There's no litmus test. We don't have objective rankings like chess players, or objective metrics like baseball players.If you moved to a new location for retirement, how did you find a new attorney for estate planning purposes?
I get that you can ask neighbors and the person at a local bank, but are there other more concrete ways to find a competent person?
I may be a bit apprehensive, but that's because I just helped my sister settle our mother's estate and her attorney made huge blunders - discovered
as we went along....malpractice level blunders as it turns out - and he is considered the best in mom's town - ugh.
The best you can do is ask people who you think might know, and then look at their bios and their firms' websites to see who you think would be a good fit. Writing for a professional journal counts for more than writing for a local weekly newsletter. Speaking at a bar association continuing legal education conference counts for more than speaking at a local senior center.
Asking a lawyer in the trust department of a bank or trust company with a good trust department is more likely to be helpful than asking someone on the platform or the manager of a retail bank branch. But if you had access to them, you probably already have access to suitable lawyers.
If you had a good trusts and estates lawyer where you used to live, you could ask him/her for a recommendation. He/she may know someone in your new area, or if not, can more easily ask around and can probably better sort the responses. I recently needed local counsel for a litigation in another state involving a trust. I asked a handful of trusts and estates lawyers (who don't do litigation) in that county, and was able to pick from among the names I got.
Location is less important nowadays with phone, fax, e-mail, FedEx and Zoom. We have clients all over the country and some outside the country.
Statistics: Posted by bsteiner — Mon Jul 15, 2024 10:48 am — Replies 12 — Views 652