What Does an Estate Planning Lawyer Do?
An estate planning lawyer plays a crucial role in helping individuals plan for the management and distribution of their assets and affairs upon their passing or incapacitation. Here, we’ll delve into what an estate planning attorney is and how they provide assistance to individuals and their families during such challenging times.
Key Takeaways
- Estate planning lawyers ease the burden on family members after one’s demise.
- Estate attorneys create wills and trusts tailored to an individual’s needs and wishes.
- Estate planning empowers individuals to control the distribution of their estate to beneficiaries.
- Legal guardianship for children post-parental demise is facilitated by estate planning lawyers.
- Estate planning legally safeguards medical decisions for those unable to communicate their preferences.
- Find an estate planning lawyer in our database.
Understanding Estate Planning Lawyers
Estate planners, also known as estate planning attorneys, ensure the fulfillment of a person’s wishes after their passing. These professionals collaborate with their clients, and when necessary, tax experts and financial advisors, to craft an estate plan that aligns precisely with an individual’s needs. Here are several tasks an estate planner assists their clients with:
- Crafting wills and trusts tailored to an individual’s preferences.
- Identifying beneficiaries who will inherit the estate.
- Drafting the legal document of the durable power of attorney (POA).
- Developing short and long-term healthcare plans based on individual needs.
- Assisting individuals in selecting the most suitable type of trust for their desires.
- Establishing trusts to safeguard and pass on assets before one’s passing.
- Providing legal services to minimize involvement in the probate process, preserving property.
- Facilitating the appointment of legal guardianship for minor children following a parent’s demise.
In essence, an estate attorney offers legal services to clients, assisting them in creating and implementing legal documents like wills and trusts that cater to their medical care, family members, and loved ones’ needs and wishes.
Estate Planning Law: The Basics
“Estate” encompasses a person’s real estate and personal property at the time of death. Legal documents pertinent to estate planning law include:
- Last will and testament: Identifies the recipients of personal property and real estate assets.
- Living will: A legal statement detailing medical decisions and care preferences, vital when facing debilitating illnesses.
- Advanced health care directives: Legal instructions for medical care, activated when an individual cannot communicate their wishes.
- Power of attorney: A legal document designating someone to make critical decisions on an individual’s behalf.
- Trust: A legal document naming a trustee to hold and distribute a person’s property and assets for the benefit of other beneficiaries.
Without an estate plan, a person’s possessions and property will be distributed according to state laws. Creating an estate plan allows individuals to retain control over the allocation of their assets and affairs as they desire.
How an Estate Planning Lawyer Benefits You and Your Family
Estate planning attorneys aid individuals in crafting comprehensive estate plans for their eventual passing. This empowers individuals to distribute their assets and affairs according to their wishes while ensuring legal protection for their medical care preferences in the event they cannot communicate them. Here are ways in which an estate planning attorney can assist you and your family:
Drafting Estate Planning Documents
Estate planning attorneys create legal documents that honor an individual’s wishes. These documents encompass last wills and testaments, living wills, advanced health care directives, power of attorney, and trusts.
Designating Beneficiaries and Asset Distribution
Upon a person’s demise, designated beneficiaries receive assets and property as specified. Estate planning attorneys help determine beneficiaries and identify assets and property.
Asset distribution can be straightforward among family members and loved ones or more complex, involving personal decisions or business assets. Beneficiary designations are frequently used for life insurance policies, retirement plans, and brokerage accounts, offering flexibility for updates as needed.
Establishing Legal Guardianship of Minor Children
Parents with minor children outline childcare preferences in their will, designating a legal guardian. Estate planning attorneys also provide guidance for special needs children through special needs trusts or revocable living trusts.
Avoiding Probate Court
Estate planning attorneys assist in minimizing property subject to probate court proceedings. This involves storing assets in living trusts or transferring assets to beneficiaries as gifts to reduce estate tax implications.
When is an Estate Planning Lawyer Necessary?
While not mandatory, hiring an estate planning attorney is beneficial in various circumstances, such as:
- Having minor children or dependents, requiring legal guardianship arrangements more complex than a will.
- Feeling uncomfortable or intimidated by the legal process, as estate planning documents entail specific language and nuances.
- Being at risk for incapacity, necessitating an estate plan to address medical care and financial management needs in the event of severe health conditions or disabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the role of an estate planning lawyer?
An estate planning attorney specializes in assisting individuals and their families in creating an estate plan for managing and distributing assets.
What type of lawyer is best for wills?
An estate planning attorney can help create a will, outlining how possessions will be distributed after one’s passing.
What services do estate planning lawyers offer?
Estate planning attorneys offer legal services for creating wills, trusts, and comprehensive estate plans to minimize involvement in probate court. They also advise on power of attorney in healthcare, appointing a representative for critical decisions when individuals cannot communicate their preferences.
What is the process of working with an estate planning lawyer?
Working with an estate planning attorney begins with a consultation to discuss an individual’s circumstances, assets, and goals. The attorney then creates an estate plan, often incorporating legal documents like wills, trusts, and power of attorney. The plan is regularly reviewed and adjusted to accommodate changing situations.
Find an Estate Planning Attorney Who Can Assist You
While discussing death can be challenging, planning your estate and outlining your wishes for yourself, your family, and loved ones is a proactive and essential step. An estate planning attorney can help you navigate this process, ensuring your desires are honored and your assets are protected.