Do You Need an Estate Planning Attorney?

If you can do something by yourself without taking too much time to do it, you are probably hesitant to hire someone to do the job for you. For example, why bother to hire a handyman to fix a squeaky door when fixing it yourself takes no more than a few minutes and some lubricant? With many downloadable estate planning forms available today, many people are starting to have the same thoughts about estate planning and wonder why they should hire an estate planning attorney when they can do it themselves. As the Herald Times Reporter in “Estate planning attorneys are like a QB” suggests, estate planning attorneys still have a vital role to play.

Just like the quarterback of a football team, an estate planning attorney plays a key role in coordinating the plans and executing them. The attorney is the one with the expertise and ability to make sure everything goes according to plan. You tell the estate planning attorney how you want things to go and the attorney creates a plan that does what you want.

The attorney can even call an audible just like a quarterback. If there are potential problems with what you want to do, then the attorney can advise you and help you come up with a different plan.  Whereas, those who go it alone may not realize the mistake or potential problem until it’s too late. For example, do you know all the potential documents involved in an estate plan and the proper way to complete them? Do you know the benefits and disadvantages of having assets go through probate and whether you’d be better off avoiding it? Do you know which documents are needed to care for you and your property if you were to become incapacitated prior to death? In other words, there are some risks that aren’t worth taking and saving a few bucks may not be worth the potential consequences of a poorly drafted estate plan.

If you want to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled without waste or delay then give Simmons & Schiavo a call at (781) 397 – 1700, email info@sslawoffice.com, or visit our contact us webpage. We’d be happy to help you achieve your estate planning goals so that you can have peace of mind in knowing everything is accounted for and done the right way.

Reference: Green Bay Press-Gazette (Aug. 13, 2016) “Estate planning attorneys are like a QB