Factors To Consider Before Hiring Will And Trust Lawyer Portland Oregon Inhabitants Should Know

By Kathleen Roberts


The practice of trusts and estates is a very broad aspect of law that includes but not limited to estate planning, probate, elder law and estate and trust administration. An estate planning attorney can help you do many things amongst them reduce estate taxes, plan for incapacity, manage on-going trusts and so forth. Because of this, if you need to engage an estate and trusts attorney, you need to look for one who specializes in your area of concern. When looking for will and trust lawyer Portland Oregon residents will find the following tips very useful.

The best way to find an estate attorney would be to ask for recommendations especially from your family members. This is so because your family members are people who know you and would anticipate who you would like. However, even among family members, there could be people with ulterior motives. You therefore need to be wary of such characters in your search for estate attorney.

Apart from friends and relatives, you can also seek referrals from your local bar association. Most bar associations usually keep a list of lawyers who are licensed to practice in that area. The advantage of seeking for your probate lawyer from bar association is that you can be sure that he is a qualified lawyer. This is because bar associations only admit members who are qualified and have integrity.

If you want the best legal services, you should also look for a solicitor who specializes in your area of interest. Remember that wills and trusts is very wide. Because of this, most lawyers usually specialize in just a specific aspect. For instance, there are lawyers who only deal with estate administration, others only set up trusts for loved ones and so forth. It is therefore upon you to decide which area of will and trusts you need legal help and look for a solicitor who specializes in that aspect.

It is also very important that you look for an honest solicitor. Most lawyers usually offer an initial meeting free of charge. You should take this advantage to assess whether your prospective attorney is honest or not. Remember that this is one person you will trust to administer your trust when you are long gone. Because of this, he ought to be trustworthy.

In very complicated cases, you would also need a solicitor with experience. What this means is that you should look for someone who has been in this practice for several years. If you can get a lawyer with at least ten years of active practice, that would be an added advantage.

Finding the right probate attorney also means finding one whose services you can afford. With this in mind, it is advisable that you compare rates from at least three attorneys before making a choice. This will help you avoid last minute surprises.

It is also very important that you insist on a written contract with your attorney. In fact, you should not deal with any attorney who does not want a written contract. If he/she does not want to sign contract, treat this as red flag and look for another attorney.




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