ESTATE PLANNING · TAMPA BAY AREA
Protect the people and the places you love.
Wills, trusts, deeds, and powers of attorney for families across the Tampa Bay Area — explained in plain English and built around your life.
“Planning ahead is one of the kindest things you can do for your family.”
SERVICES
Estate planning, explained in plain English
Every plan starts with a conversation about what matters most to you. From there, we put the right documents in place.
Wills
Say who inherits, who manages your estate, and who would care for your minor children.
Revocable Living Trusts
Keep control of your property during your lifetime and help your family avoid probate later.
Health Care Directives
Health care surrogate designations and living wills that make your wishes clear.
Pre-Need Guardian Designations
Name who you'd want as guardian for yourself or your children, before it's ever needed.
Lady Bird & Other Deeds
Keep full control of your home while you're living and pass it directly to your loved ones without probate.
Powers of Attorney
Choose someone you trust to handle your finances if you can't.
Probate & Trust Administration
Guidance for families settling a loved one's estate, one step at a time.
Plan Reviews & Updates
Married, divorced, a new grandchild, a new home? Let's make sure your plan still fits.
Not sure which documents you need?
That's what the consultation is for. We'll figure it out together.
MEET YOUR ATTORNEY
Jennifer Meksraitis
I’m a Tampa native. I grew up here, graduated from H.B. Plant High School, and have always felt deeply connected to this community. After college, I worked for a health insurance company in Atlanta, GA, and that experience showed me which side of the table I wanted to be on. Law runs in my family (my dad is a retired personal injury attorney), so I came home to study law, and I’ve spent my entire career representing people and families, not corporate interests. I started as a public defender in Palm Beach County and then opened my own practice in Tampa, where I’ve spent about fifteen years helping injured people and people facing criminal charges.
Estate planning is a very different kind of work, but it comes from the same place. Instead of stepping in after something has gone wrong, I now get to help families plan ahead, so their wishes are honored and the people they love are protected. I’ve watched too many homes sit in probate for years, empty and falling apart, while loved ones try to piece things together. I’m close with my parents, my two sisters, and my nieces and nephews, and as we all get older, I’ve come to believe the most meaningful work I can do is help families avoid that heartbreak. That’s why I built Heights Estate Planning Law.
I’m happy to work with you in English or Spanish, at my Tampa office, by video, or in your home, including after hours. When I’m not working, you’ll find me hiking, biking, or happily near the ocean or the mountains. If you’re ready to protect the people you love, book a Peace of Mind Planning Session. I’d love to meet you.
Education
Juris Doctor, Stetson University College of Law, 2006
Bachelor’s degree in Economics, University of North Carolina at Asheville, 1999
Bar Admissions
The Florida Bar, 2007
North Carolina State Bar, 2010 (inactive)
Professional Memberships
Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association
Florida Justice Association
Community Service
Board of Directors, WMNF Community Radio, 2019–2025
Steering Committee, Equality Florida, Tampa, 2016–2023
HOW IT WORKS
Four simple steps
01
Book online
Pick a time that works for you on my Calendly calendar.
02
Talk it through
We talk about your family, your goals, and your questions.
03
Review your plan
I prepare your documents and walk you through every page.
04
Sign with confidence
We finalize everything properly so your plan is ready when it's needed.
FAQ
Questions I hear a lot
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Florida law decides who inherits, using a fixed formula that may not match your wishes, and your family will usually have to go through probate. A will lets you decide who receives your property, who handles your affairs, and who would raise your minor children.
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A will still has to go through probate, the court process for settling an estate, which can take months or longer and becomes part of the public record. Property held in a revocable living trust can pass to your loved ones without probate, more privately, and with less delay. A trust can also manage property for children or loved ones who aren't ready to receive it outright.
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Your home will usually have to go through probate before anyone can sell it or move in. In the meantime, it can sit empty while bills, taxes, and maintenance pile up. A trust or a Lady Bird deed can let your home pass directly to the people you choose.
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It's a Florida deed that lets you keep complete control of your home during your lifetime, including the right to sell or mortgage it, and then passes the home automatically to the people you name, without probate.
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Yes. Estate planning is about who makes decisions for you if you can't and who cares for your children — not just money. It also makes things much easier on the people you leave behind.
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Your family may have to go to court and ask a judge to appoint a guardian, which takes time and money. A durable power of attorney and health care surrogate designation let you choose your decision-makers ahead of time.
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If you've married, divorced, had children or grandchildren, moved to Florida, or bought or sold property since you signed it, it's worth a review.
Let's talk.
Pick a time on my calendar. We'll talk about your family and what you want to protect.