How to Find an Estate Attorney, Los Angeles

Finding an estate attorney you can trust can be difficult if you’re not sure where to look. Fortunately, there are a few things that will help you understand how to find an estate attorney quickly. Here’s how to find an estate attorney, Los Angeles.

How to Find an Estate Attorney

Few people enjoy thinking about end-of-life arrangements, especially long before such decisions ever arise. But the fact is that early in life is the best time to make these important and impactful decisions.

Whether you’re planning to set a formal will, a revocable living trust, an advanced directive, or even a power of attorney, it’s best to work with an estate attorney to ensure your wishes are met. It is even more important to ensure you find the right lawyer – someone with experience who you can trust to adhere to your wishes both now and well into the future.

In this article, we’re taking a look at three important steps you can take when looking for an estate attorney.

Step One: Identify Your Needs

What kind of help are you expecting an attorney to provide? Which areas of estate planning are you interested in handling, and how much do you know about the process yourself?

These questions may seem basic, but they can significantly change your optimal  Someone who only needs a lawyer to witness and notarize an update to a living will may have very different needs than, say, someone who needs to completely formulate a formal will from scratch with a revocable living trust.

If you aren’t sure of your needs just yet, try writing down what you want to accomplish instead. Add tasks like:

• I want to leave money for my benefactors.
• I need to ensure my children are cared for if and when I pass.
• I want to ensure no extraordinary measures are taken if I’m terminally ill.
• I wish to be cremated OR I wish to be buried.
• I want to split my assets between my wife and children.
• I want to ensure my wife has power of attorney if I become sick.
• I want to leave money to a charity and/or organization.
• I need to make arrangements for my pension or social security check.
• I want to set rules for my assets that vary depending on whether I am alive, incapacitated, or passed on.

These are a few of the most common topics raised by people who seek out the services of an estate attorney. Most standard estate planning experts should be able to help you in these core areas. If you have issues outside of these standards, you may require a specialist – but you can usually start with a generalist at first.

Step Two: Search for Estate Attorneys

Searching for estate attorneys in your area is much easier today than it was 50 years ago. The Internet, online directories, and even lawyer referral services greatly shorten the amount of time it takes to locate, and connect with, good lawyers who have a proven record for success. It’s also far easier to verify that any lawyer you connect with really is who they say they are.

• Ask Your Current Lawyer. Do you have a lawyer already – perhaps a family law lawyer or a divorce lawyer you used in the past? Ask them to refer you to a colleague. In the state of California, and most of America, lawyers may only refer to you to people they truly believe are a good fit for your needs. You can trust that if they refer you to someone, that person is likely a good attorney.
• Ask Friends and Family. Do your loved ones have an estate planning attorney they work with now? Ask them for a personal opinion on whether they may be right for you, too. Just be sure to take any extreme opinions with a grain of salt; everyone’s experience is unique.
• Search Online. Head to Google and type in “Estate Planning Attorneys in ______. Fill in the blank with your city, town, or local area; start small and expand outward, then watch closely for the search results that come up. Follow each result to the lawyer’s website and get to know the services they provide, their fees (if stated), and their contact information. Shortlist any estate planning experts within a reasonable distance from your location.
• Contact the California State Bar. The Bar has partnerships, and in fact licenses, all lawyer referral services in the state. If you aren’t even sure where to start, connect with the State Bar at 866-44-CA-LAW. They can provide you with a list of lawyers and/or referral services to get you started.
• Look For Advertising. Many people hesitate to trust lawyers advertised in newspapers, magazines, and on television. However, this can, in some cases, be the best way to find the hardest-hitting lawyers in your local area. If a lawyer can afford to advertise, they are most likely at least somewhat successful! Remember that California state laws regulate all legal advertising for accuracy and truthfulness, so any claims made must be supported by fact.
• Check With Your Local Probate Court. Do you live in a very small town – or maybe a remote part of California? It may be worthwhile to check if your local probate court maintains a list of local estate planning attorneys. This is rarely an option in larger cities like San Francisco, but in small towns, nearly everyone maintains only three or four degrees of separation from everyone else – including talented legal professionals. It’s a great way to connect.
• Use a Lawyer Referral Service. Lawyer referral services take basic information about your identity and your needs. Then, they cross-match you with a cultivated database of verified attorneys, connecting you with only the very best providers available. As mentioned previously, they are licensed and must adhere to extremely strict guidelines (the referral itself is considered legal advice). This is by far the easiest and fastest way to connect.

Consult With Your Shortlist Candidates

Once you have a shortlist of potential options, it’s time to start making arrangements to consult with them.

Nearly all lawyers provide an initial consultation free of charge; use this time to probe the attorney for their suitability in handling your case. Ask questions like where they were educated, how long they have been practicing, how much they charge per hour or per service, and how you’ll communicate with them over the course of your relationship with them.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to find an estate attorney in Los Angeles, you’re ready to begin your search. As mentioned, one of the best places to start your search is with an experienced attorney referral service.

Here at the SFVBA Attorney Referral Service, we’re ready to help connect you with the best possible attorney for your needs. Whether you’re considering the idea of estate planning or you would like to revisit an existing will, we’re here to help.

If at any point you aren’t satisfied with the answers provided, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. Good lawyers can, and will, clarify because they know how important it is to work for the right client – and for the client to work with the right lawyer.