A good estate planning attorney will help you lay out your wishes for the disposition of your property and assets. This will ensure that your loved ones will receive exactly what you want and avoid any questions, misunderstandings or legal issues after your death. Your estate plan will consist of several documents, including a Will, trusts, power of attorney and life insurance policies. Your attorney should be knowledgeable about all of these, and able to provide you with the best options for implementing your plans in a tax-advantaged manner.
A well-qualified attorney will have significant experience in this area of the law. They will have been trained to understand all of the laws in their state, both at the federal and state level, with specialization in those areas that affect estates and wills. They will also be familiar with the unique laws in their jurisdiction that affect inheritance, property transfer and taxation.
The first step in finding the right attorney for your needs is to ask for recommendations from friends and family members who have used one themselves. This can be a very effective way of quickly narrowing down the field, and it is often easier to find someone with whom you are comfortable working for years to come.
Once you have compiled a list of potential attorneys, schedule an interview with each. Make sure that you have all the necessary information and documents that your attorney will need, and be prepared to answer questions about your situation and goals. If the attorney is offering a free consultation, find out how long it will last and whether they will charge for any time that goes over.
During the interview, you should look for an attorney who welcomes your questions and provides answers in a clear manner. They should not speak in legalese that you cannot understand, and they should be genuinely interested in getting to know you and your story. If the attorney does not seem to care or seems distracted, this could be a red flag.
Your attorney should be able to provide you with a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with creating and executing your estate plan. This will include their hourly rates and any other fees for specific services, such as creating or updating trusts, powers of attorney and wills. Depending on your situation, you may be able to negotiate a flat fee or bundled service package.
It is important to find an attorney who will review your plans on a regular basis, or at least once every three years. This will keep your documents up-to-date and will help to ensure that any changes in the laws do not have a negative effect on your estate plan. An experienced attorney will be able to identify any changes that need to be made and address them as quickly as possible. This will reduce the likelihood of conflicts and disagreements in the future, which can lead to costly litigation for your family.
