Farrar & Williams, PLLC

Law Firm in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Attorneys in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Farrar & Williams, PLLC is a Hot Springs, Arkansas based law firm practicing estate planning, wills, trusts, and other areas of elder law. We are committed to helping you plan for the future and strive to build a level of trust with each client that instills confidence and a peace of mind. We assist clients throughout all of Arkansas.


The staff at Farrar & Williams, PLLC is experienced and efficient in multiple areas of elder law including, long term care planning, Medicaid planning and estate planning. Let the staff at Farrar & Williams, PLLC help you plan for your future. 

We Offer A Free 30-Minute Estate Planning Consultation with One of Our Attorneys!
(excluding Medicaid)

Schedule Your Consultation

Since 1927 our Firm has focused its practice in the following areas:

Our Legal Services

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Elder Law

Elder Law is a legal field that supports seniors and their families on various legal issues, prioritizing quality of life and dignity.

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Estate Planning

Estate planning allows you to decide how your assets will be distributed, designate beneficiaries, establish powers of attorney for property and healthcare, and create a will to manage your estate after your passing.

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Longterm Care & Medicaid Planning

We assist with long-term care planning by structuring your assets to qualify for programs like Medicaid and Veterans Affairs Aid and Attendance, aiming to secure your financial eligibility while preserving your assets.

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Last Will and Testament

A Last Will & Testament is a legal document that outlines your wishes for asset distribution and guardianship of minor children after your death, helping to ensure your intentions are fulfilled and easing the process for your loved ones.

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Revocable Living Trust

A Revocable Living Trust is a flexible legal document that lets you manage and protect your assets during your lifetime, specify their distribution after your death, and helps your estate avoid probate.

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Durable Powers of Attorney

A Durable Power of Attorney grants a trusted person authority to manage your financial or healthcare decisions if you become incapacitated, ensuring continuity in your affairs and peace of mind for you and your loved ones.

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Living Wills & Medical Powers of Attorney

Living Wills and Medical Powers of Attorney allow you to communicate your healthcare preferences and designate someone to make medical decisions if you’re incapacitated, ensuring your wishes are honored and reducing stress for your loved ones during critical times.

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Second Marriage Estate Planning

Estate planning for a second marriage involves balancing the financial interests of a new spouse with the inheritance rights of children from a prior relationship, using tools like trusts and updated wills to ensure both are provided for as intended.

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Business Formation

Launching a new business is an exciting journey, yet managing the legal details can be challenging. Farrar & Williams, PLLC offers comprehensive business formation services to ensure your business is built on a solid legal foundation.

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Guardianship

Guardianship legal services offer guidance to those seeking legal authority to care for a minor or incapacitated adult, ensuring arrangements are structured to protect the well-being and best interests of those in need.

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Probate and Estate Administration

Probate and estate administration manage a deceased person’s assets by settling debts, transferring assets, and respecting their wishes, we will provide compassionate guidance through these tasks during a time of loss.

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Trust Administration

Administering a trust involves various responsibilities and legal requirements, and Farrar & Williams, PLLC provides expert services to ensure each trust is managed according to the grantor’s wishes and legal standards.

Recent Blog Posts

Why Everyone Needs an Estate Plan or Powers of Attorney

May 21, 2025
A common misconception about estate planning is that it’s only for the elderly or the wealthy. The truth is, none of us can predict the future — but we can take proactive steps to prevent unnecessary complications for our loved ones. Estate planning isn’t just about money; it’s about ensuring your wishes are carried out and protecting the people you care about most. For younger families, especially those with minor children, having a Last Will and Testament is essential. One of the most crucial reasons is to legally designate a guardian for your minor children in the event of your passing. Without a will, the court will decide who takes on this responsibility, which may not align with your wishes. Additionally, if you pass away without a will — known legally as dying intestate — your assets will be distributed according to state law, which may not reflect your personal relationships. This can be especially problematic in blended families, where you may have a stronger bond with stepchildren than with biological heirs. Without a will specifying your intentions, stepchildren typically do not inherit under intestacy laws. Estate planning ensures that your wishes — not the state’s default rules — dictate what happens to your assets and your loved ones. No matter your age, having a well-structured plan in place provides peace of mind and protection for those you care about most. Perhaps one of the most important documents that you should have in place is a Power of Attorney. Regardless of age, none of us can predict what the future may hold. A Power of Attorney is a legal document that grants one person (attorney-in-fact) the authority to act on behalf of another person (the principal). The agent can be authorized to handle financial matters, legal decisions, healthcare choices, or other specified tasks. There are different types of Powers of Attorney, each serving a unique purpose: • A Durable Power of Attorney allows your designated agent to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. • A Healthcare Power of Attorney enables someone you trust to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so. Without these documents in place, your loved ones may be forced to go through costly and time- consuming court proceedings to gain the authority to act on your behalf. Decisions about your health, finances, and legal matters could be left in the hands of the courts — or worse, individuals who do not have your best interests at heart. Estate planning and Powers of Attorney are not just about protecting wealth — they are about protecting your family, your choices, and your future. By putting these essential documents in place, you ensure that your loved ones are spared unnecessary stress and uncertainty during difficult times. Taking action now, no matter your age or financial status, is one of the most responsible and caring decisions you can make.

