Estate Planning 101 – Part 3 – Working With Counsel But Controlling Your Plan

Before we start looking in more detail at estate planning, it might be helpful to make some general comments about meeting with an estate planning attorney and controlling your estate plan overall.

Information

It may be helpful to gather up some basic information and make a list of some basic questions in advance of meeting with an estate planning attorney. There is going to be a basic discussion of your family.  There is going to be a basic discussion of property and other affairs.  There is going to be a discussion of anything major or unusual or troublesome if your life, from a child with an addiction or special needs issues to a multi-generation family business you are a part of.

However, do not forget the main point of my last post: do not feel like you have to have estate planning all figured out or every detail of what you want to do put together in advance. Generally, if you do that, you will never get an estate plan in place. 

Job of An Estate Planning Attorney

The main job of an estate planning attorney is:

1) to give you an overview of estate planning;

2) to get to know you;

3) to answer questions;

4) to help you develop a plan, or sketch what a few different plans might look like, and set out decisions for you to make to decide which one is best for you.

Yellow Flags or Worse

If an attorney is not trustworthy, look elsewhere. If an attorney is not someone you are comfortable working with, look elsewhere.  If an attorney does not do the basic job set forth in the prior section when you meet with them, look elsewhere.  If it feels like an attorney is trying to guide you into a plan or decision you are not comfortable with, look elsewhere.

At the end of the day, it is your plan.  You should be comfortable with the plan, the way it is developed, and the attorneys or other professionals assisting you.  If not, do something else.

If our office may be of assistance to you in these areas, do not hesitate to contact us at (580) 338-6503 or at coryhicks@fieldandhicks.com or using any of our contact information in the profile.  You can also visit www.fieldandhicks.com for more information.

This blog contains general information and the opinions of the author – not legal advice; you should seek the advice of competent counsel (attorney/lawyer) when considering any legal issues.