The Chilina Law Firm is an estate planning law firm.
This means that its estate planning attorneys are able to assist clients with developing an estate plan (creating the documents for a trust, will, durable power of attorney, medical directive, etc.), or if a client already has an estate plan, with making changes or revisions to estate planning documents.
In addition to legal expertise in the areas of estates and trusts, an estate planning attorney (or estate planning lawyer) should also have knowledge of other areas of the law pertaining to business organizations and entities, real property, family, other types of property, investment and insurance, and even a knowledge of taxation.
During the process of creating a well-developed estate plan, the client will not see or hear about many of the tasks that an estate planning attorney will do. During the estate planning process, it is not unusual for the estate planning attorney to do the following varied and many and tasks:
- Organize and conduct meetings with clients and when needed, involve the client’s accountant, investment advisor, insurance agent, etc.;
- Examine and analyze property records and titling of all assets that will be included in the estate plan;
- Raise issues and pitfalls with a client’s wishes and desires for their estate plan and distribution of their estate and advise the client on alternatives to accomplish the same objective;
- Advise the client on the selection of agents under durable powers of attorney and healthcare directives, trustees, executors, and guardians of the person and estate for minor children;
- Raise issues and advise the client about their end of life choices, financial and medical directive choices, organ donation, disposition of remains, etc.;
- Advise the client on pre and post-nuptial agreements or marital property agreements or marital settlement agreements as a result of divorce;
- Occasionally create or terminate a business entity;
- Raise issues and advise the client about beneficiaries with special needs or educational requirements or other type family-based complexities;
- Advise the client on the distribution of some or all of their assets to meet their philanthropic goals and preferences;
- Draft estate plan documents that meet the client’s needs and wishes;
- Work with the client after the estate plan has been created to properly move the assets to the trust or properly title beneficiaries on insurance policies, retirement accounts, etc.;
- Instruct the client on where to keep the original estate planning documents versus copies and how often the client should review and even update or revise their estate plan; and
- Work with the client and their accountant on the filing of proper tax returns and updating business entity organizational documents and with their other advisors on other needed changes.
The above are just a few of the major tasks that an estate planning attorney at the Chilina Law Firm will do to prepare a successful and well-developed estate plan for their client. Anyone considering developing an estate plan should contact a competent estate planning attorney such as an estate planning attorney for the Chilina Law Firm.
Authored by Karen Chilina and Co-Authored by Greg Chilina
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