Estate Planning for Families Without Children

May 21, 2025
Many families become motivated to create an estate plan once they have children, in order to name a guardian for their minor children and to ensure their minor children are cared for through the use of trusts. Sometimes, the motivation may not be there if an individual or family does not have children. However, an estate plan is just as important for those without children, as it is for those with. Who would receive your estate assets if you passed away today? If you die in Arkansas without a will, intestate succession statutes govern who is to receive your estate and it may not be who you would want it to be. Intestate succession depends on whether you have living children, a spouse, parents and other close relatives. Therefore, it is important to consider who you wish to be beneficiaries of your estate upon your death. Families without children might be in a unique position to be generous with charity or other family members and friends. You can make these wishes in your Last Will and Testament, or if you wish to avoid probate upon your death, you might consider creating a revocable living trust or other estate planning strategies. Who would take care of your financial affairs if you became incapacitated? All of us run the risk of becoming incapacitated by reason of stroke, accident, or advanced age. Therefore, you should also consider executing a durable power of attorney. This is the most basic building block of an estate plan. A power of attorney is a legal document where you appoint a trusted person as your agent to act for you regarding management of your assets in the event of your incapacity. A guardianship might be necessary if you become incapacitated and do not have a power of attorney in place. Further, a living will and advance medical directives are important documents to consider. A Living Will is a document directing that your physician not take extraordinary medical steps to prolong your life in the event you are suffering from a terminal illness or injury from which you have little possibility of recovering. If you feel strongly about avoiding prolonged and expensive medical care in hopeless situations, you may also wish to utilize a Medical Power of Attorney. A Medical Power of Attorney is a document by which you appoint another trusted person to act on your behalf in the event you are unable to act for yourself, with regard to the hard decisions that must be made if you are terminally ill.

