Rune Law, LLC is strictly a non-litigation, transactional law firm. We stay out of courtrooms and focus entirely on out-of-court estate planning, revocable living trusts, Medicaid asset protection, and small business planning.

We operate exclusively on a transparent flat-fee basis. We never bill hourly rates or charge surprise fees, and every executed estate plan includes our lifetime promises.

Our practice is concentrated in three main areas: Estate Planning (Revocable Living Trusts, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Medical Directives), Elder Law & Long-Term Care (Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts), and Small Business Planning aligned with family estate plans.

We serve clients statewide with two physical office locations in Maine: our primary office at 1 Brunswick Avenue in Gardiner, and our secondary office at 74 Lunt Road, Suite 204 in Falmouth.