How to find the right lawyers for wills and estate planning
When it comes to wills and estate planning, there is a large margin for error, which could profoundly affect your personal wealth and where it goes after you die. To mitigate risk, it’s essential to hire the best will and estate planning lawyers that you can find in Melbourne. Lawyers experienced in these subjects can help you avoid common mistakes while also ensuring that your money and assets flow to the correct recipients, as per your wishes. Read on to learn more about different issues relating to wills and estate planning and three hints for choosing the proper will and estate planning lawyers for your situation.
What legal area do you need help with?
Wills and estate planning is not a simple area of law, and many different aspects of it may apply to you. Will and estate planning lawyers can help with a diverse range of subtopics that make up the broader subject of wills and estate planning. These topics include:
- Putting together a will and planning for the fate of your estate (including tax issues)
- How to deal with deceased estates and set up family trusts
- How to legally leave property to your children
- Will challenges and mediation for estate disputes
- Everything you need to know about probate, including how much it will be
- How you will provide for family members with disabilities
- How to coordinate a self-managed super fund
- Estate planning when you have assets both in Australia and overseas
This list is just a quick reminder of some of the issues under the broad category of wills and estate planning. Some will and estate planning lawyers might shine in some areas, not others, so it pays to do your research.
Use professional legal bodies to gain insights into lawyers
On the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner website, there is a free service to do a background check on any lawyer you are thinking of working with. With the click of a few buttons, you can see the lawyer’s specialisations, plus whether or not they have received any disciplinary action. This website check is a worthy exercise to go through when choosing will and estate planning lawyers to make sure you select someone who is credible and has integrity. This same website has resources for consumers on legal costs and billing and information on getting the best out of your professional relationship with a lawyer. It’s worth a look.
The Law Institute of Victoria provides legal fact sheets and resources for the public, including one on wills and estate planning. They also have a Looking for Legal Help page, which outlines various legal help available. The options are:
- Find your lawyer referral service
- Accredited specialist directory
- Arbitrator directory
- Mediator directory
- Migration lawyers directory
- Find a notary
- Free legal support
- Disputes with your lawyer
As you can see, there is a wealth of information on this website. If you choose “find your lawyer referral service,” you will have the option to search for will and estate planning lawyers near you. Use their online form to search by legal issue, area of law, or firm name. They also operate a telephone referral service during office hours. You can also use the Law Institute of Victoria’s accredited specialist directory to find lawyers with extra training and certifications in wills and estate planning.
Benefit from other people’s experiences with lawyers
One of the best ways of finding will and estate planning lawyers is to ask close friends if they have dealt with any lawyers on those issues that they would recommend. Family members may be too close to the topics at hand to give you a good referral, but close friends often are going through similar life experiences, and they may have some wisdom to share with you. If you don’t know anyone who can offer advice when it comes to selecting will and estate planning lawyers, you can head online and do a Google search. Just type in “will and estate planning lawyers [your city or suburb].” The results will come up with a rating out of 5 for each firm listed on Google Maps. This method is another way to benefit from other people’s experiences with lawyers and make a better selection for yourself.
Hire P&B Law for wills and estate planning you can trust
At P&B Law, we have a team of highly experienced lawyers who can guide you through the process of wills and estate planning. We can help you tick all the legal boxes to give you the utmost control over your wealth, even after you die. Hire our will and estate planning lawyers, and get the best advice in Melbourne. Contact us today.