17 May Qualities that a good estate lawyer should have

An estate lawyer, commonly known as an estate planner, is a legal professional who can advise their clients on how to prepare their affairs for eventual death and the possibility of mental disability. They have reached their expertise through several years of mentoring as well as continually improving their legal knowledge and skillset.

Those who are looking for an estate planner will naturally want to hire a professional who they can trust with the protection and re-distribution of their assets. An estate lawyer does more than simply help prepare the last will and testament as they assist with many other aspects ranging from guardianship to health care directives.

So, what are the traits that a good estate planner should have? Let’s find out.

They are good listeners

The estate planner needs to be someone that the client can trust with their specific needs and requirements. This means that they should actively listen to the wishes of their clients and help them translate this information into meaningful legal action.

This is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to issues relating to estates and thus a good estate planner needs to be able to craft a highly specialised approach for their individual clients. They will be eager to satisfy their clients with an estate plan that is perfectly tailored to their needs.

Is discreet with their clients

Due to the sensitive and high stakes nature of the work they do an estate planner needs to be incredibly discreet with the information they receive from clients. The lawyer should be highly organised and professional so that they do not jeopardise client confidentiality because of a mistake.

They have relevant experience

Estate planning is a complex area of law with multiple different aspects to it. An estate planner who is highly experienced with trust litigation may not be as experienced with probate issues.

Therefore the best estate lawyers will have a broad spectrum of experience relating to several issues so that they can serve a large variety of clients.

They a reputable

The best estate planners have unstained reputations that speak volumes about their professionalism, expertise and diligence on behalf of clients. A sincere reputation takes a long time to build and this is especially true for estate lawyers.

Because of the nature of this area of law, estate planners will get much of their new business based off of recommendations. They will rely on creating goodwill with clients and other professionals in order to maintain trust and accountability.