5 Reasons to Hire an Attorney for Estate Planning
By: Solid Serenity Legal Solutions
Estate and family legacy planning today comes in many varieties and forms. And, the places to find estate planning resources are just as plentiful. Some people try to save a buck by using an online document farm, or by finding forms and doing their planning themselves.
Though, often, any plan is better than none, you should really consider having a professional attorney who is knowledgeable in estate and family planning prepare your documents. Here are 5 reasons to hire an attorney to do your estate plan.
(1) Your Documents Will Be Valid
Laws surrounding probates and estate planning can change often. The probate laws of the state you live in guide your attorney’s recommendations about your plans. When you use an attorney you can be certain the attorney will apply the specific laws of the state you live in to your plan.
(2) Your Documents Will Follow Your Wishes and You Can Update as Needed
Estate planning documents are complex and can be confusing. The online and do-it-yourself mazes can cause misunderstandings. These misunderstandings may lead your documents to come out saying something entirely different than you really wanted.
Estate attorneys can walk you through the process and fine-tune your documents to your specific goals and needs. Having a live person to speak to and work with can really mean wonders for meeting your goals.
Also, having an attorney you know, trust, and like on hand means you will be ready to update your documents when big life changes occur and can rely on them for advice on the best ways to update your documents.
If you do not have an estate plan, or your plan winds up being invalid because you did not properly follow your state’s laws, your family will have to spend time and money going to probate. And, the state will likely decide for your family who gets what in the court proceedings.
(3) You Can Get Advice About Titling Assets and Choosing Beneficiaries
Many people assume you make your estate planning documents and that’s the end of it. It’s not. If you have a trust, your trust is only as good as what you put in it.
In our experience, online and do-it-yourself plans don’t instruct clients very clearly on how to title their assets to avoid probate. If the assets aren’t titled properly, the estate plan will fail.
A properly trained attorney can tell you exactly what you need to do, how you need to do it, and can even title your assets appropriately for you if you need them to. Learn more about probate here.
(4) You Will Have Professional Documents
Many online documents are merely forms that are filled out the same way and spit out the same way by hundreds of people. They are not individually tailored to you. Moreover, many of these forms require witnesses not related to you and notarization of everyone’s signatures.
With an online shop, you are left to figure out how to line these witnesses and notaries up for yourself. An attorney will provide you with the appropriate witnesses and notaries to make your documents comply with your state’s laws.
(5) You Will Have a Continuing Relationship
Easily the most important part of having an attorney do your estate plan is your ongoing relationship. Once an estate plan is completed, it is in place for many years. If you ever have questions or concerns, you have someone you can rely on that you can ask.
Often, the attorney will also be available to your family when they need to follow your plan. Your attorney, who is familiar with your plan and wishes, can guide your heirs through the plan and any processes seamlessly.
If you need an estate plan, call today to hire an attorney for your estate planning needs.
My father-in-law is getting older and needs to start planning his estate. I like the idea of him hiring an attorney to help him. That way everything will be lawful and hold up in court.
My grandma is starting to forget things a lot and she is thinking about planning her estate now so that she can be more prepared in the future. She would love to get a professional to help her figure out how the law works and what decisions will be best for her. I liked what you said about how the appropriate notaries and witnesses will be provided by the attorney.
I like what you said about using a probate lawyer so that you can ensure that your plan adheres to the laws. My sister has been telling me about how she wants to make sure that her will is ready when she passes away. I’ll share this information with her so that she can look into her options for attorneys who can help her with this.
Thanks for explaining how it’s common for probate laws to change, which is why it’s good to get the guidance of an attorney. Since this is the case, you’d probably want to ensure you find a local attorney that has a good reputation for keeping track of any changes. Reading reviews could help you learn about the attorneys in your area, and you could then meet with them to ask questions about their probate services to figure out which one to hire.
My husband and I want an estate plan. You said that we can get an attorney to tell us exactly what we need to do. This sounds beneficial, as we have no idea what we’re doing.
Thanks for mentioning that the laws encircling probates and estate planning change often and it’s a good idea to choose a lawyer that can apply state-specific laws to your case. My sister is thinking of hiring probate law services next week because her husband’s mother passed away last month and they might need help with dividing her estate. I think it’s a good investment to hire a reputable professional that knows state laws regarding the probate process in order to help them the best way possible.
I appreciated that you said that the estate attorney will help you update your documents when big events happen. This is something that is very important, and I will keep it in mind as I try to plan my estate. I would really like to find a local lawyer that will guide me through this process soon so I can learn even more about the right decisions to make.
I love the idea of having an attorney walk me through the estate process. That stuff is so confusing and I feel like no one really understands it unless they are a lawyer. I want to plan my estate just in case something ever happens to me so I’ll call an attorney and have them walk me through it.
Such a great blog. Thank you for the tips. Everything was explained very well and clear. I appreciate it very much.
My dad is thinking about hiring an attorney to help him with his estate planning. I like how you mentioned that an attorney will know all of the laws of your state and help you plan your estate within those laws. I will be sure to pass this information along to my dad so he can make his decision.
I never knew that having an attorney during the estate planning process could help you streamline the legalities needed for it. My aunt plans to ensure that her daughter could inherit her assets and properties upon her passing. I’ll help her find a lawyer that suits her needs the next time we meet.