10 Essential Questions To Ask an Estate Planning Attorney

At Adviser Investments, we’ve spent nearly 25 years working closely with our clients on their financial plans. We’ve learned that if you want your legacy to reflect your wishes, it’s important to get your estate in order while time is on your side. Adding a good estate planning attorney to your wealth management team now is a smart money move.

Of course, finding the right attorney can seem like the biggest obstacle to making your plans a reality. But it’s worth it. Having a clear, secure estate plan laid out ahead of time will spare you and your heirs stress and leave you free to focus on what really matters to you for the rest of your life.

With this in mind, the Adviser Investments Financial Planning Team has put together a list of 10 essential questions to ask an estate planning attorney. These questions should help you evaluate any attorney’s capabilities, identify areas of concern and enable you to determine if you can build a successful working relationship with them.

Topics include:

• The dangers of probate
• Fee structures and special services
• A final checklist to help you sort candidates

In addition to the questions below, it’s a good idea to check your state bar association to make sure the attorney hasn’t been censured or disciplined for malpractice. The American Bar Association maintains a list of state disciplinary organizations (http://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/resources/ links_of_interest/).Each state’s site is different, but most have a look-up tool or database where you can find any past complaints.