How Do I Find A Good Estate Planning Attorney?

     This morning I did an experiment. I typed “estate planning attorney” into Google just to see how many hits I would get. I was amazed when I received 15,500,000 hits with that simple, yet broad, search. Next, I limited my search to Houston, where I live. I still came up with 1,820,000 hits.

     If you are looking for a good estate planning attorney to help you with your plan, you may be overwhelmed with the number of attorneys who say they practice estate planning. You may have noticed a huge number of attorneys who say they do estate planning along with a vast array of other things such as criminal defense, personal injury, employment law, business transactions, and family matters, just to name a few.

     I think the average attorney thinks, “Sure, I can write a Will, I had the class in law school and it was pretty simple, so I’ll add that to my list of practice areas.” But, do you really want to trust your estate, no matter how large or small, and the legacy you want to leave for future generations, to someone who lists, maybe as an afterthought, that they prepare Wills?

     I have seen many documents prepared by attorneys who do not specialize in estate planning. Most of the time the documents are provide the bare essentials, but often there are some glaring deficiencies. For example: most of the plans are centered around a Will instead of a Revocable Trust; gifts to spouses and children are left outright instead of in a trust; very rarely are there tax planning provisions; and often there are no healthcare documents (power of attorney, living will, HIPAA authorization).

     What if you needed a very specialized medical procedure? Would you go to your family physician and ask them to perform it? After all, they went through medical school, residency, and they are probably somewhat familiar with what you need done. However, chances are, you will probably search for someone who is an expert in that procedure because they have done it before and they know the issues involved. Why then do we trust a lawyer who specializes in being a generalist to help us make some of the most important decisions we will make; helping us leave our legacy and family values to future generations

     If you are looking for a qualified attorney who specialized in estate planning, I suggest you find a Wealth Counsel attorney. The most qualified estate planning attorneys I know are Wealth Counsel members. I have been a Wealth Counsel member since I started my firm, and joining was the best decision I have made regarding my practice. Wealth Counsel continually provides its members with updates on recent law changes, suggested drafting techniques, and cutting edge strategies.

     For the vast majority of Wealth Counsel members, estate planning is the centerpiece of our practice. There are over 2,500 wealth counsel attorneys across the country, many of whom have been nationally recognized for their scholarship and expertise in the area of estate planning. Click here for a searchable directory to find one in your area, I think you will be very pleased with who you find.