5 Questions to Ask an Estate Attorney

When it comes to estate planning, there are many things to think about. One of the most important things is making sure you have an attorney you can trust who can help guide you through the process. Here are five questions to ask an estate attorney before hiring them.

1. How Much Experience Do You Have With Estate Planning?

You want an attorney who can help you with the specific area of law you need assistance with. Estate planning is a unique area of law, and those who practice it have developed unique skills which they will use to your benefit. An experienced estate planning attorney will be able to review all of your documents and give you their best recommendations as to what would work best for your particular situation.

2. How Much Will This Cost?

An estate attorney should always provide you with a written quote detailing how much their services will cost and what that includes. Estate Planning services provided by a qualified estate attorney will be valuable to the ones you leave behind. That said, a comprehensive estate plan that makes things easy for your loved ones will cost anywhere from $2,000-$6,000.

3. Do You Offer a Free Initial Consultation?

A Free Initial Consultation is generally conducted over the phone. It is worth it to speak to an estate attorney or with a staff member to see if scheduling an appointment to design your Estate Plan is the right fit. In most instances, if there is a fee assessed for a meeting with an attorney, that fee is credited toward the total amount of the Estate Planning cost.

4. What Documents Will You Need?

Our office provides clients with homework that needs to be done in advance of the meeting. Generally, anything related to your finances should be provided before the meeting (such as bank statements, life insurance policies, investment accounts, tax returns, and so forth).

5. What is Your Availability?

We have support staff available by phone 6:00am-10:00pm seven days a week for questions, concerns, or emergencies. It is our policy to return phone calls and emails within 24 hours. While our office staff is available 8:30am-5:00pm M-F, we can make accommodations for after-hour meetings. According to a Caring.com survey, 1 in 3 respondents said COVID made them realize a greater need for an estate plan, but 31% of those who recognized this need did nothing about it. It’s important not to be that person. Starting the process is easier than you may think, and it’s a lot better to be proactive now than reactive later. Call us today to speak to an estate attorney about what you need.