Why You Should Work with an Estate Planning Attorney vs. a General Practice Attorney for Your Estate Plan

Some people who want to memorialize their final wishes make the unwise decision to attempt to develop an estate plan on their own. Others have the foresight of mind to hire an attorney but make the mistake of hiring a general practice lawyer rather than one who specializes in estate planning. For many reasons, it is smart for people who wish to create estate plans to work with estate planning attorneys to ensure that their plans are comprehensive and adequately address their needs and wishes.

Why You Should Work with an Estate Planning Attorney vs. a General Practice Attorney for Your Estate Plan

For some people, the estate planning process is straightforward and uncomplicated, while others have issues that present challenges. In most instances, though, the expertise of an estate planning attorney is needed to differentiate between the two. For example, one of the biggest challenges in estate planning is avoiding excessive taxation of an estate. An experienced estate attorney will be able to explain to you how your estate will be taxed and what measures you can take to avoid issues like excessive taxation so that your beneficiaries can enjoy as much of your assets as possible. An estate planning attorney can also help take the actions necessary to prevent will contests and disputes over power of attorney.

Further, a skillful estate planning attorney can offer you advice on how to title your property. In other words, some properties must go through probate, while others do not need to, and it largely depends on how the property is titled. A seasoned estate planning attorney can advise you of steps you can take to avoid probate, like creating a trust or transferring some or all of your interest in property to your beneficiaries.

Finally, an estate planning attorney can determine what tools are best suited to meet your needs and help you to execute any necessary documents. While most people will need a will, some may benefit from a trust as well. Additionally, in most instances, it is prudent for people to execute advance directives and determine whether they want to grant power of attorney rights to another party so that they can rest assured that the proper decisions are being made on their behalf in the event they become capacitated. Estate planning is not a one size fits all situation. Instead, each case requires the nuanced eye of an estate planning attorney who can examine their client’s wishes and help them to create a thorough plan that adequately addresses their goals.

Meet With a Trusted Estate Planning Lawyer to Discuss Your Needs

Determining that you want to develop an estate plan is the first step in the process; you must then assess what your goals are and find a competent attorney to help you achieve your directives. If you need assistance drafting a will, creating a trust, or executing any other estate plan document, it is smart to meet with a trusted estate planning attorney as soon as possible. Call Gregorek & Associates at 425-284-3450 or fill out our contact form and we will be in touch to schedule a meeting.