Whether you are a multimillionaire or a simple person who has lived their life enough to accumulate assets in this lifetime, looking into having your trust and will be made at some point in time is inevitable. Seeking the help of estate planning attorneys can help make the whole process a lot easier.
While estate planning is not uncommon, it is still important to find an estate planning attorney in Denver who can properly assist you throughout the whole process. Below, are some questions you can ask to help you better evaluate their personality and services.
1. How long have you been in the field of estate planning?
If you have a fairly uncomplicated family history and minimal assets, then working with an attorney who does not have a long experience in drafting wills and trust is alright. However, if you own a lot of estates and has a huge family, then working with an experienced one should be considered.
2. Is your focus on estate planning?
Regardless of whether they have worked in the field for a long time, or is just starting with their career, working with someone whose focus is on estate planning is a must and would be beneficial.
3. How do you charge for your services?
Nowadays, estate planning attorneys charge a fixed price for their overall service. However, it is still important to talk about the figured and clarify their fees and policies.
Although most lawyers charge with a fixed price, this does not mean that they cannot change their policies and charge you by the hour in the future. There are other kinds of services that your case might require which is not covered in your attorney’s fees.
When this happens, they usually charge more. Thus, before hiring your attorney, it is important to talk about the coverage of their service and the possibilities of changing the fee structure in the future.
4. Will you assist me with my revocable living trust?
It is easy for an estate planning attorney to help you come up with your will. However, not all attorneys can help you with planning a revocable living trust. A revocable living trust is different from a will in a sense that you can easily change it anytime while you are still alive.
It gives you the opportunity to choose with whom to leave your properties to when you die. This is also a common tool used to avoid a more complex process of probate.
5. Do you offer updates and maintenance?
Most lawyers do not offer an update and maintenance automatically. But, for a minimal fee, you can avail this service wherein the office contacts you for updates and any changes. Your life changes, so as the law and, therefore, it pays to have an estate plan that is up to date.
Asking the right questions from your estate attorney can help you determine what kind of working relationship that you will have. It pays to work with someone whom you are very comfortable with. Take your time and effort in choosing the right lawyer to handle your estate.
