Estate Planning Attorneys

The Lawyer’s Role in Estate Planning

The estate planning process involves the coordination of professional advisors who understand their client’s concerns, goals, assets, asset ownership, business interests, and family structure.

Individualized estate planning should address the transfer of the client’s assets at death, tax planning, and various other matters including appointing surrogate decision makers for financial as well as health care decisions. Estate planning may also address a client’s wishes regarding the scope of end of life care.

The lawyer’s role in estate planning is to assist the client by identifying and understanding the client’s needs, advising the client, and drafting documents to meet the specific goals of each client. Documents drawn to achieve the client’s goals may include a Will, a Community Property Agreement, a Trust, Durable Powers of Attorney for financial and medical decisions, a Health Care Directive, and business entity formation documents. The specific documents required for each client will vary, and will be determined on a case by case basis.

The estate plan developed by the attorney, in conjunction with other appropriate professional advisors, should ultimately be a plan that is practical, flexible, individually tailored, and consistent with the client’s needs.