If you are looking for legal help from an estate planning attorney or elder law attorney in Ocean County or beyond, there are certain qualities and skills to look for. In terms of qualities, you will want the lawyer to be good at communicating in a way you understand both in person and in writing, be good at problem-solving and be analytical. Here are some of the skills you would want in them.
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Understanding the procedures for litigation
You would want your estate or elder law attorney in Monmouth County to have detailed knowledge about probate concerns and civil litigation matters. They should also have some understanding and skill with family and health law. They need to be someone who can advocate for you and be honest with you about what is needed, what the odds are and what the risks are compared to the benefits.
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Being aware of their client’s situation
It is important that the lawyer learns about the client’s background and understands their situation. If the will is unbalanced in how things are gifted, or someone is left out completely, the lawyer needs to know and about the circumstances that have led to that. It is not the lawyer’s job to prevent that from happening, but since it means things might be challenged it helps to know why. Having a letter of explanation with the will for the lawyer to read out to say why things have been left as they have is a good idea. A lawyer should take detailed notes when they meet with their client to keep up with their situation.
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Have a decent grasp of the family dynamics
An estate planning or elder law attorney in Ocean County should be familiar with the dynamics of the family. It helps in the process of planning for the estate and it helps with litigation should that happen. Sometimes families have issues going back many years that can come up in the process of reading a will and knowing the dynamics within the family can help the lawyer immensely.
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When you should look for an estate lawyer
A person should reach out to an estate lawyer as soon as they think they might need one. If you have a more complex or larger estate to leave to loved ones that is especially true. Things can always be altered or updated as the client ages and as things change. In the case of someone passing and you have been named an executor it is a good idea to seek the lawyer out so that you can better manage the task. You can get good advice about administering the estate from the elder law attorney in Monmouth County. You would also want to contact a good lawyer if you wanted to challenge the will. In some cases there is a period of time allowed for such challenges and if that timeframe has passed then it will be too late to make a claim.