In addition to helping ensure your wishes are respected after you're gone, an estate lawyer will also prepare the documents your loved ones will require to take care of your interests when you're unable to. Having the right attorney on your side will provide valuable peace of mind and spare your family members from painful conflicts and difficult decisions.

Before hiring an estate lawyer, the team at MacVean, Lewis, Sherwin & McDermott, P.C. in Middletown, NY, recommend the following tips:

• Ask For Referrals: Personal recommendations from satisfied clients are one of the best ways to find a reliable estate planning attorney. Ask your friends and family members if they can offer referrals, and collect more names through online review sites.
• Meet With Several Attorneys: After compiling a list of potential candidates, meet with at least three different law firms to discuss your needs and gather a diverse perspective about the ideal strategy moving forward. If you're thinking of establishing a trust or have significant assets, this can be even more important since the tax strategies involved can be extremely complex.
• Look For Specialized Experience: The more closely an attorney focuses on a particular practice area, the more in-depth their understanding of the law will be. An attorney who devotes a significant portion of their practice to estate law will also provide solutions more closely tailored to your specific needs.
• Ask About Fees: Because wills and other estate planning documents require periodic updating, some estate lawyers include those costs in the planning fees. If they don't, ask how much it will cost to keep your estate planning documents current.
• Find Someone You Trust: Effective estate planning can require multiple meetings and in-depth discussions of your assets and relationships. Because hiring an estate lawyer can be the beginning of a long, close working relationship, finding someone you like and trust can make the entire process easier and more productive.
• Check For Ethical Complaints: Unfortunately, estate law is fertile ground for unscrupulous individuals who take advantage of people who have questions about their assets. As a final measure, check with your local State Bar Association to see if the attorney you're considering has received any ethical complaints before signing a contract.

For over 130 years, the attorneys at MacVean, Lewis, Sherwin & McDermott, P.C. have provided Hudson Valley clients with personalized attention and high-quality legal advice. Visit their website to learn more about their long tradition of excellent service, or call (845) 343-3000 to schedule a consultation today. You can also find the legal team on Facebook.