The Andersen Firm was founded in 1993, in Kingsport, Tennessee, by Bill and Jane Andersen. Three decades later, the firm operates from four U.S. office locations, including the Sunrise, Florida office at 7771 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 228, Sunrise, Florida 33351. The firm handles estate planning for clients locally, nationally, and internationally. The Sunrise office can be reached at (954) 712-1019. The firm’s website is https://www.theandersenfirm.com.
The Firm’s Perspective on Estate Planning
The Andersen Firm’s stated position is that estate planning addresses life as much as it addresses death. The firm’s planning work focuses on maintaining client control of assets during a lifetime, providing for dependents, minimizing tax exposure, and building legal structures that function when a client needs them. The documents themselves, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, are the instruments through which those goals are achieved.
Will Andersen, who serves as President and Managing Partner, works with clients and their financial advisors together where applicable, building plans that are tax efficient and fit each client’s personal needs and objectives.
Estate Planning Services
Wills
A will provides legally enforceable instructions for distributing property and designating guardians for minor children. For clients without significant assets or complex family situations, a will may be the appropriate primary planning document.
Revocable Living Trusts
A revocable living trust holds assets during a client’s lifetime and transfers them to beneficiaries at death without probate court involvement. The trust can be amended or revoked at any point during the client’s lifetime. For clients with real estate in multiple states, significant assets, or privacy concerns, a trust-based plan is often preferable to a will-only approach.
Irrevocable Trusts
Irrevocable trust structures serve different purposes: asset protection from creditors and judgments, estate tax reduction, Medicaid planning, and long-term preservation of wealth. Once established, these trusts generally cannot be modified without the consent of beneficiaries or court approval. The appropriate trust structure depends on the client’s specific goals.
Durable Powers of Attorney
This document appoints a person to manage financial and legal affairs if the client becomes incapacitated. Without a durable power of attorney, family members may need to seek court-ordered guardianship or conservatorship to manage a loved one’s finances.
Healthcare Documents
Healthcare documents include healthcare proxies (designating who makes medical decisions) and living wills or advance directives (expressing the client’s own healthcare preferences). These documents are designed to function when a client cannot speak for themselves.
Tax Planning
Will Andersen’s approach to estate planning explicitly incorporates tax efficiency. Estate tax, gift tax, generation-skipping transfer tax, and income tax consequences of trust structures are all elements of planning that affect how much of a client’s wealth transfers to intended beneficiaries.
Asset Protection
The firm develops legal strategies to protect assets from creditors and legal judgments. Asset protection planning is most effective when done before a creditor issue arises; the firm addresses it as a proactive planning component rather than a crisis response.
Estate Settlement and Probate
After a client’s death, the firm assists with estate settlement and probate administration. For clients whose estate plan was administered by the firm, this provides continuity. For clients coming to the firm after a family member’s death, the firm handles the administration process from intake through final distribution.
Litigation
Estate and trust disputes, including will contests and fiduciary breach claims, fall within the firm’s litigation practice.
Attorney Profile
William “Will” Andersen is the President and Managing Partner of The Andersen Firm. He earned his B.S. from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, and his J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. He is a member of the New York Bar and WealthCounsel, a national network of estate planning attorneys focused on sophisticated planning and continuing legal education.
His parents, Bill and Jane Andersen, founded the firm in 1993. Will Andersen now leads its operations across multiple locations.
Service Area
The Sunrise office serves clients in Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise, and the broader South Florida region. The firm’s four U.S. office locations collectively serve clients across the country. For clients with international assets or international family members, the firm’s experience includes international estate planning considerations.
Contact
The Sunrise, Florida office is reachable at (954) 712-1019 or through the firm’s website at https://www.theandersenfirm.com/contact-us.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the firm first begin operating, and how has it grown?
The Andersen Firm was founded in 1993 in Kingsport, Tennessee by Bill and Jane Andersen. Over the following three decades, the firm expanded to four U.S. office locations. The Sunrise, Florida location is one of those offices. Will Andersen, who serves as President and Managing Partner, represents the second generation of the firm’s leadership.
What does “international estate planning” involve?
International estate planning addresses clients who have assets in multiple countries, family members who are foreign nationals, or situations where both U.S. and foreign law affect the transfer of wealth. This can involve treaty analysis, foreign trust structures, and coordination between legal systems. The firm’s four-office structure and stated international capabilities make it available for these matters.
How does Will Andersen’s WealthCounsel membership affect client service?
WealthCounsel is a national network providing practice support tools, legal document software, and continuing legal education to estate planning attorneys. Membership reflects a commitment to staying current with developments in estate planning law and practice. The network also facilitates collaboration among estate planning attorneys on complex matters.
What is the difference between revocable and irrevocable trusts in practical terms?
A revocable living trust can be modified or revoked during the client’s lifetime. It avoids probate and provides continuity of asset management during incapacity. An irrevocable trust, once established, generally cannot be modified. It provides stronger asset protection and estate tax benefits precisely because the client has given up ownership and control. The choice between them depends on the client’s goals, assets, and circumstances.
Does the firm handle estate matters for clients who did not originally plan with the firm?
Yes. Estate settlement, probate administration, and estate and trust litigation are available for clients whose estates or trust disputes involve plans drafted by other attorneys or institutions.