It may seem like hard work to find the right attorney to deal with your estate planning but it can be done. With the tips given below, you should be in a good position to find the most appropriate lawyer to take care of your estate planning. 1: Get a referral from your financial advisor. Your financial advisor is one of the best people to ask for a referral in as far as an estate-planning attorney goes. This is because a number of financial advisors take into consideration estate planning as part of their client’s overall financial goals. 2: Get a referral from family, friends, or business associates Chances are high that a family member, friend or business associate knows a good estate planning attorney.
As such, you need to ask around for a referral. Chances are pretty good that the referral you get will be the right fit for planning your own estate! 3: Get a referral from your accountant Chances are pretty high that your accountant knows an estate planning lawyer. As such, you should approach him/her for a referral. This is because quite a number of estate lawyers do tend to turn to an accountant for help with trust, income tax issues as well as estate issues. In the same breath, many accountants do also tend to seek out estate lawyers for help with their clients’ financial information as well as family situations. You can also ask the accountant for their personal estate planning lawyer. 4: Get a referral from an attorney you have worked with before You may have worked with an attorney on another case before. You can ask such an attorney for a referral to a qualified estate planning lawyer. After all, lawyers, no matter their field of specialization tend to interact with each other on one platform or another. 5: Get a referral from your state or local bar association The bar association for a given state is one of the best places to find an estate planning lawyer. Such associations tend to maintain a list of members in addition to their field of practice. In addition to maintaining a list of members, you may also chance upon a bar association that also provides certified referral services to the public. You can check online for a referral service in your area or look in your local telephone directory. 6: Check the newspaper, internet, telephone directory, television or radio for a referral There are quite a number of lawyers who advertise their services through a number of means such as radio, television or the internet. As such, you can look out for advertisements, research, and find the most appropriate estate planning lawyer for your needs. As you check out the advertisements, however, you should bear in mind that you will need to do your due diligence in order to ensure that the person you end up with is best suited to your needs. Much as attorney advertising may be regulated in different states, it doesn’t mean that every estate planning attorney you find will be the right fit for your needs. 7: Get a referral from your local probate court Last but not least, the local probate court is one of the best places to get a referral for a potential estate planning attorney. This route for finding an attorney will generally work for those that don’t live in large cities. Court clerks in smaller cities tend to know.
