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

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.

The importance of long-term care planning

March 28, 2025
Did you know that nursing home care in Arkansas can be nearly 70% more expensive than assisted living facilities? This staggering statistic underscores the importance of planning for long-term care — not just for yourself, but for your loved ones, as well. As you look ahead to 2025, here’s a New Year’s resolution worth adding to your list: Take time to explore your options and make a plan for long-term care. It’s not exactly a topic people enjoy thinking about, let alone discussing. In fact, the discomfort around aging is one of the biggest reasons many people delay or avoid proper estate and long-term care planning. If this sounds familiar, don’t feel guilty — you’re not alone. Long-term care insurance is often the best way to prepare for the future. This type of insurance can help you avoid the high costs of nursing home care by covering expenses for in-home care or assisted living. Despite its advantages, most people don’t purchase long-term care insurance, leaving them with limited and often less desirable options when the need for care arises. Here’s the reality: without long-term care insurance, your options for covering nursing home costs are limited to two primary paths: 1. Private Pay: You can pay out of pocket if you have sufficient assets. However, with nursing home costs averaging between $7,000 and $10,000 per month, this method quickly becomes unsustainable for most families. 2. Long-Term Care Medicaid: This government program can help cover nursing home costs, but it comes with strict income and asset requirements. The eligibility rules can vary depending on whether you’re single or married, adding another layer of complexity to the process. Unfortunately, without long-term care insurance, Medicaid is often the only viable option. However, it’s important to note that Medicaid typically does not cover in-home care, which means nursing home care may become unavoidable for those relying solely on this program.  Over the years, our firm has helped hundreds of individuals and families navigate the challenging process of obtaining long-term care Medicaid eligibility. Our expertise ensures that you don’t have to face these hurdles alone. Now is the time to take control of your future. Planning ahead for longterm care not only protects your assets but also provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones. Don’t wait until it’s too late — start the conversation today.

Family conversations

March 28, 2025
If you are like me, you will be spending a lot of time with family and friends this holiday season. I often encourage clients to use this family time as an opportunity to discuss their estate plan and as a way to instill values in their children or grandchildren. I was recently reminded of this by Warren Buffett’s most recent shareholder letter, where his one suggestion to all parents, whether they are of modest or staggering wealth, was when your children are mature, have them read your will before you sign it. While it might not sound like the merriest conversation to have around the dinner table, it can often help avoid surprises and even increase family harmony. Families that speak freely about these matters might avoid surprises and can oftentimes make better plans involving choice of Executor or Trustee, succession plans for a family business, and long-term care decisions. If you have never considered an estate plan, this might be a good time to seek your family’s opinion. As Warren Buffett continued in his letter, be sure each child understands both the logic for your decisions and the responsibilities they will encounter upon your death. You don’t want your children asking “Why?” in respect to testamentary decisions when you are no longer able to respond. The conversation might be less about what the family thinks of your current estate plan and more about what the family’s role is in the event of your incapacity or death. It is important to let the person you have named as your agent under a Power of Attorney, Executor or Trustee know that they have been named, in order that they understand their responsibilities. It might even be a good idea to introduce your Executor or Trustee to your estate planning attorney. These conversations can also encourage your children to consider their own estate plan, including naming a guardian for their minor children through their Last Will and Testament, or setting up a family trust.  How each family handles these delicate conversations depends on personalities and preferences of the family. Perhaps this conversation should be held through a series of talks instead of one large one. It might be best to talk only to the child(ren) you have named as Executor or Trustee, or even to talk separately to each child to hear their opinions and fears.
Show More

Recent Blog Posts

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.

The importance of long-term care planning

March 28, 2025
Did you know that nursing home care in Arkansas can be nearly 70% more expensive than assisted living facilities? This staggering statistic underscores the importance of planning for long-term care — not just for yourself, but for your loved ones, as well. As you look ahead to 2025, here’s a New Year’s resolution worth adding to your list: Take time to explore your options and make a plan for long-term care. It’s not exactly a topic people enjoy thinking about, let alone discussing. In fact, the discomfort around aging is one of the biggest reasons many people delay or avoid proper estate and long-term care planning. If this sounds familiar, don’t feel guilty — you’re not alone. Long-term care insurance is often the best way to prepare for the future. This type of insurance can help you avoid the high costs of nursing home care by covering expenses for in-home care or assisted living. Despite its advantages, most people don’t purchase long-term care insurance, leaving them with limited and often less desirable options when the need for care arises. Here’s the reality: without long-term care insurance, your options for covering nursing home costs are limited to two primary paths: 1. Private Pay: You can pay out of pocket if you have sufficient assets. However, with nursing home costs averaging between $7,000 and $10,000 per month, this method quickly becomes unsustainable for most families. 2. Long-Term Care Medicaid: This government program can help cover nursing home costs, but it comes with strict income and asset requirements. The eligibility rules can vary depending on whether you’re single or married, adding another layer of complexity to the process. Unfortunately, without long-term care insurance, Medicaid is often the only viable option. However, it’s important to note that Medicaid typically does not cover in-home care, which means nursing home care may become unavoidable for those relying solely on this program.  Over the years, our firm has helped hundreds of individuals and families navigate the challenging process of obtaining long-term care Medicaid eligibility. Our expertise ensures that you don’t have to face these hurdles alone. Now is the time to take control of your future. Planning ahead for longterm care not only protects your assets but also provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones. Don’t wait until it’s too late — start the conversation today.

Family conversations

March 28, 2025
If you are like me, you will be spending a lot of time with family and friends this holiday season. I often encourage clients to use this family time as an opportunity to discuss their estate plan and as a way to instill values in their children or grandchildren. I was recently reminded of this by Warren Buffett’s most recent shareholder letter, where his one suggestion to all parents, whether they are of modest or staggering wealth, was when your children are mature, have them read your will before you sign it. While it might not sound like the merriest conversation to have around the dinner table, it can often help avoid surprises and even increase family harmony. Families that speak freely about these matters might avoid surprises and can oftentimes make better plans involving choice of Executor or Trustee, succession plans for a family business, and long-term care decisions. If you have never considered an estate plan, this might be a good time to seek your family’s opinion. As Warren Buffett continued in his letter, be sure each child understands both the logic for your decisions and the responsibilities they will encounter upon your death. You don’t want your children asking “Why?” in respect to testamentary decisions when you are no longer able to respond. The conversation might be less about what the family thinks of your current estate plan and more about what the family’s role is in the event of your incapacity or death. It is important to let the person you have named as your agent under a Power of Attorney, Executor or Trustee know that they have been named, in order that they understand their responsibilities. It might even be a good idea to introduce your Executor or Trustee to your estate planning attorney. These conversations can also encourage your children to consider their own estate plan, including naming a guardian for their minor children through their Last Will and Testament, or setting up a family trust.  How each family handles these delicate conversations depends on personalities and preferences of the family. Perhaps this conversation should be held through a series of talks instead of one large one. It might be best to talk only to the child(ren) you have named as Executor or Trustee, or even to talk separately to each child to hear their opinions and fears.
Show More