Estate planning for cryptocurrency

March 28, 2025
A new legal issue in estate planning is how to handle digital assets during one’s lifetime, and how to pass on these digital assets to future generations.  Digital assets can include a variety of things, but in this article, we will focus on cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency can most easily be defined as a virtual currency that uses a heightened security technology called blockchain. Due to their intangibility, cryptocurrencies are stored and traded electronically. We are seeing more clients and estates with investments in cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin. As a reference for readers who are new to cryptocurrency, one Bitcoin was valued at less than one cent in 2010, and as of the writing of this article, one Bitcoin is valued at $104,620.10. Additionally, the full market cap of all available bitcoin is a staggering $2.06 trillion. The rise in the value of cryptocurrency and a newfound public investing interest presents new legal challenges when crafting the best estate plan for each client. One of the most important goals in estate planning is making it as easy as possible for your loved ones to access and administer your estate. If a client currently holds or has plans to invest in cryptocurrency, it is crucial to obtain information on any cryptocurrency held by the individual and to include language or proper directions in the estate planning documents that permit fiduciaries to access, retain, and manage the cryptocurrency without limitations or liability. It is important to provide these powers to the fiduciaries in an estate or trust, because even if the decedent provides the fiduciary with their cryptocurrency passcode during their lifetime, the fiduciary’s use of the passcode after death — without the proper permissions in the decedent’s estate planning documents and related laws — could cause the fiduciary to violate federal or state privacy laws, terms of service agreements, or computer fraud and data protection laws. For individuals with Trusts that plan on or are currently holding cryptocurrency as an investment, your Trust document should give authority to the Trustee to handle the cryptocurrency, even if the owner is the Trustee. Many trusts or wills created more than five years ago might not include the necessary language to properly and legally manage cryptocurrency. At a minimum, a cryptocurrency investor who wants to establish a trust holding cryptocurrency should release a trustee from any duty to diversify and provide the trustee with the necessary indemnification. However, as noted earlier, is important to ensure that doing so does not violate any applicable laws or terms of service agreements. It may be that a specific gift of the cryptocurrency is contained within the Will itself, or a Memorandum is prepared to sit alongside the Will, detailing instructions on how to access the funds or the private key itself. It is generally not recommended that an individual share his or her passcode with others for security reasons, but once a passcode is lost, it can be virtually impossible to recover. Leaving cryptocurrency to your loved ones after your death and avoiding probate requires more planning than traditional assets. For example, Coinbase, a popular cryptocurrency wallet, does not support naming a beneficiary for individual accounts and they require estate planning documents or proper probate court documents to transfer a Coinbase account. With proper estate planning, you can simplify the process for your beneficiaries and ensure that they inherit your cryptocurrency while avoiding unnecessary delay or expense. Wesley W. Harris is an associate attorney at Farrar & Williams, PLLC, a law firm limiting its practice to trusts, estate planning, and elder law, located at 1720 Higdon Ferry Road, Suite 202, Hot Springs, Arkansas, and can be contacted at 501-525-4401 or by email at wesley@ farrarwilliams.com. The firm’s website is farrarwilliams.com.
Show More

Recent Blog Posts

Why Everyone Needs an Estate Plan or Powers of Attorney

May 21, 2025
A common misconception about estate planning is that it’s only for the elderly or the wealthy. The truth is, none of us can predict the future — but we can take proactive steps to prevent unnecessary complications for our loved ones. Estate planning isn’t just about money; it’s about ensuring your wishes are carried out and protecting the people you care about most. For younger families, especially those with minor children, having a Last Will and Testament is essential. One of the most crucial reasons is to legally designate a guardian for your minor children in the event of your passing. Without a will, the court will decide who takes on this responsibility, which may not align with your wishes. Additionally, if you pass away without a will — known legally as dying intestate — your assets will be distributed according to state law, which may not reflect your personal relationships. This can be especially problematic in blended families, where you may have a stronger bond with stepchildren than with biological heirs. Without a will specifying your intentions, stepchildren typically do not inherit under intestacy laws. Estate planning ensures that your wishes — not the state’s default rules — dictate what happens to your assets and your loved ones. No matter your age, having a well-structured plan in place provides peace of mind and protection for those you care about most. Perhaps one of the most important documents that you should have in place is a Power of Attorney. Regardless of age, none of us can predict what the future may hold. A Power of Attorney is a legal document that grants one person (attorney-in-fact) the authority to act on behalf of another person (the principal). The agent can be authorized to handle financial matters, legal decisions, healthcare choices, or other specified tasks. There are different types of Powers of Attorney, each serving a unique purpose: • A Durable Power of Attorney allows your designated agent to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. • A Healthcare Power of Attorney enables someone you trust to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so. Without these documents in place, your loved ones may be forced to go through costly and time- consuming court proceedings to gain the authority to act on your behalf. Decisions about your health, finances, and legal matters could be left in the hands of the courts — or worse, individuals who do not have your best interests at heart. Estate planning and Powers of Attorney are not just about protecting wealth — they are about protecting your family, your choices, and your future. By putting these essential documents in place, you ensure that your loved ones are spared unnecessary stress and uncertainty during difficult times. Taking action now, no matter your age or financial status, is one of the most responsible and caring decisions you can make.

