Choosing an Estate Planning Attorney

How Do I Choose an Estate Planning Attorney?

Choose a Michigan attorney whose practice is focused on estate planning, who quotes a flat fee before starting, and who can tell you exactly who moves your home and accounts into your trust. Then ask every firm the same questions and compare the answers, not only the prices.

Most families talk to one firm, or pick the closest one. A short comparison is worth the hour, because the differences between firms usually aren't in the documents. They're in what happens before and after the signing.

What to Look For

A practice focused on estate planning

Estate planning, probate and elder law have their own problems: unfunded trusts, outdated beneficiary forms, the five-year Medicaid look-back. A firm that handles them every week will spot them. A general practice may draft a simple will well, so ask how many trusts the firm drafts and funds each year.

A flat fee, quoted before you start

Hourly billing makes families hesitate to call with questions, and that's when mistakes happen. Look for one flat fee, quoted before you commit, that covers the whole plan. See what an estate plan costs and what changes the price.

Someone who funds the trust

A living trust only avoids probate if your home and accounts are in it. Many firms draft the trust, then give you a checklist and send you to the bank. Ask who does the funding and who records the deed with the county.

A defined process you can follow

You should know what happens at each step and how long it takes. At Rutkowski Law Firm, every plan follows the same four steps: Vision Consultation, design, signing and funding. Your client portal shows which step you're on.

A team, not one attorney's calendar

If your attorney is out sick, on vacation or leaves the firm, what happens to your plan? A firm with attorneys, paralegals and a support team keeps your plan moving.

Support after the signing

A plan gets tested years later: a stroke, a fall, a nursing home admission, a death in the family. Ask what the firm does then, and whether calls after the signing are billed.

A firm that works with your whole family

If your children live out of state, ask whether they can join the meetings by video. If you're the adult child helping a parent, see how to talk to aging parents about estate planning.

Questions to Ask Every Estate Planning Attorney

Bring this list to every firm you talk to:

1. Is the fee flat or hourly, and what exactly does it cover?
2. Who retitles my house and accounts into the trust: me or you?
3. Who records the deed, and will you confirm it came back from the county?
4. Will you confirm in writing when my plan is done?
5. Who will I actually work with, and who answers when I call?
6. How will I know where my plan stands while it's being built?
7. What happens if my attorney is out or leaves the firm?
8. If I call with a question after the signing, is that billed?
9. Can my children join the meetings by video?
10. Do you also handle Medicaid planning and probate if we need it later?

Warning Signs

• No price until after you've committed. You should know the fee before you decide.
• "Here's your binder, good luck." If funding the trust is left to you, the plan isn't finished.
• No one can tell you who your contact is. You'll find out later, when you need someone.

How Rutkowski Law Firm Answers These Questions

• Fee: one flat fee, quoted at your Vision Consultation before you decide anything. Most clients pay half when the plan starts and half when it's complete.
• Funding: our team moves your home and accounts into your trust, records your deed with the county and confirms in writing that your plan is done.
• Who you work with: attorneys and paralegals, led by founding attorney Michael L. Rutkowski, plus a Customer Success team that answers calls during office hours.
• Progress: your client portal shows which step your plan is on.
• After the signing: we're still here when your health changes or the plan needs updating. When a parent was in crisis, we've turned around emergency powers of attorney by the next day.
• Your family: meet in person at our Troy or Rochester office with your children joining by video, or do the whole plan by video from anywhere in Michigan.
• Later needs: our practice also covers Medicaid planning, elder law and probate.

Want to know what an estate planning attorney actually does first? Read what an estate planning attorney does.

Next Step

Schedule a Vision Consultation or call 248-792-9193. Bring the questions above. We'll answer every one before you decide anything.