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How would I find such a lawyer? So far, the closest I've ever come to needing or wanting an attorney is when I bought my house. At this moment, the only outst

How would I find such a lawyer? So far, the closest I've ever come to needing or wanting an attorney is when I bought my house. At this moment, the only outstanding legal issue I can think of is that I need a will drawn up. Is that sufficient for approaching a lawyer and "seeing how it goes?"

droithomme 15y ago
Yes, that's a good start, if in most US states you'll want a living trust set up in addition to a will which avoids the legal costs of probate court for your heirs. Last time I changed towns I went through three lawyers to talk about setting up a living trust in the new state. The first three had serious issues. The fourth didn't and is now my basic attorney. I think batting 0.25 isn't bad all things considered, it really is like looking for a good contractor or mechanic, most of whom are either not competent or are dishonest. But there are always competent honest people out there if you can find them. Competent, honest and cheap you can't get. You'll have to pick 2. Once you have a professional you know you can trust, stick with them. It's not possible to just pick a good one randomly the first time yourself except when you are lucky. However, it's not any more difficult than getting a good mechanic, which is why I keep using that analogy. I should mention that when in a new town do not trust recommendations made by others who are not professionals who work in the system as peers. Others will recommend their friends or relatives, or someone that helped someone they know in a bind once. This is very different from the high respect of an honorable peer, which is why you want a good attorney to be recommending the specialty lawyer and not your coworker, pastor, or waitress. Consider the $800-$1500 you'll spend on a routine living trust a down payment on a good lawyer.

3 ms·

How would I find such a lawyer? So far, the closest I've ever come to needing or wanting an attorney is when I bought my house. At this moment, the only outst

by techsupporter 15y ago

droithomme 15y ago
Yes, that's a good start, if in most US states you'll want a living trust set up in addition to a will which avoids the legal costs of probate court for your heirs. Last time I changed towns I went through three lawyers to talk about setting up a living trust in the new state. The first three had serious issues. The fourth didn't and is now my basic attorney. I think batting 0.25 isn't bad all things considered, it really is like looking for a good contractor or mechanic, most of whom are either not competent or are dishonest. But there are always competent honest people out there if you can find them. Competent, honest and cheap you can't get. You'll have to pick 2. Once you have a professional you know you can trust, stick with them. It's not possible to just pick a good one randomly the first time yourself except when you are lucky. However, it's not any more difficult than getting a good mechanic, which is why I keep using that analogy. I should mention that when in a new town do not trust recommendations made by others who are not professionals who work in the system as peers. Others will recommend their friends or relatives, or someone that helped someone they know in a bind once. This is very different from the high respect of an honorable peer, which is why you want a good attorney to be recommending the specialty lawyer and not your coworker, pastor, or waitress. Consider the $800-$1500 you'll spend on a routine living trust a down payment on a good lawyer.