“How Often Should I Meet with an Estate Planning Attorney?” by Attorney Nicole Livingston (Audio)
An estate planning attorney can help you to make updates to your plans for your future. You should make certain that you have plans in place, which means you need to reach out to a lawyer for advice if you haven’t already thought ahead about incapacity, end of life issues, asset protection, and legacy planning. If you have a plan in place, you also cannot assume that your job is done. Your life will change, and the law will change, so you need to make certain that you keep in regular contact with an attorney who can help you to make adjustments to your plan based on changes in your circumstances. 
Sinclair Prosser Gasior is here to help. We assist clients with the creation of their initial estate plan and we help to make updates as necessary so that you always have the peace of mind of knowing that you and your loved ones will be cared for if something should happen to you. Making plans for your future is too important not to stay on top of, so you should reach out to our legal team to find out about the ways in which an estate planning attorney can help you.
You should talk with an estate planning attorney whenever something big happens in your life that could affect your inheritance or that could affect end-of-life issues. For example, you should talk with an estate planning lawyer if:
- You have a new child or a new grandchild is born. You likely want to adjust your estate plan to provide for the new child. If you are a parent or a guardian of the child, you’ll also need to make plans for who will care for the child if you become unable to do so.
- You get a new pet. You will also want to make a pet plan to ensure that your furry family members are taken care of if you get sick or hurt and cannot care for them yourself.
- You buy or sell substantial assets: When you acquire property or divest yourself of property, you need to make sure that you have updated your estate plan so you control who inherits and so you can make sure that your loved ones are provided for properly.
- You are diagnosed with a serious medical condition: If you have an illness that could affect your future, you need to make certain that you have addressed your concerns with your attorney about the kinds of medical care you want and the kinds of care you wish to decline.
- Your child or grandchild turns 18: You may have plans in place for an inheritance for a minor which need to be adjusted when your heirs or beneficiaries become legal adults.
You should also regularly talk with an experienced attorney even if you do not experience any big changes in your own life, because there could be legal or regulatory changes that impact the plans you currently have in place. For example, healthcare reform proposals could have resulted in changes in Medicaid, which could potentially have impacted your plans for paying for nursing home care.
You’ll need to make certain that your plans reflect the most current law and you likely don’t follow changes in the law very closely on your own. By working with an attorney who knows the law, and by checking in regularly, you can keep your plans up-to-date and ensure that you are ready for an uncertain future.
Getting Help from An Estate Planning Attorney
An estate planning attorney at Sinclair Prosser Gasior can provide you with information on updates to the law which could affect the plans you have put in place to protect yourself, your loved ones, and the wealth that you have worked hard to create. We can also offer you assistance with adjusting your plans as your life circumstances change.
To find out more about how we can help you to create an initial estate plan or about the process of updating your plans, join us for a free seminar.
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