Do I Need an Attorney to do My Estate Planning?

Remember when you were a kid and you let your best friend, sibling or cousin talk you into letting them cut your hair? Or maybe you tried cutting it yourself. Sure, your hair got cut, but you may not have gotten the results you wanted.

Fortunately hair grows back and the results of a bad haircut may be fixable. If your estate planning documents get botched, you most likely won’t know until it’s too late. We don’t need estate planning documents until we are in an emergency situation, have passed away or have become incapacitated and are no longer capable of signing legal documents. At that time, it’s too late to fix any mistakes.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider Joplin Elder Law for your estate planning needs:

1. Knowledge: Estate planning attorneys stay on top of the legal issues and changes in the laws pertaining to estate planning. Other professionals who don’t devote at least a portion of their practice to estate planning may not be aware of changes as they happen in the legal environment.
2. Experience: Many estate planning attorneys also handle probate and trust administration. They have experienced first hand what happens when estate planning documents are not properly drafted and executed. It creates a stressful and frustrating situation for families and loved ones. Other professionals don’t have that experience to draw on to know what pitfalls to look out for.
3. Counseling: When potential clients come in for an initial consultation, they often think they already know what they want or need. Sometimes they have done some research and they have covered all the bases. Many times, there are areas that they haven’t considered that are important. An estate planning attorney can help navigate you through many possible scenarios that you may not have considered or even been aware of.
4. Documents that work when you need them: Estate planning laws vary from state to state with different witness and notary requirements for individual documents. When you hire an estate planning attorney to draft and execute your documents, they make sure that the witness and notary requirements are met and your documents are compliant with state law.
5. Relationships: Estate planning isn’t a “once and done” process. Life happens and situations change, both personally and in the legal field. Establishing a relationship with an estate planning attorney usually gets you on their mailing list to be updated with any legal changes that may affect your estate plan. Your estate planning attorney will take the time to get to know you, your wishes and estate planning goals. They can help guide you through the personal changes in life making sure your estate planning documents stay up to date and accurately reflect your wishes and goals.

Having an estate plan should give you peace of mind knowing that things will be taken care of if you should become incapacitated or pass away. Choosing an experienced estate planning attorney is the best way to ensure your wishes are carried out.

Call Joplin Elder Law today and sleep better tonight.