What Does an Estate Planning Lawyer Do?

Estate planning involves making plans on how to secure or distribute your estate in the event of your death or incapacitation. However, the process can be quite challenging which is why the services of an estate planning lawyer are important.

An estate planning lawyer is a professional who guides and helps you through the process of planning your estate and ensures your wishes are followed. In this article, we’ll explain the job description of an estate planning attorney.

What Do Estate Attorneys Do?

Estate planning lawyers are licensed lawyers who specialize in asset protection and distribution, as well as end-of-life planning. Estate planning attorneys work with their clients to create customized estate plans according to their needs.

Your estate planning attorney or estate planner will assist you with tasks such as:

• Identifying your beneficiaries
• Preparing a will alongside other estate planning documents
• Setting up limited and/ or durable power of attorney (POA)
• Establishing advanced healthcare directives and a living will
• Helping you choose the best type of trust that fits your needs
• Setting up trusts to secure and transfer assets before and after your death
• Set up other legal documents that may be important to your case like LLCs
• Working with others like your financial advisors and CPAs to reduce estate tax burdens through tax planning
• Establishing ways to avoid the probate process
• Minimize estate or inheritance taxes when applicable, as well as federal estate tax

An estate planning attorney sometimes is called an estate attorney, estate lawyer (or estate lawyers), or simply an estate planner.

Do I Need An Estate Attorney?

The estate planning process is not an easy one. You need a professional estate planning attorney to guide and help you through this process. A experienced estate planning attorney will ensure that every part of your estate planning process is taken care of to prevent undue conflict and confusion after your passing.

Instead of going through this process on your own, working with an estate planning lawyer is the best choice and it has its benefits, some of which include:

• A plan customized to suit your needs and the needs of your family
• You get access to legal advice and learn more about your situation from the perspective of a specialist.
• Insight on the laws affecting estate planning.
• You’ll be sure that you’re not breaking any state or federal laws during your estate planning process.

Estate planning attorneys plan for the worst. It is part of their job to think about all potential scenarios and make that part of your plan. They will ask you about minor children, what happens if you become incapacitated (health care directives are so important), life insurance policies, personal property, and so many other things.

An experienced attorney will showcase their expertise in the initial meeting with their law firm by presenting questions that you may not have known should be considered.

How to find an estate planning attorney

Below are four things that can help you find the best estate planning attorney.

Start with qualifications

You may want to start your search from the lawyer associations and councils in your state or county where you can find a qualified estate planning attorney.

Ask for recommendations

When searching for the best estate planning lawyer, word-of-mouth helps a lot. You can ask around in your area from family and friends for efficient estate planning lawyers near you. Referrals help you cut to the chase and find an estate planning lawyer that’s right for you. 

Request a free consult

Most lawyers offer free consultations so that their clients can get to know them better. It’s important to maintain good rapport with your attorney during the consultation period so you can feel comfortable enough to discuss private family matters later on. The estate planning attorney cost should be discussed on that meeting as well.

Employing these methods will help you find an estate planning lawyer without stress or hassle.