5-Star Estate Planning Attorney Cindy Sayegh in Contra Costa County
There are many confusing terms in the legal facet of estate planning. Many people who attempt to embark on estate planning without an attorney’s assistance eventually end up confused and needing clarification on several things.
Also, the relevance of a legal advisor for this purpose should not be up for argument. It is what everyone that understands the need to live for posterity should do.
The situation can be even more complicated for certain people as there are differences in state laws about this subject. Getting an attorney that understands your state estate planning law’s legal peculiarities is important to ensure that you are not caught on the wrong side of the law.
For instance, if you are resident in Contra Costa County, California, you certainly need an estate planning attorney in Contra Costa County that understands local laws in this regard. This legal advisor will then bring you up to speed on certain processes, ensuring that living for posterity can become a reality.
However, the process of finding and hiring such professionals should tick certain boxes because of the sensitivity of the task required of them. This is because, as with many other professional tasks out there, there are good, average, and below-par estate planning attorneys all around.
Therefore, this article will discuss tips on hiring the right legal representation in the interest of effectively planning your estate.
Tips on Hiring an Estate Planning Attorney
Good men live for the days after they stop living. Good men live for posterity. This is the mindset of everyone determined to ensure that his/her estate ends up well and that the beneficiaries are legally protected.
On this note, here are some tested and proven tips to help you hire the right estate planning attorney:
Understand the Process as Much as You Can
Understandably, you are not a legal representative and may be ignorant of many laws about this subject. However, it would help if you got yourself acquainted with the state legal framework on estate planning as much as you can. This is definitely in the best interest of all concerned.
Your quest for knowledge should align with the legal peculiarities of your location(s). This is because these laws have clear cut differences in certain locations. For instance, there is a contrast between these laws in California and Florida.
This knowledge will come in handy when hiring a legal representative as you already know certain things to look out for. This is better than not having any idea of how the process works.
Hire Someone that Understand State Laws on this Subject
As you can rightly tell by now, the process is not just about getting a lawyer but getting a good one. More than this, the hired counsel should be trained and experienced in your state’s law.
It does not mean there are no cases of legal advisers who effectively carry out these functions across states. This is possible as some legal firms have satellite offices across states that can help clients in need of this service.
Be that as it may, the attorney you eventually get on board must understand the state laws on estate planning and help prevent complications after your passing.
Hire Someone that Can Breaks things Down for You
There are several gray areas about estate management, and this explains why people have difficulty understanding it. However, you need a legal counsel that can explain every relevant thing to you, making sure that you are well aware of the decisions you are about to take.
You should not hire anyone unable to help you understand what you need to. This might be the first sign that such a person cannot handle such a sensitive task.
Ask Questions about Law School Background
Frankly, this is not high up on the list of how you can tell a good estate planning attorney from a bad one. However, judging by this yardstick has proven helpful for many clients and even legal firms that hire attorneys to handle such cases for their clients.
On that note, you should not make light of your prospective legal counsel’s law school background. This is because the legal background goes a long way in shaping his/her ability to handle professional issues and conducting himself/herself appropriately.
The truth is that certain schools have a rich history of producing top-quality estate planning attorneys. For information on some of such institutions, you can visit: https://llm-guide.com/schools/usa/concentration/estate-planning
A Professional with Industry Experience
Do not only go about finding out the law school background of the potential candidate. You should equally pay attention to how much experience s/he brings to the table. This is because this helps them better understand the legal framework and make it work for you.
So, you should ask about previous jobs handled by the candidate and see if a professional relationship would work between both of you.
Seek Advice from Credible Sources
There are still certain things that will be unclear, no matter how much research you carry out as a layman. So, you should seek the advice of industry experts on hiring an estate planning attorney.
This can be a referral from a lawyer specializing in another field of law, a financial analyst, and others. You can also be on the lookout for clients that can put in a good word for their estate planning attorneys because of how professional and experienced they are.
Work with A Professional with a Ready Succession Plan
You should understand that it is not just about ensuring your assets are well protected and family is taken care of after your passing. You also need to entertain the possibility of your attorney passing on before you.
For this reason, you must hire a candidate that has a ready succession plan if anything happens to him. Awkward as it may seem, you should ask the candidate about this issue. For more information on this subject, you can read this article.
Estate Planning Attorney: On a Final Note
As stated earlier, good men live for the days after they stop living. This is the thought process of a man/woman who hires an estate attorney. This act is intended to ensure that all that was acquired during one’s lifetime is well taken care of and greatly beneficial to the beneficiaries.
On that note, we have shared tips that will help you hire the right legal counsel for this purpose. By paying attention to these tips while considering anyone, you will most likely end up with the right person.
