Why Do You Need a Lawyer for Your Estate Planning
Ron Swanson: “That’s your will? You need that many pages to say give my stuff to my wife?”
Ben Wyatt: “It’s a very complicated legal document.”
Ron Swanson: “It doesn’t have to be. I’ve had the same will since I was eight years old.”
If you think like Ron Swanson that you don’t need help writing your will and that whatever you put down on paper will suffice to have your possessions and savings transferred to your beneficiaries, you might want to think again. Writing a will is not something that just anyone can do – although anyone really could do it, it certainly won’t hold up in probate court. You worked hard to build your wealth during your life and you want to ensure that the people you love are taken care of as best as possible so it’s important that you turn to an estate planning attorney to help you get your documentation and planning taken care of. Here’s a few reasons you shouldn’t go it alone.
Lawyers work within the law
Each state has specific laws that dictate how estate planning documents should be made – what can be in them, who can a personal representative, who your witnesses can be, and what rules must be followed for documentation. Without someone one your side to help you navitage those murky waters, you might end up with a pile of legal garbage that isn’t going to help anyone after your gone. Or at best, it will all be worked out over the course of months in probate court.
Pay now or pay later
You might think you’re saving yourself a few bucks by using some do-it-yourself online service or a fill-in-the-blanks form but whatever money you save now will almost definitely be paid out at least double in fees fighting through the legal system to make it hold up your wishes. That estate planning attorney that you pass on now will be there trying to fix your mistakes with your loved ones after you’re gone.
Your situation isn’t cookie cutter
Those forms that you can download off the internet and do yourself might be good for someone with a nuclear family and no overwhelming assets but if your situation includes any complications you’ll probably need help making sure that everything is covered. Divorces, step children, no children, leaving money to charities, owning a business – all of these things can factor into your estate planning and you need someone who knows how to handle it all.
Don’t leave your family high and dry when your time comes. Plan your estate with an attorney and make sure that everyone is taken care of exactly how you wish.
