A lot of people aren’t keen on estate planning, since it involves planning for something that you don’t want to think about. However, it’s always important to consider the upcoming generation, and if your assets are going to be passed to them without any issues or hang-ups, you need to get out in front of it quickly, armed with smart decisions. Thankfully, hiring the right attorney takes out a lot of the hassle, and half the work is practically done for you. But how do you know if you’ve found the right person for the job? Fortunately, there are a few questions you can ask when first meeting your agent-to-be that will help clear up any doubt about whether or not you should hire this person. So, if you are seeking a Glenview, IL based estate planning attorney, here are some basic questions to ask when meeting them.
#1. What is your experience?
Not everyone has the same estate or circumstances of passing on that estate, so the quality of the answer will likely depend on what you’re looking for. But a good baseline to start from would be to look for someone with a minimum of three years’ experience.
#2. Will I receive estate planning documentation to review?
Regardless of the quality of the attorney, you’ll want to look over the official documents personally. That way, you can make absolutely sure everything is set up exactly as you intended. Miscommunications happen even between the most ardent of professionals, and it’s your estate that’s concerned here, so a second look is never a bad idea.
#3. Do you quote a fixed price after reviewing the planning project?
The answer that you want to this question is “yes”. If an attorney is charging by the hour, they probably aren’t working with your best interest in mind, at least not primarily. Also, ask if they plan on changing from a fixed rate to an hourly one later down the road. Many attorneys are known to do this, so it’s best to make sure so you can start setting up a safety net for yourself when the time comes.
#4. Are you frequently available?
Most estate planning attorneys, certainly the ones worthy of being hired, will always make themselves available for their clients. So, unless you’ve hit a particularly nasty strain of bad luck, this shouldn’t happen to you often enough for it to be a concern. Visit the Law Office of Jeffery P. Story to know more.
