5 Easy Ways To Find A Reputable Trust Attorney

Posted by smith clea on February 19th, 2020

When you’re estate planning, you’re creating a plan to preserve your legacy and pass your life’s work onto the one’s you love the most. It’s an important step, so you want to make sure that you work with an experienced professional.

There are common misconceptions that all attorneys practice the same law. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Will, trust, and estate law is a very complex form of law that is practiced by trust attorneys, also known as estate planning attorneys or will attorneys.

During your search for a professional you should find an attorney who has a good reputation for practicing estate planning law.

1: Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is one of the oldest and best ways of finding a good service provider. Depending on the project or purchase, we have all asked a friend at one point for a good referral. It’s because we generally trust our friends and loved ones who have gone through similar experiences.

When looking for a good trust attorney, ask friends and family if they have worked with anyone in the past. If so, set up an initial consultation with them to see if you click.  

2: Look For The Right Experience

Searching the web is one of the easiest ways to find a lawyer, but be conscious of the fact that years of practice is not the only thing matters when doing your research. You should also be focused on how much experience they have in the specific type of law you need them to practice.

For example, if an attorney has been practicing 30 years, this sounds impressive. This may initially sound more impressive than an attorney who has been practice 15 year on the surface. But what if the attorney with 30 years of experience only has 2 in estate planning, while the attorney with 15 years has spent all 15 focused on building estate plans? If you just went based on years practicing, you actually would have picked the attorney with less experience.

Make sure you dig a little bit deeper and ask the trust attorney how many years they have been practicing  the specific type of law you need.

3: Customer Reviews

During your search, you should check out customer reviews. These are a great way to get a sense of what it would be like to work with a law firm. Google is a great place to find both attorneys and their reviews. Usually if you type in “trust attorney” or “trust attorney reviews”, google will show you a list of nearby lawyers and their associated reviews. 

4: Bar Association

Another good way to find a reputable attorney is to give a call to your local or state bar association. They keep a list of all the attorneys in good standing with the bar who practice in different practice areas. If they give you a list, you can use it to easily conduct your own additional research on the web.

5: Schedule An Initial Consultation

The only way to truly get a good sense of what it would be like to work with a specific attorney is to schedule an initial consultation. The is an important step in the estate planning process because it lets you get all of your questions answered. It also allows the lawyer to understand your needs and come up with a customized plan to fit your goals. At the end of this meeting, an experienced estate planning attorney should be able to give you a flat fee quote to complete your estate plan.

The Conclusion

Choosing the right trust attorney is important so that you can properly pass your money, property, and assets onto your family after you pass. That’s why it’s important to work with an experienced professional who focuses on will, trust, and estate law.

Word of mouth, referrals from the bar association, customer reviews, and speaking with an attorney during an initial consultation are all great ways to find the professional you need.

Read more : Hire a Professional Trust attorney