There are several options for creating an estate plan on your own. That might lead you to wonder what role an estate planning attorney can play and whether you should hire one.
If you can do something by yourself without taking too much time to do it, you are probably hesitant to hire someone to do the job for you. For example, why bother to hire a handyman to fix a squeaky door when fixing it yourself takes no more than a few minutes and some lubricant?
With many downloadable estate planning forms available today, many people are starting to have the same thoughts about estate planning and wonder why they should hire an estate planning attorney when they can do it themselves.
As the Herald Times Reporter in “Estate planning attorneys are like a QB” suggests, estate planning attorneys still have a vital role to play.
Just like the quarterback of a football team, an estate planning attorney plays a key role in coordinating the plans and executing them. The attorney is the one with the expertise and ability to make sure everything goes according to plan. You tell the estate planning attorney how you want things to go and the attorney creates a plan that does what you want.
The attorney can even call an audible just like a quarterback. If there are potential problems with what you want to do, then the attorney can advise you and help you come up with a different plan.
You can play football without a quarterback, but it is unadvisable. You can also create an estate plan without an attorney. That too is not advisable.
Reference: Green Bay Press-Gazette (Aug. 13, 2016) “Estate planning attorneys are like a QB”
