Planning for the protection of your loved ones after your death is a personal and detailed process. As such, it is important you have a trustworthy, compassionate attorney who knows the best way to achieve your goals. With Gerrard Cox Larsen as your estate planning law firm, you have the power to protect your family after your death and ensure your wishes are carried out.. At the Law Offices, we practice in the areas of complex estate planning, probate, and estate administration. We take pride in creating a customized estate plan for each of our clients.

Asset Protection

Step 1:

Find out the case load of the attorney you will be working with. Many lawyers have upwards of 40 cases at a given time. This is too many! You will want to inquire an attorney that has around 10 cases at a time otherwise, it leads to a delayed response.

Step 2:

Ask each attorney for his educational background. Attorneys are required to have a 4-year undergraduate degree, followed by a 3-year Juris Doctorate degree from a law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association. An attorney must also pass the state bar exam. While while this seems like a no-brainer, what you need find out is that an attorney will be working on your case, not just an office assistant. You want to ensure that the attorney working on your situation has plenty of previous experience in right type of law.

Step 3:

Ask who in the firm will be handling your case. Attorneys can charge high hourly fees for their time, while a paralegal or legal assistant will bill for services at a rate far less than the attorney. Alternatively, some law offices charge a flat fee for certain estate-planning items, such as a will. Make sure to inquire how you will be charged.

Step 4:

Ask to meet with the legal assistant or paralegal who will actually be handling your case. It is important to have a relationship with everyone who will be handling your information. You will want ask how much of the work will be handled by the attorney and how much will be handled by the assistant.

Step 5:

Ask how much of the practice is dedicated to estate planning. You want to select an lawyer who dedicates at least half of her time (if not more) to estate planning and probate law. These attorneys often take continuing education classes on estate planning and are up-to-date on rules and regulations regarding this area of law.

Step 6:

Ask for a retainer agreement signed by yourself and the estate-planning attorney you select. A retainer agreement (regardless of whether or not you actually pay a retainer) outlines the terms of the professional relationship between you and the attorney or the law firm. Keep a copy of the signed contract with other important legal documents.