Some time ago, I came across a book about estate planning, the importance of appointing guardians for your children, and what can happen in an emergency if you have no plan (or a plan that fails). At the time, my 5-year-old son, Ethan, just entered Kindergarten, and my daughter Adrienne was 3-years-old looking forward to pre-K.

While reading the book, my eyes were opened to what happens to minor children and family assets (their inheritance) when parents die unexpectedly, without proper planning in place. I was horrified at the idea of my little ones losing mom and dad and immediately being handed over to complete strangers, a cold-hearted court system, and possibly permanent foster care.

Sadly, I also learned that 69% of parents have ZERO plans, while the other 31% have plans that do NOT protect their children or inheritance from ending up in the hands of the court. This honestly blew my mind, and of course, as a father who deeply cares about his kids, I wanted to know what to do to secure my children’s future even in the event of a tragedy involving me and my wife, Sharmayne.

As I learned more and planned for my own family, I realized that – as an attorney – I had a unique opportunity to not just help my own family but help the families of many of my friends and loved ones. I spent the next 6 months studying and learning about estate planning, the probate process, and general attorney practice in this area of the law. I also learned from other attorneys and practices. After all of this, I took a leap of faith, and launched AMVLAW PLLC. I knew I wanted to serve the families in my community and not be forced to refer them to strangers who might not invest in them the same way that I would.

Here’s the bottom line: for me, my law practice is not a career. It is an extension of my desire to serve others through my life and my relationship with God. (As my friends and family know, I am also a pastor in my church and have been serving in ministry for over 10 years). At the end of the day, I want to know that the people I love will be cared for the way only a parent would fully know and understand.

My hope is that my law practice will help your family the same way it’s helped mine – to protect your own children and loved ones. This is my way of using what I am given to support the plans and people that I care about.