Choosing the Right Estate Planning Attorney: 5 Key Factors

Selecting a professional advisor can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to something as personal as estate planning. After all, you’re entrusting someone with your family’s future. Below are five factors to keep in mind when choosing an attorney.

1. Specialized Expertise
Estate planning isn’t just about drafting a will—it can involve complex legal and financial strategies. Look for an attorney who focuses on estate planning, but also handles trust administration and probate. This specialized knowledge can help ensure that no detail is overlooked.

2. Credentials and Experience
Check for relevant degrees, certifications, and years of practice. Our founding attorney, for example, holds an LL.M. degree in taxation and has 17+ years of experience. The right combination of education and hands-on work can make a significant difference in the quality of advice you receive.

3. Clear Communication
Your attorney should explain complex matters in terms you can easily understand. Estate planning documents can be technical, but you shouldn’t be left feeling confused. A good advisor values open, honest communication.

4. Personal Compatibility
Estate planning often involves deeply personal conversations about your family, finances, and future goals. Choose an attorney you feel comfortable with—someone who listens attentively and respects your wishes, but also will provide candid and honest feedback.

5. Ongoing Support
Laws change, and so do life circumstances. You’ll want an attorney who can help you update your plan if you move, marry, divorce, or experience other major life events. A continuous client-attorney relationship ensures your plan remains relevant and effective.

We've Moved!

We are excited to announce that we have moved from our Redwood City office to a new space in Belmont. Our new address is 1500 Old County Road, Belmont, California 94002. We’re officially moved in since the start of 2020. 

Call us to meet with us and see our new home!

What Does Shafae Law Do?

After we posted about the opening of our new Los Angeles office last week, we received a lot of questions about what we actually do. So here’s a list of what we do and what we don’t do.

We do:

• Establish trusts that protect your assets from the probate process and help ensure you benefit from current tax laws

• Transfer your home into your trust

• Help guide you on how to move your other assets into your trust

• Draft wills that name guardians for children and give away your things (or to make sure your things end up in your trust)

• Create documents (called Powers of Attorney) that give someone the right to act in your shoes in case you get sick, can’t do it yourself, or don’t want to do it yourself (e.g. call the bank or your health insurance company to find out what kind of coverage you need)

SIDE NOTE: A forthcoming blog post will explain this in more detail, but even your spouse needs a power of attorney to be able to do these things on your behalf; being married isn’t enough to give your spouse the legal authority to act on your behalf

• Create documents that give someone the right to determine health care decisions when you are unable to do so (e.g. if you are in a coma and there’s a decision to be made about whether to proceed to surgery or not)

• Review and update existing estate planning documents

• Advise on tax implications that impact your estate planning wishes

• Administer a trust for someone who has passed away

• Facilitate the probate process for someone who has passed away

We don’t do:

• Financial planning, like telling you where to invest your money

• Real estate transactions, like helping advise on the housing market or conducting a purchase/sales transaction

• Tax controversies (disputing the IRS) or file tax paperwork for you

• Litigation. We do not handle legal disputes

Not sure if we do or don’t do what you need? We offer free consultations. Contact us today!