While we understand it can be tempting for people to write their own estate plan documents, this simply isn’t enough to make sure your assets and properties are distributed according to your final wishes.
In this blog post, we will be going over why an estate planning attorney is necessary for making sure your final wishes are respected and held up in probate court.
An estate planning lawyer is able to offer the following services:
- Last will and testament
- Living trusts (revocable and irrevocable)
- Wealth transfer plan
- General durable power of attorney
- Living wills and health care directives
- Probate avoidance
- And more!
YOU’LL NEED MORE THAN JUST A WILL
It’s important to remember that an estate planning checklist requires much more than just a will. For example, do you want to leave instructions for end-of-life medical care? If so, you’ll want to check into living wills and other advance directives. Your attorney should have the necessary experience in elder law to be able to provide the documents you need for your unique circumstances.
YOUR ESTATE PLANS WILL NEED TO STAND UP IN COURT
Who else knows better than elder law attorney grand rapids mi how to write legally-sound estate plans? When you die, your estate plan will determine how your assets and properties are distributed to beneficiaries. In probate court, your estate plan documents will be scrutinized by a judge to see if they meet the legal requirements for your state. To make sure your estate plans are authenticated, you’ll want to hire an elder law lawyer with experience in estate planning.
YOUR PRIORITIES MAY CHANGE
Life has the habit of changing our goals and expectations. For example, it may have originally been your dream to travel during retirement. However, these plans can quickly unravel when you break a hip or are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. While we understand wanting to be optimistic about the future, you’ll also want to have estate plans ready for the worst-case scenario. For example, state planning documents can help you protect assets from nursing home spend-downs.
YOUR ATTORNEY WILL BE OBJECTIVE
Your attorney can be a voice of reason when making estate plans. It’s not uncommon for people to abandon common sense because they aren’t able to judge the people in their lives objectively. Since your estate planning attorney is a stranger, it’ll be easier for him or her to be objective about the people in your life. For example, while you may love your teenage grandson, it may not be a good idea to give him complete access to his inheritance. An attorney can help you remain objective during estate planning.
The Law Offices of Sean Patrick Cox PLLC is dedicated to helping clients in Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo write wills, living trusts, and other estate plan documents. If you have more questions about estate planning and are interested in setting up a consultation with our Grand Rapids estate planning attorney, be sure to contact us.
Sean Patrick Cox is a lawyer. Sean practices in two main areas, family law, and elder law. he has represented clients in complex divorce cases since 1994.
