CompassionateCounsel
To navigate life’s transitions —
you don’t have to do it alone.
Roodhouse Law
Protect Your Wishes, Your Loved Ones & Their Future
Life’s transitions — planning for the future, settling a loved one’s affairs, or protecting someone vulnerable — can feel overwhelming. You don’t have to navigate them alone.
We take the time to thoroughly listen, clearly explain your options, and skillfully help you to move forward. Our firm believes legal guidance should feel human — compassionate, clear, respectful, and focused on what matters most to you.
Whether you’re preparing an estate plan, managing probate, administering a trust, or considering guardianship for a loved one, we will guide you forward with confidence. Every plan we build reflects the person it belongs to — their family, their values, and the outcomes they care about most.
Who We Are
An estate planning attorney, an author, a Tampa Bay native.
After practicing law for almost two decades, Erica K. Smith Roodhouse founded Roodhouse Law, PLLC in January 2026. Together with practicing estate planning, probate and trust administration, and guardianship law, she also frequently writes and speaks on those subjects.
She is a Graduate of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel’s Florida Fellows Institute and one of the current authors of the Florida Bar’s Basic Estate Planning in Florida treatise. She has served as President of the St. Petersburg Bar Association and President of the Suncoast Estate Planning Council.
A St. Petersburg native who enjoys life in the ‘Burg with her husband and pets.
Guiding families through the moments that matter most
Counsel that is thorough, plain-spoken, and genuinely kind.
Meet the Firm ▶Practice Philosophy
Good legal guidance should feel human.
Compassionate, clear, respectful, and focused on what matters most to you. We explain the law in plain language and give you room to think it through.
Each person is different — so is each plan.
We use our knowledge and experience, together with an understanding of your priorities and personal story, to create a unique plan that reflects your personality, passions, and goals.
A plan is only as good as the people who carry it out.
We help you choose and prepare the people who will act for you — personal representatives, trustees, health care surrogates and guardians — so no one is left guessing.
Planning is not only for later years.
Estate planning is for anyone who wants to protect their wishes — from the young adult embarking on marriage or parenthood to the widow or widower in their sunset years.
Services
We offer
Roodhouse Law, PLLC offers a full range of estate, trust and guardianship services for individuals and families across Tampa Bay — and for out-of-state families whose Florida matters need local counsel.
- Wills & revocable living trusts
- Incapacity planning & health care surrogacy
- Beneficiary designations & asset titling
- Multigenerational & dynasty planning
- Protecting beneficiaries & their creditors
- Estate tax reduction strategies
- Income tax planning for beneficiaries
- Charitable gift planning
- Lifetime gifting programs
- Probate administration
- Trust administration & trustee counsel
- Counsel for out-of-state families with Florida matters
- Guardianship for vulnerable adults
- Guardianship for minors
- Guardian advocacy and less restrictive alternatives
As your St. Petersburg estate planning firm,
we’re a good fit if you…
1Want a plan built around your family, not a template.
We start with your story — who you care for, what you own, what worries you — and design from there. Two families with similar balance sheets rarely need the same plan.
2Want your questions answered in plain language.
You should never leave a meeting unsure of what you just signed. We explain each document, what triggers it, and who it puts in charge.
3Want someone who will still be there afterward.
Plans need maintenance, and families need help when the moment actually comes. We stay available for the probate, the trust administration, and the guardianship that may follow.
Roodhouse Law
Legal guidance that feels human
Responsive communication
Questions answered promptly, in plain language, by the people actually handling your matter.
Knowledgeable counsel
Deep, current experience in Florida estate, trust, probate and guardianship law.
Compassionate support
Care for the people and relationships behind every document and every decision.
Where we serve
We are proud to serve clients across Tampa Bay and the state of Florida — and to work with families well beyond it when a Florida estate, trust, or vulnerable person is involved.
Estate planning clients in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, and Manatee Counties, as well as throughout Florida.
Probate, trust administration, and guardianship clients throughout Florida, the US, and the world — provided that their loved one’s estate, trust, or vulnerable person is in Florida.
They truly treat you with dignity and respect.
— KB JohnsonWhen my special needs daughter turned 18, I was initially incredibly overwhelmed by the guardianship process. From our very first meeting, Ms. Roodhouse put me at ease with her compassion, patience, and genuine kindness. She stepped in and simplified what felt like an intimidating process, handling everything she possibly could on her end and guiding me through the rest.
In the years since, Erica and her paralegal, Karen, have continued to be there whenever we’ve needed them, kindly and efficiently handling everything necessary to ensure the legal aspects of guardianship are maintained, allowing me to focus my energy on the responsibilities of being a caregiver.
What stands out most is how thoughtful, understanding, and completely nonjudgmental they are. They truly treat you with dignity and respect during what can be a very emotional and personal journey. I am deeply grateful for everything they have done for my family, and I recommend Erica without hesitation to anyone looking for an attorney who is not only exceptionally skilled but who genuinely cares about the people she represents.
Clarity, Comfort,Confidence
Planning ahead in Tampa Bay — or facing a transition right now? Let’s talk it through.
727-521-7400Whether you are preparing an estate plan, settling a loved one’s affairs, administering a trust, or seeking guardianship for someone vulnerable, we will listen first and then lay out your options clearly. Consultations are by appointment at our downtown St. Petersburg office, by phone, or by video.
Let’s Talk
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