Estate Planning for Families Without Children

May 21, 2025
Many families become motivated to create an estate plan once they have children, in order to name a guardian for their minor children and to ensure their minor children are cared for through the use of trusts. Sometimes, the motivation may not be there if an individual or family does not have children. However, an estate plan is just as important for those without children, as it is for those with. Who would receive your estate assets if you passed away today? If you die in Arkansas without a will, intestate succession statutes govern who is to receive your estate and it may not be who you would want it to be. Intestate succession depends on whether you have living children, a spouse, parents and other close relatives. Therefore, it is important to consider who you wish to be beneficiaries of your estate upon your death. Families without children might be in a unique position to be generous with charity or other family members and friends. You can make these wishes in your Last Will and Testament, or if you wish to avoid probate upon your death, you might consider creating a revocable living trust or other estate planning strategies. Who would take care of your financial affairs if you became incapacitated? All of us run the risk of becoming incapacitated by reason of stroke, accident, or advanced age. Therefore, you should also consider executing a durable power of attorney. This is the most basic building block of an estate plan. A power of attorney is a legal document where you appoint a trusted person as your agent to act for you regarding management of your assets in the event of your incapacity. A guardianship might be necessary if you become incapacitated and do not have a power of attorney in place. Further, a living will and advance medical directives are important documents to consider. A Living Will is a document directing that your physician not take extraordinary medical steps to prolong your life in the event you are suffering from a terminal illness or injury from which you have little possibility of recovering. If you feel strongly about avoiding prolonged and expensive medical care in hopeless situations, you may also wish to utilize a Medical Power of Attorney. A Medical Power of Attorney is a document by which you appoint another trusted person to act on your behalf in the event you are unable to act for yourself, with regard to the hard decisions that must be made if you are terminally ill.

Estate planning for cryptocurrency

March 28, 2025
A new legal issue in estate planning is how to handle digital assets during one’s lifetime, and how to pass on these digital assets to future generations.  Digital assets can include a variety of things, but in this article, we will focus on cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency can most easily be defined as a virtual currency that uses a heightened security technology called blockchain. Due to their intangibility, cryptocurrencies are stored and traded electronically. We are seeing more clients and estates with investments in cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin. As a reference for readers who are new to cryptocurrency, one Bitcoin was valued at less than one cent in 2010, and as of the writing of this article, one Bitcoin is valued at $104,620.10. Additionally, the full market cap of all available bitcoin is a staggering $2.06 trillion. The rise in the value of cryptocurrency and a newfound public investing interest presents new legal challenges when crafting the best estate plan for each client. One of the most important goals in estate planning is making it as easy as possible for your loved ones to access and administer your estate. If a client currently holds or has plans to invest in cryptocurrency, it is crucial to obtain information on any cryptocurrency held by the individual and to include language or proper directions in the estate planning documents that permit fiduciaries to access, retain, and manage the cryptocurrency without limitations or liability. It is important to provide these powers to the fiduciaries in an estate or trust, because even if the decedent provides the fiduciary with their cryptocurrency passcode during their lifetime, the fiduciary’s use of the passcode after death — without the proper permissions in the decedent’s estate planning documents and related laws — could cause the fiduciary to violate federal or state privacy laws, terms of service agreements, or computer fraud and data protection laws. For individuals with Trusts that plan on or are currently holding cryptocurrency as an investment, your Trust document should give authority to the Trustee to handle the cryptocurrency, even if the owner is the Trustee. Many trusts or wills created more than five years ago might not include the necessary language to properly and legally manage cryptocurrency. At a minimum, a cryptocurrency investor who wants to establish a trust holding cryptocurrency should release a trustee from any duty to diversify and provide the trustee with the necessary indemnification. However, as noted earlier, is important to ensure that doing so does not violate any applicable laws or terms of service agreements. It may be that a specific gift of the cryptocurrency is contained within the Will itself, or a Memorandum is prepared to sit alongside the Will, detailing instructions on how to access the funds or the private key itself. It is generally not recommended that an individual share his or her passcode with others for security reasons, but once a passcode is lost, it can be virtually impossible to recover. Leaving cryptocurrency to your loved ones after your death and avoiding probate requires more planning than traditional assets. For example, Coinbase, a popular cryptocurrency wallet, does not support naming a beneficiary for individual accounts and they require estate planning documents or proper probate court documents to transfer a Coinbase account. With proper estate planning, you can simplify the process for your beneficiaries and ensure that they inherit your cryptocurrency while avoiding unnecessary delay or expense. Wesley W. Harris is an associate attorney at Farrar & Williams, PLLC, a law firm limiting its practice to trusts, estate planning, and elder law, located at 1720 Higdon Ferry Road, Suite 202, Hot Springs, Arkansas, and can be contacted at 501-525-4401 or by email at wesley@ farrarwilliams.com. The firm’s website is farrarwilliams.com.
Show More