Where Should I Hire An Estate Lawyer?
If you are starting to think about estate planning or you have a legal matter concerning your estate that you want to address, you may be looking into hiring a probate and estates attorney. You may also be wondering what state and jurisdiction your attorney needs to be located in. While this may seem obvious if your life and estate are in one place, it can be more complicated if you have multiple homes or do not live in the same state all year. If you are concerned about where to hire an estate attorney, read on to learn more.
What State Should I Get an Estate or Probate Lawyer In
Generally, it is best to hire an estate attorney in the state and county where you are domiciled. This means your place of residence, where you live without a plan to stop living there. If you are seeking a probate attorney for someone who died, you will also look to hire one who is licensed to practice law in the state where they lived at the time of their death. If you have multiple residences, the state of your primary residence will be the best state to file in. However, you may be required to retain legal counsel in other states if you maintain residences or significant assets there. Your initial estate lawyer will be able to take the lead and advise you on whether you need any additional legal counsel or to take further action. If you have multiple options for your primary residence, it makes sense to look at the laws regarding estates and taxes on them in each of those states. Many people move to Florida to avoid state inheritance and gift taxes on the assets they leave to beneficiaries. Of course, federal taxes and laws still apply. So, in short, the best place to start is with an attorney who practices in the state where you or the decedent lived.
Finding the Right Estate Lawyer
It’s important to ensure that the estate lawyer that you hire is a good fit for your specific needs. If you have a very large and complex estate, it’s critical that your attorney has experience handling cases of this nature. Your estate attorney should make you feel confident that you are in good hands, and should create a thorough and comprehensive plan for all of your assets. Even though creating a will and comprehensive estate plans are huge steps, you will still need to update and revise them every few years or whenever major life changes occur, so it is ideal to be able to develop an ongoing relationship with your estate attorney.
Schedule a Consultation with the Law Offices of Larry E. Bray
If you are dealing with an estate issue or are ready to develop an estate plan that meets all of your needs, West Palm Beach estate planning lawyer Larry E. Bray is ready to help. Contact the Law Offices of Larry E. Bray today to schedule a consultation.
Resource:
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0733/0733.html
