Have you finally decided to create an estate plan but you don’t know how to hire an estate planning attorney or a trust attorney for your trust? Hiring an estate planning or trust attorney doesn’t have to be difficult if you know the right questions to ask. These questions will give you an insight into their abilities and will tell which is best for your estate.
Before we consider the 6 questions, lets us look at who an estate planning attorney is.
Who is an Estate Planning Attorney?
Estate planning attorneys specializes in several areas of estate plan, including federal and state laws regarding wills, taxes, trusts, and power of attorneys.
Who is a trust attorney?
A trust attorney is basically an estate planning expert who can help you create the important paperwork to set up a trust for your estate.
Questions to ask
1. What is included in an estate plan?
The first question you should ask the attorney you wish to hire is what is included in an estate plan. The basic documents that every individual should have as part of their estate plan are a last will and testament, a durable power of attorney, a living will, and a health care power of attorney. You may also need some extra documents like a supplemental needs trust for individuals in your family who are disabled or handicapped.
2. How do you charge for estate planning and the setting up of a trust?
Figuring out the hiring fee of an estate planning attorney or a trust attorney is very important. Thus, ensure you ask the estate planning attorney or the trust attorney how he or she charges. It is on an hourly basis? Or does he charge a flat rate like some attorneys do? Are there any additional charges? These are the things you ought to find out.
3. Does your practice include probate?
Probate is a very common estate planning process done to determine the validity of a will. If you would be hiring an estate planning attorney it makes sense to find out if they are able to supervise a probate process should your estate or the estate of a loved one undergo this process.
4. Do you charge for probate?
Another question you need to ask before hiring an estate planning attorney is how much they charge for the probate work they do ( if at all they do it). Again, this is a chance for the attorney you want to hire to explain to you the probate process, the steps involved, the duration of the process, and the entire charges for these services.
5. Aside from a law degree do you own any other certificate?
Being able to work with an individual who has a wide array of professional background and experiences can raise your chances of hiring the best attorney for you. In states such as California, estate planners can take a certification test that will appoint them as a specialist. They can as well decide to become certified Financial Advisors or Certified Financial Planners.
6. Are there other options to handling my case?
Good attorneys are those who are upfront and transparent about alternative techniques that can save you time and of course, money down the road. In estate planning cases, your lawyer may recommend a short-term technique of using your beneficiary designation and writing your will to save the expense of setting up a trust.
Need an estate planning attorney?
Planning an estate can be a complicated process. It involves a lot of paperwork and legal documents like power of attorney, trust, will, etc. Thus, if you want to plan your estate the right way, it is important that you contact a professional.
An estate planning attorney can help you in several ways. This professional can help you plan your estate and help you create the necessary estate planning documents. If you need to update your estate plan, this professional can be of help as well. Also, if you have concerns or questions, contacting an estate planning attorney is the best way to find answers.
We boast of competent estate planning attorneys who can help you navigate the tough estate planning process. Simple get in touch with our office so we can offer you or your loved ones our professional services.
