Planning what will happen to your assets after you have passed is never an easy thing to think about. Many people may associate preparing a last will and testament with the idea of death and leaving loved ones behind. However, it’s critical to establish these documents and plan your estate with an attorney in Ohio as soon as possible to avoid leaving the distribution of your assets to default law. Planning your will allows you to determine to whom and where your assets go.
When you have decided it’s time to meet with an estate planning attorney, be sure to ask the following questions to estate planning attorney to ensure you are accessing the best services possible. It would be a shame to have your planning fall apart postmortem and leave your family with more stress and grief.
These are the questions to ask an Ohio estate planning attorney when the time comes:
What is the primary focus of your firm?
This is an important question to ask your estate planning attorney because if the firm you are interviewing to become your estate planning attorney specializes in criminal defense or personal injury claims, then the lawyers may not know all the laws that govern probate, wills, trusts and estate planning. It’s best to go with a firm that focuses specifically on estate planning.
How will we communicate and send documents for review and signatures?
After the initial meeting with your estate planning attorney, communication about documents and updates is crucial. If your attorney is slow to respond, uses snail mail when an email will suffice, or doesn’t send or acknowledge documents in time, then your estate planning will be difficult and inaccurate. Be sure to ask this question.
If other problems or questions arise after the planning, will the firm be available to help?
Life can be unexpected. If you’ve gained a considerable amount of assets or gain another family member that needs to be considered in your will or trust, an estate planning attorney should be there to help you determine your next steps in revising documents. Furthermore, a medical condition may develop that drastically affects your will in place or the value or your estate.
How long will it take to complete the process?
This is a particularly important question to ask an estate planning attorney in Ohio because if they charge by the hour, or the timeliness of the project is important, it’s critical you don’t get bogged down by a slow-moving process. A good estate law attorney will be able to draw up the appropriate documents and have your estate established in a timely manner.
Consider these questions to as an estate planning attorney in Ohio when you’ve determined it’s time to begin planning your estate. The compassionate and professional legal team headed by Abbie Obenour at Obenour Legal Group will be able to guide you through the process of valuing and determining the future or your assets and wealth. Contact us today for a free case review regarding your estate planning needs.