Having an effective and comprehensive estate plan is extremely important for anyone. Estate plans help people ensure that their assets are distributed according to their wishes. Legal disputes may also be avoided with a well-executed estate plan. Estate plans need to be legal, as defined by the California Legislature, and they also need to appropriately address every person’s individual wishes. If you are ready to put an estate plan in place, you could try to study the law and do it yourself. However, hiring an estate planning attorney that understands the law and can advise you of all of your legal options may prove more legally and financially beneficial. For more information on the estate planning process and to discover your estate planning options, call the experienced estate planning attorneys at Kushner Legal today at (310) 279-5166.
Estate planning attorneys provide valuable legal services for individuals regarding how to arrange and plan for the way a person’s assets will be managed after their death. Estate planning attorneys will have an understanding of all state and federal wealth distribution and tax laws. A person who works with an estate planning attorney, and at least annually reviews their estate plan to see if adjustments will need to be made, has a strong chance of ensuring that their assets will be handled just the way they were intended to be.
When an individual hires an estate planning attorney they can receive the benefit of the following services:
Determining who the beneficiaries will be.
Establishing a Last Will and Testament (will), trust, or a combination of both.
Establishing a medical or financial power of attorney.
Creating medical directives.
Creating clauses designed to discourage legal action against the estate.
Looking for ways to minimize the tax burden on the estate.
Provide guidance to beneficiaries or those with power of attorney.
Handle disputes.
Manage an estate.
Oversee the distribution of an estate per intended wishes of the creator.
The law does not require an individual to work with a legal professional when they are drafting documents determining final wishes. There are resources on the State of California Department of Justice’s website that can be helpful to understanding what certain estate planning documents are and how they function. It is important to consider, however, that having an attorney’s help can make the process more streamlined and offer multiple legal options that work together to create an individualized plan for a person’s estate after they pass away.
Unless an individual has training and experience practicing estate planning law or probate law, it may be quite difficult to digest all of the laws that are necessary to know when putting a plan in place. When an estate plan is made, it is done so with the intention that after a person passes on, their assets will be distributed according to their wishes. But if estate planning documents do not strictly adhere to the law and any part of the process is overlooked or not completed correctly, this may not be the case. The estate could be divvied out to parties and in ways that the creator never intended for their assets.
There are several ways that an estate plan can operate and be organized. Each person’s individual needs are unique to their specific situation and what they have in their estate. Working with an attorney can help an individual address exactly what they want to have happen with their assets and then an estate planning attorney can appropriately craft an approach to ensure those wishes are respected.
DIY Estate Planning Can End Poorly
Some websites allege that when a person just inputs their information, the site itself can develop a solid and sound estate plan. It is critically important an estate plan is done correctly and accommodates in detail, how a person wants their wealth to be managed. A website can not anticipate all of the individual needs of a person. If an individual chooses to do their estate plan on their own through a template on a website, it could end up not truly reflecting their wishes.
Hiring an estate planning attorney has several advantages, including providing legal counsel regarding all of your legal options. If you are ready to establish your own estate plan, need help to change a current one, or if you have preliminary questions, contact our experienced estate planning attorneys Kushner Legal today to schedule a no-obligation, free initial consultation at (310) 279-5166.
Kushner Legal is a Beverly Hills estate planning & probate law firm serving Southern California. Kushner Legal is committed to acting as advocates for our clients and working towards finding practical and effective solutions to their legal issues. We are experienced lawyers who are creative in both problem solving, estate planning and litigation strategy. We are open to the use of both mediation and litigation to assist our clients in resolving their disputes. Kushner Legal offers a wide range of legal services to benefit all of our clients. From complex drafting of advanced wills and trusts and other estate planning documents, we work to ensure that our clients’ needs are being... View full business profile here: Kushner Legal
