DIY Estate Planning - Create Statutory Forms for DC, Virginia and Maryland
Welcome to our Statutory Forms Generator page!
Here, you can generate statutory forms, which legislatures across the country prescribe to the form for the legal instrument under the law of that jurisdiction. Understanding estate planning basics is crucial, as it helps you grasp the fundamental concepts necessary for organizing your assets and ensuring your wishes are honored. Specifically, you can find on this page those forms that the DC City Council, Maryland and Virginia state legislatures prescribe to be an advance directive (also known as a health care power of attorney) or a power of attorney. A complete estate plan encompasses various legal documents and strategies for managing assets and directives related to healthcare and financial affairs. An estate attorney can provide guidance and ensure compliance with state and federal laws, making the process smoother and more reliable. An estate planning checklist can serve as a practical guide to help you navigate the process of creating these statutory forms.
Understanding Estate Planning Basics
Estate planning is the process of organizing and arranging your assets to ensure they’re transferred according to your wishes upon your death or incapacitation. The estate planning process involves making critical decisions about how your assets will be distributed, who will manage your assets, and who will make medical decisions on your behalf. You must consider all your assets in estate planning to ensure proper distribution, according to your individual wishes rather than District or state law.
Estate plans are essential for protecting your loved ones and your assets, providing you with peace of mind knowing that your wishes will be honored. Additionally, it considers various taxes, including estate and inheritance taxes and even income taxes, which can significantly impact the value of your estate. A comprehensive estate plan can help protect your loved ones and your assets, providing you with peace of mind knowing that your wishes will be honored. Including a financial advisor as part of your team can help navigate the complexities of estate planning such as inheriting wealth, reducing income and estate taxes, and preparing for your long-term care needs.
DIY Estate Planning Made Easy with Statutory Forms
- Statutory forms are specific templates for legal documents that the legislatures place in the Code so that the public can make use of these templates as a fill-in the blank form.
- These forms are designed to help ensure that the documents are considered by courts to be legally valid and can be used for various purposes, including:
-
- Advance Directives: Also known as Health Care Power of Attorney, this document allows you to appoint someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so.
- General Power of Attorney: This legal instrument grants broad powers to an individual (the agent) to manage your financial and legal affairs.
- Having well-organized estate planning documents, such as wills, powers of attorney, and advanced directives, is crucial to ensure that one’s wishes are respected after death or during incapacitation.
NOTE: The availability of a statutory form depends on the decision of the legislatures. For example, you will see below that Virginia does not offer a statutory power of attorney for economic matters.
When handling your own estate planning, it’s important to use legally valid documents specific to your state or jurisdiction. Below are official resources for powers of attorney and health care directives in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia—with direct links to the relevant legal codes.
District of Columbia
-
Statutory Power of Attorney
DC provides a statutory general power of attorney form. The official language is found in the DC Code:
🔗 DC Code § 21–2603.01 – Statutory Form Power of Attorney -
Health Care Power of Attorney (Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care)
Although there’s no pre-printed statewide form, the DC Code recognizes the appointment of a health care agent:
🔗 DC Code § 21–2207 – Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
Maryland
-
Statutory Financial Power of Attorney
Maryland provides a statutory form and detailed requirements in its code:
🔗 Maryland Code, Estates and Trusts § 17-202 – Statutory Form -
Advance Directive (Health Care Power of Attorney + Living Will)
Maryland’s advance directive includes both medical treatment instructions and the appointment of a health care agent. The form is based on the law:
🔗 Maryland Code, Health-General § 5-603 – Advance DirectivesYou can download the official form from the Attorney General’s site:
🔗 Maryland Advance Directive Form (PDF)
Virginia
-
Advance Medical Directive (Health Care Power of Attorney)
Virginia allows you to appoint a health care agent and provide instructions for care. A sample form is provided in the Code:
🔗 Virginia Code § 54.1-2984 – Suggested Form
Disclaimer of Using This PDF-Generator
By offering you the opportunity to create your own statutory form,
- We are not making any representation as to whether the forms are sufficient or whether they are appropriate for you and your circumstances.
- We are not offering you any legal advice including whether you should have or make use of statutory forms.
- We are not representing that the pdf generated adequately represents the form set forth in the respective Code, including missing provisions, new or amended provisions or even typos.
- No attorney-client relationship will exist with you by merely making use of the PDF-Generator or relying on any information relating to this page or other information found on this website.
If you have any doubt about using any statutory forms and or the forms generated from this page, YOU SHOULD SEEK LEGAL ADVICE.
Finally, no information you enter to generate your form is intended to be preserved. We are NOT collecting this information. You will have to reenter the information each time.