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An estate planning lawyer can help individuals create a last will or establish a trust to protect inheritance assets in the event of their death. It is important to choose a probate legal attorney that listens to you and gives sound advice about developing strategies to benefit the designated beneficiaries. A colleague recently hired an estate planning attorney to help her mother, who was terminally ill. Although her mother was not wealthy she owned a home and an auto, as well as financial portfolios that included life and death insurance policies. Bay Area Legal Service
The estate attorney was referred through her mother's credit union. The family was in a lot of turmoil and the mother wanted to give one of her sons her inheritance. The estate planner prepared a simple will, and offered strategies to stop assets passing through probate. Due to the nature of illness, the woman's daughter did not have time to consult with multiple probate law firms. Instead, she was required to work directly with an asset protection attorney. This attorney had no knowledge of her mother's family dynamics and did not understand how she intended to divide inheritance assets. Budget cuts forced the credit union to close their estate planning division. This was not disclosed to the daughter, who only found out that she had lost her probate lawyer after her mother's death. This caused chaos in the life of the daughter designated to be probate executor.
To make matters worse, the estate administrator resided in another state. Just days before she returned home, she was forced to find a new probate litigator attorney. The man didn't seem to be interested in her mother's assets and couldn't offer advice on how to preserve her mother's Will. She was well-versed and had taken steps to protect her assets. The Administrator was able not to go through probate as the remainder of her mother's estate was small. She was able then to settle the estate within a few weeks. It is clear that estate planning should not be delayed until someone is seriously ill. When trusts and estates were created during the last weeks of someone's life, many unwelcome issues could arise.
This is of importance when executing a last will and testament and distributing assets amongst dysfunctional families. The final stages of life are when probate estate planning must be completed. Disinherited heirs can challenge the will by claiming that their decedent was not sound or under the influence. When Wills are contested, estates can be suspended in probate for months or years and potentially bankrupt the estate. You should start estate and trust planning while you're still in good health. The estate planning probate lawyer will ensure your final wishes are followed when you pass away. This removes any stress from the designated probate representative. estate lawyers san francisco