If you are like many people, you’re probably shopping around locally, looking for someone to take care of your estate planning needs, or eldercare needs for one of your parents. This can be an overwhelming process. Here are a few questions to ask:
What areas of law does the firm practice? Do they just do estate planning and elder law, or do they also do divorces, bankruptcies, and traffic tickets? If you try to be good at everything, you won’t be good at anything. We focus solely on estate planning and elder law.
How responsive will the firm be? Do they pick up the phone when you call? Can you talk to an attorney, or do you get a receptionist who screens their calls? If they won’t even see you for a month, how diligent will they be in preparing your estate plan? We usually can meet with a new client within a week and can have their estate plan done quickly. Our estate plans are prepared by an attorney, and you interact with an attorney.
Will the firm try and sell you on an annual “maintenance plan”? Many firms try to sell clients on the benefits of charging an annual “maintenance fee”. Our opinion is that this only benefits the law firm. If we draft an estate plan, we stand behind it. If something needs to change, we will change it. If it’s an error on our part, we will stand behind it. If you decide to change your estate plan, we will charge you a low fee to make the changes. In our experience, most people get zero benefits out of paying a firm a fee each year.
Is it expensive? You want a firm that will quote you a price upfront, after learning about your specific needs. Firms that charge by the hour or add in fees after the fact are, in our opinion, acting in their interests, and not in yours.
Will I get a unique, tailored estate plan? You can go online and get a “fill in the blanks” estate plan, or you can find many providers who claim to be able to draft an estate plan. But we provide one suited to your individual needs and the needs of your family.
