How To Interview A Deceased Estates Lawyer
Are you looking for a deceased estates lawyer to help out with your estate planning process? If you are, you could be experiencing difficulties finding a lawyer that suits your needs. Below are some questions to help you interview a deceased estates lawyer and find a professional that offers high-quality services.
What Are Your Qualifications?
Establish whether the lawyer is qualified to conduct estate planning. As such, assess the lawyer's academic and licensing documents. Consider lawyers that have continuous professional development training or those with post-graduate diplomas. These lawyers are up to date with changing regulations and industry trends. Ideally, your lawyer should be a member of a professional association. These associations compel their members to observe a strict code of ethics. Besides, they can help solve client-lawyer disputes.
What Estate Planning Services Do You Provide?
The lawyer should offer a comprehensive range of estate planning services. For instance, they should appraise your estate and offer consultation services on how you can manage the estate. The estates lawyer should also help you write a watertight will that cannot be disputed in court. The professional should also help you store your will.
An experienced deceased estates lawyer can help you create trusts. For instance, if you intend to donate to charity, the lawyer will help you set up a trust that defines the annual contributions you will make to the charity, how the charity should spend the money and how long they will receive your donations.
What Role Will You Play During Probate?
Consider lawyers that intend on forming long-term partnerships with their clients. For instance, some lawyers will help the executor file the grant of probate. Besides, the lawyer will also read and interpret the terms of your will to your beneficiaries. If your beneficiaries want to contest the will, the lawyer will explain the consequences of their actions. Additionally, the professional will also help them transfer assets to their names.
What Are Your Terms?
One of your concerns when evaluating the lawyer's terms is how they will safeguard your privacy. Wills and estates lawyers have access to sensitive personal information such as your finances and the terms of your will. Therefore, they must give guarantees that this information will not land in the wrong hands. For example, they could store these documents in safes and refrain from reproducing these documents. You should also examine the lawyer's terms of contract termination, dispute resolution policy and insurance coverage.
When interviewing a wills and estates lawyer, examine their qualifications, services, role during probate and terms of the contract.