There is always a lawyer around when you need one. It seems as though there is never a shortage of lawyers. What may be the case, however, is that even though there might not be a shortage of lawyers out there, there very well might be a shortage of good quality lawyers.
Sometimes, it can be rather difficult to navigate through the sheer number of lawyers you might find in the phone book or through an Internet search. You see the word lawyer and might be persuaded to believe that all lawyers do the same thing and that there is no difference between them.
You might think that since your cousin is a lawyer that you are safe in case you get yourself into some kind of legal trouble. The truth, however, is that not all lawyers are the same, and that is not simply referring to their quality. If you need an estate lawyer, then a real estate lawyer or a car accident attorney will not be able to provide you with the type expertise that a bona fide estate lawyer can provide.
An estate lawyer has the kind of expertise and can deliver the type of insight you will need if you need a will or some kind of planning for your estate. There are several reasons you might need the services of an estate lawyer but when you look at it, there are three main reasons.
Firstly, clients engage in estate planning to avoid probate. Almost 60% of an estate attorney’s clients come in for this reason. Without the aid of an estate lawyer to plan and set up the management of an estate, probate can hold up the transfer of property for sometimes years to come.
Secondly, 57% of clients come to an estate attorney to minimize possible discord among beneficiaries. For hundreds of years, family members have squabbled and fought over the distribution of estates when owners have passed away and left their estate to be managed.
Thirdly, an estate lawyer is necessary in order to protect children from mismanaging their inheritance. Especially when children inherit money and estates at a young age, there can be a tendency to squander a new found bit of wealth and comfort.
Right now in the United States, there are anywhere between 55% to 70% of Americans who do not have a simple will or any kind of comprehensive estate plan. That really is a shame because, with the right assistance, it does not take very long at all for an estate plan to be put into place that could make the distribution of an estate so much easier after the owners have passed away and left the estate to designated beneficiaries.
If an estate attorney has properly done the job of settling an estate, those who are the beneficiaries might want to sell what the have been left, namely the house and any land that might have been willed. If that is the case, finding a real estate lawyer becomes necessary. While an estate lawyer has the know how to arrange wills and handle probate, a real estate attorney knows the laws regarding how to sell a home and property.
There are plenty of them to choose from, as well. In 2014, there were over 600,000 real estate lawyers in the United States, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Finding a lawyer will never be a hard thing to do. What becomes challenging is finding the right lawyer for you and the reasons that you need one.
