Questions To Ask During Your First Meeting With An Estate Planning Lawyer
Family law attorneys get a barrage of calls from new clients on the first business Monday of the calendar year, so many that the Internet has taken to calling this day Divorce Monday. First meetings with estate planning lawyers, by contrast, are more evenly spaced throughout the year. The Grim Reaper lurks in approximately equal proximity in every season. Yes, some seniors set the New Year’s resolution to get started on their estate plans at the beginning of the year, but by the time most people get to the age of thinking about their estate plans, they have long since given up on New Year’s resolutions. If you have not gotten started on your estate plan, or if you have gotten started but recently realized that estate planning is more complicated than you originally thought, it is always the right time to set up a consultation with an estate planning attorney. Whether you are starting from scratch or have had some false starts with estate planning, these are some questions you should ask during your first consultation with a Tampa estate planning lawyer.
What Are Your Other Cases Like?
A law firm’s website, if the law firm has invested sufficient attention in it, shows what kinds of cases the law firm prefers to represent. For example, some law firms market themselves to wealthy clients. If your law firm does not deal exclusively with estate planning, probate, and elder law cases, you should run in the opposite direction, unless you live in a rural area, because this lawyer is practicing door law. Door law is when a law firm that employs just a few lawyers agrees to represent every client that walks through the door, regardless of whether the client needs help with a probate case, criminal defense, divorce, or a business dispute. This invariably leads to lawyers being stretched thin and not giving their full attention to your case.
The more your lawyer’s previous experience matches your situation, the better. It is good if your lawyer has set up trusts before, but it is even better if your lawyer has set up trusts for the purpose of Medicaid asset protection.
When Will I Need to Seek the Help of Other Lawyers?
It is possible to hire the same estate planning lawyer for all your elder law needs, from powers of attorney to wills and trusts. You will need a family lawyer, though, if you are getting remarried late in life and want to sign a prenuptial agreement that matches your will, to avoid complications in probate when one spouse dies.
How Does Payment Work?
Generally, estate planning lawyers charge an hourly rate for the time they spend working on your case. For some estate planning documents, such as wills and powers of attorney, your lawyer may charge a flat fee.
Contact David Toback About Getting Started on Your Estate Plan
A Central Florida estate planning lawyer can help you strategize about your estate plan and draft the documents you need. Contact David Toback in Tampa, Florida to set up a consultation.
Source:
getthecoast.com/attorney-whitney-smith-warns-against-poor-mans-estate-planning-strategies/
