Estate law specialists are experts in helping people analyze their goals and assets to help organize and plan a strategy on how it is to be dispersed upon death. It can include the transfer of property, as well as a variety of personal matters, including, but not limited to:

1. Health care directions
2. Choosing beneficiaries
3. Organ donations
4. Care of minor children
5. Setting up a trust with the help of trust law specialists
6. Power of attorney
7. Funeral arrangements

An estate planning expert will most often prepare a last will and testament for a client. Although some clients will also need a living trust or a living will. Will experts are able to guide their clients through the necessary forms to meet the individual's needs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Before searching for estate planning experts, educate yourself on what estate planning entails

Estate law specialists can be costly for many people. In order to effectively maximize your time with any estate planning expert, educate yourself about the laws and requirements of estate planning beforehand.

I recommend: The website for the American Bar Association can walk you through estate planning with an overview, frequently asked questions and definitions of all the different components. Nolo provides a step-by-step list on estate planning. With trust and estate advice, the Federal Citizen Information Center of the U.S. General Services Administration provides pertinent information, it also provides links to other resources.

Find will and testament advice in order to do your own estate planning

There are many sites that offer will specialists advice, forms available for download and computer programs for sale to help individuals file their own wills and trust.

I recommend: FreeAdvice has everything you need for estate planning, including FAQ, forms and information on trust and wills. Walking people through the process of creating a living will, a living trust or a last will, LegalZoom provides programs for a cost. All About Forms.com supported by CLC Inc. has everything needed for the will and testament experts, with over 500 forms online. They also offer Quicken's Willmaker Plus for those who want to do it themselves.

Use law directory databases to help you find an estate planning expert in your area

National associations and member organizations are effective ways to find will and testament experts in your area.

I recommend: National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) is a national organization of estate planning experts that supports local estate planning councils and allows you to search for an expert in your area. Providing help in all legal matters, FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters business, can help you find a local estate law specialist. A website dedicated to connecting people with legal concerns to experts in their area, LegalMatch can help you find estate planning experts and provide you with estate planning information. With members across the country, the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel allows you to search for trust law specialists by state. They also offer information on trust and estate planning, as well as provide forms available for download.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  It can be helpful and cost effective to use an online program on your own and then have an estate planning expert look it over before you file, to ensure accuracy.
• •  Your local bar association may be able to supply contact information and resources for your area.