If you’ve made the decision to get your affairs in order and finally admit that estate planning is something that most of us would be better off having than not, the next question you might have is how to find an estate planning attorney. The first thing to keep in mind is that you will be sharing a lot of personal information with your estate-planning attorney.
Check out Estate Planning Attorney near Nashville for more info. The bottom line is that whoever you choose should make you feel comfortable discussing your requirements and worries with him or her, and if you don’t, he or she is not the ideal counsel for you. Your attorney is your legal confidant, and they are obligated to take your trust beyond their own estate plan, which means they must take your secrets with them to the cemetery. But it makes no difference what their role is if you aren’t comfortable telling them what you require in the first place. If you start to feel uneasy talking to your potential estate planning expert, you should look for someone else.
The second point to keep in mind is that not all attorneys are created equal when it comes to estate planning. Asking people you already know and trust is a smart starting step in choosing an attorney who will be a good fit for you. Ask your pastor, doctor, and friends if they have ever used an estate planner and what they think of them. Don’t stop there if you get a recommendation. Check with Martindale Hubbell (martindale.com) to see where your potential attorney candidates went to law school, how long they’ve been practicing, and what subjects of law they specialize in.
Of course, these responses won’t tell you everything you need to know about your potential confidante, but having some knowledge is preferable to going into the world of lawyers blind. If the recommended attorney does not specialize in estate planning, you may not want that attorney to construct a financial strategy for you and your family.
Another useful place to start looking for an estate planning attorney or company in your area is the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) (www.naela.org). The NAELA is a website where attorneys go to stay up to date on matters regarding elder law and estate planning, and it’s a fantastic way to find an estate planning attorney. On the NAELA website, you may put in your zip code to identify local elder law and estate planning attorneys, who will provide you with contact information as well as a map to their door.
Once you have that list, you can cross-reference it with a Martindale Hubbell search and ask your friends and family whether any of the attorneys on the list are familiar to them. There are many other helpful websites on the Internet where you can learn more about the issue before meeting with an estate planner.