For children of immigrants with family, property, or investments in Africa and the Caribbean, a standard U.S. estate plan leaves gaps — this practice was built to close them.
Did you know that you already have an estate plan? It's not a good one, but you have one — courtesy of the state, and potentially, courtesy of a country you left decades ago. If you pass away without a will or the right documents in place, the state decides who inherits your U.S. property. And separately, without coordinated planning, the property, land, or business you or your parents hold in Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, or Trinidad may become tied up for years in a foreign probate or succession process your family never anticipated.
At Ejiogu & Associates, we design estate plans that give our clients real control over their assets and affairs — while they're alive, after they pass away, and across every border their life has touched. We pair traditional U.S. estate planning tools with the international legal relationships our immigration practice has built over 25+ years.
Who this is for: Adult children of immigrants who've inherited — or expect to inherit — property, land, or business interests in Africa or the Caribbean, and want a plan that protects both their U.S. life and their family's overseas legacy.
Every international plan starts with a strong domestic one. These are the core documents we use to protect you and your family here in the United States.
A will allows you to specify who receives your assets after you pass away, and to name a guardian for minor children if they are orphaned. It's an essential piece of a comprehensive estate plan — but on its own, it's only valid after death, so it can't provide control over your finances and care during incapacity, and it doesn't let your heirs avoid the delay, expense, and lack of privacy of probate. We take the time to explain each component of a will and how it fits into your overall strategy.
Different trusts accomplish different goals. A revocable living trust helps your estate avoid probate and gives you more control over distribution than a will alone. An irrevocable trust can provide asset protection against long-term care costs, lawsuits, and creditors. Specialized trusts can fund the needs of a loved one with special needs, or hold and manage foreign property on behalf of U.S. beneficiaries. We'll help determine which type — or combination — is right for your family.
A power of attorney authorizes someone you trust to make financial or medical decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated. We help you keep these documents current and thoughtfully executed, so your chosen decision-maker can act with clarity and authority when it matters most — including coordinating authority for assets held abroad.
An advance directive specifies the medical and personal care you want if you lose the ability to communicate your wishes, and names who will communicate them for you. It sets forth the care you do or do not want in an end-of-life situation.
This document specifies who is allowed to access your medical information. Without it, your loved ones — even those overseas — may not be able to get information about your condition in an emergency.
This is where our practice differs from a typical estate planning firm — built specifically for families whose lives, and legacies, span the Atlantic.
We help you inventory and plan for land, homes, and business interests held in Africa or the Caribbean, and coordinate your U.S. estate documents so they don't conflict with — or get ignored by — the succession laws of the country where the property sits.
Through our established relationships with authorized representatives and partner counsel — including our collaboration with government-designated representatives on Caribbean citizenship matters — we help connect your family with trusted local counsel where your assets are located.
We advise on how dual citizenship, residency status, and foreign nationality laws affect who can inherit property abroad, and help structure plans that keep heirs eligible under both U.S. and foreign law.
When assets need to move — whether bringing inherited funds into the U.S. or transferring U.S. assets to family abroad — we help you understand the legal and tax touchpoints involved, and coordinate with the right professionals on each side.
We've spent decades helping families build their lives in the U.S. We understand the legacy questions that come after — not just the legal ones, but the family ones.
Our existing work in Caribbean citizenship by investment, and our attorneys' backgrounds across Nigerian-American and broader diaspora communities, mean we already have the relationships cross-border planning requires.
Blended households, property held informally by extended family, heirs living on different continents — we design around the reality of diaspora families, not a one-size-fits-all template.
Schedule a consultation to walk through your family's U.S. and international assets, and leave with a clear plan forward.