Arizona Estate Planning Lawyer

The Best Arizona Estate Planning Lawyer for the Job

No one wants to think about what happens to everything owned after a person dies. But that’s basically what estate planning is all about. It’s deciding where everything should go. Once a person dies, where should it go?

If anyone has heard the terms Last Will and Testament or a Revocable Living Trust or even a Power of Attorney, it’s possible that anyone would know just what is involved with estate planning. But I can bet not everyone knows about it.

Either case, it’s important to know this: to ensure that everything is worked out correctly and everyone’s rights are protected, particularly in the state of Arizona, hiring the best AZ estate planning lawyer is crucial! Forget knowing all the ins and outs of estate planning; that’s what a good Arizona estate planning lawyer is for.

But finding the best one possible? That may be a trying task. There are important steps to take, though, and everyone should take note.

The Steps in Hiring the Best AZ Estate Planning Lawyer for the Job

It’s not a simple as checking for Thai restaurants in the Arizona area. This is serious business. In fact, estate planning law is among the most specialized niches in the legal industry. So without a doubt, a client will be hard-pressed to find a good number of Arizona estate planning lawyers out there.

The truth is this, though – a client doesn’t need a lot to choose from. Five or six possible candidates would be enough. That’s for sure.

But where does a client start? Easy. The phone book! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though, and get a list of appropriate steps going to ensure the hiring of the best possible Arizona estate planning lawyer for the job:

• Conduct the Right Research

• Schedule Some Consultations

• Consider Rates and Fees

• And Then Make the Decision

Look easy? It does. But don’t be fooled into thinking that it’ll be a breeze to blow through all these steps with one shot. It’s a painstaking process finding the best AZ estate planning lawyer, an attorney that knows the client well enough to make these important decisions. An estate planning attorney isn’t just an attorney, but a liaison, a representative. A client needs to make sure he or she hires an Arizona estate planning lawyer that not only represents the law well, but the client well.

But it all starts with the research. How does a client research for AZ estate planning lawyers best? Here’s what a client should know….

The Right Kind of Research

As mentioned earlier, the phone book is a great start. But no client should end there. In addition, finding the right ads for Arizona estate planning lawyers is a truly appropriate way to ensure that there’s a good shortlist available to choose from.

First off, no client should just pick an ad trying to ‘sell’ the services. No exclamation points, no bold letters, no 1-800 number. Only go for the basics: full name of firm or office, valid phone number, e-mail address, maybe a web site URL, and definitely a location listed. That’s it.

Good AZ estate planning lawyers know that they don’t have to ‘sell’ their services. When someone’s on the lookout for an attorney in this field, all that’s necessary is the contact information. The rest simply sells itself.

One important thing to know about shortlists: a good list of Arizona estate planning lawyers will number up to at least five. That’s to ensure there’s a good choice somewhere in there. To be fair, though, given the specialized nature of these AZ estate planning lawyers, the phone book might come up short!

That’s what the internet is for.

Searching through Google, Yahoo, or any other cool search engine can bring up a wealth of information. So take considerable notes – reviews, testimonials, articles, and especially a look-see into the State Bar Association web site will reveal plenty for a client, such as the assurance that any of the Arizona estate planning lawyers are actually licensed in the state. That, of course, is a must.

But once all of it is said and done, a client should be well prepared for the next step:

The Consultations

In the legal field, it’s pretty common that attorneys offer what’s called a free consultation. Yes, completely free of charge.

But the real bonus of this meeting is the fact that a client really gets to know about a lawyer’s experience, candor, personality, quality of professionalism, and availability – with just a good dozen questions!

Some good ones include:

• How many years have you been practicing?

• How many estates have you planned?

• How many clients have you represented?

• Which law school did you graduate from?

• Will you be able to plan MY estate?

That would probably the most important question to ask – the last one. Because the fact is one of the most important reasons for the free consultation is to determine whether or not that lawyer is in fact available. Sometimes workload can get in the way.

But that’s okay. That’s the point of the meeting.

Once all the consultations have been taken care of and the client has obtained every single business card, this last step is a must….

Consider the Rates and Fees

Attorneys vary with their rates and fees. So by now a list of five or six attorneys whittled down to two or three may have different rates and fees to consider. Considering the “retainer” fee can be the game changer in determining which lawyer to hire, because that fee can be a large sum of money paid upfront before anything is worked on for estate planning.

There’s also the hourly rate. Consider the options carefully –

But when a client knows what’s going on in terms of money, the decision should be easy….

And Then the Decision Must Be Made

A client’s estate matters. Making sure everything goes where it’s supposed to matters. And it certainly does matter, this one important thing:

To hire the right Arizona lawyer for the job.