Not all lawyers are created equal, and finding someone to help you with your needs or individual case requires doing a little digging into the lawyer’s experience and past. All attorneys have a responsibility to provide competent client representation. This means thoroughness, legal skill, and the preparation and research involved in connecting a client’s needs with legal avenues and strategies. 

A client must feel confident in the competency in the practice area of estate planning, elder law, asset protection planning, or business succession planning. Some attorneys will have more experience than others in crafting plans for specific client needs; make sure you ask a potential lawyer about how frequently they have represented clients in similar situations.

An attorney should also be prepared to turn down a case if he or she is not familiar with that area of the law and does not have the resources to properly help the client as necessary. A referral to another attorney or consultation with a different lawyer can help to ensure the client gets the support and resources needed.

An attorney should be familiar with the basic tenets of estate planning, but should also be involved enough with this practice area to remain aware of updates to laws and emerging strategies or technologies that assist clients with accomplishing their goals of protection, privacy, tax minimization, and more.

One of the most important things to remember when hiring an estate planning attorney is how well they understand your needs and put together a strategy based on what’s best for you. Speaking with a lawyer in an initial consultation is your chance to get questions answered and determine the course of action most aligned with your needs.