When to Consult a Lawyer

You may want to talk to a lawyer if:

• You have questions about your will or other options for leaving your property.
  
  
• You expect to leave a very large amount of assets (say, over $2 million) and they may be subject to estate tax unless you engage in tax planning.
  
  
• Rather than simply naming people to inherit your property, you want to make more complex plans -- for example, leaving your house in trust to your spouse until he or she dies and then having it pass to your children from a previous marriage.
  
  
• You are a small business owner and have questions as to the rights of surviving owners or your ownership share.
  
  
• You must make arrangements for long-term care of a beneficiary -- for example, setting up a trust for an incapacitated or disadvantaged child.
  
  
• You fear someone will contest your will on grounds of fraud, or claim that you were unduly influenced, or weren't of sound mind when you signed it.
  
  
• You wish to disinherit, or substantially disinherit, your spouse. It's usually not possible to do this if your spouse objects, but a lawyer can explain your spouse's rights.
  
  

Finding a Lawyer

If you decide to see a lawyer, your next task will be to find one who is knowledgeable about wills, charges a reasonable fee and will respect your efforts to make your own will. This may not be easy, but it shouldn't be impossible.