About Trusts & Estates Lawyers
Three Roles
Trusts an estates lawyers can have three roles:
- Counselors. They advise their client of pitfalls and create a plan that accomplishes the client’s goals, while staying within legal safe harbors.
- Draftspersons. They draft wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents.
- Advocates. They fight on behalf of their client in litigation.
Can Do Many Things
Trusts and estates lawyers can do many things, including:
- draft estate planning documents (including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies, and living wills) and litigation documents (including pleadings and motions)
- prepare and file forms (including a Medicaid application and tax returns)
- plan (including estate planning, planning for incapacity, business succession planning, and asset protection planning)
- administer a decedent’s estate or a trust
- litigate matters arising out of the decedent’s estate or a trust
- transfer assets (including real estate)
- work with other professionals (such as accountants and financial advisors)