Maryland Estate Planning: Creating Estate Planning Documents such as Wills, Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney & Advance Directives

Here are some good questions to ask an attorney when you are considering hiring that attorney to create an estate plan for you. These are questions that are sometimes asked of me and I have included my answers after each question.

“How do you draft your estate planning documents?”

I begin by learning what you need. I then draft the documents using the most recent updates under Maryland law. I stay informed of changes in the law by subscribing to a service that ensures I will not miss any updates in the area of estate planning; and I follow-up with my own legal research. Additionally, I belong to the Maryland State Bar Association Estate Planning group which discusses trends in the industry on a daily basis. This is also an excellent resource when a new problem is presented and the answer is unclear.

“Do you outsource the drafting of the documents to individuals in another state or country?”

No. All documents are drafted by me.

“Do you use a drafting program purchased from a third party vendor?”

No. All documents are created using current law and the client’s needs, and then maintained and updated as needed.

“Does the attorney draft the documents, or does he or she delegate this responsibility to a paralegal or assistant in their office?”

I draft all of your documents. I take pride in drafting and reviewing all of your estate planning documents from beginning to end.

“Will I see a drafts of the documents before they are finalized?”

Yes, I produce drafts of all documents for review before creating final drafts. You can have these delivered as printed documents or electronically. It is important that the client understands and questions the drafts to ensure an estate plan that accurately reflects their needs.

Before hiring an attorney to work with you on your estate plan, you should ask questions such as these to ensure that the attorney working for you is the person drafting and reviewing of your documents, and that your interests and needs are a priority from beginning to end. I begin by asking you questions to learn exactly what you need (and don’t need) before working on your estate planning documents. And once drafts are complete, we will take the time needed to address your questions and make all appropriate revisions before finalizing your estate plan.

For a free, confidential conversation to discuss these and other estate planning matters, contact Maryland estate planning attorney Stephen J. Reichert at 410-299-4959, sreichert@reichertlegal.com or by clicking here. Office or home meetings are provided at your convenience throughout most of Maryland.