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LegalZoom is Not Enough: Why You Need a McKinney Estate Planning Lawyer

May 17, 2022 Estate Planning

In an age when it is easy to download legal documents and fill in the blanks yourself, it is tempting to think that you don’t need a McKinney estate lawyer. The provisions in many estate planning documents seem standard. Do you really need a lawyer to fill in the forms for you when you can do it yourself?

For most people, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Estate planning is about much more than generating legal documents. You need a specific plan designed to protect your interests during your lifetime and provide a smooth transition after you pass away, and you won’t get that from an online document provision service.

Plus, when you create your own legal documents, you run the risk that those documents may not meet the requirements to be legally valid. Even worse, those documents could be legally binding but create results that are a far cry from what you intended.

The Complexities of Estate Planning in Texas

A skilled McKinney estate lawyer can help you develop a comprehensive plan that protects not only financial interests but also health care concerns. Your plan can cover needs during your lifetime and make it easy for your loved ones to receive your assets after your passing. As legal rules or your life circumstances change, your attorney can guide you through plan adjustments to meet your needs.

A document provision service cannot provide guidance or help you plan for unique circumstances. The documents you download will not be automatically updated to account for amendments in the laws or changes in your family or lifestyle. In fact, the documents might not even be up-to-date at the time you sign them.

When you work without an experienced estate lawyer, you essentially have to guess which documents you need and figure out the best way to set them up. This amounts to taking a piecemeal approach to your future. You might get lucky and choose the right documents to meet your future needs. Then again you might leave something out that causes tremendous problems.

Costly Mistakes with Legal Documents

When you create your own estate planning documents, whether you use a service provider or work from sample forms, you need to research to ensure that you are fulfilling all legal requirements. Miss one, and your documents may not be enforceable.

For example, if you create a power of attorney to allow a family member to pay your bills should you become incapacitated, the bank may look at the document and refuse to honor it. Your agent might take the matter to court to force recognition, only to have the court turn them down. Then they need to start over and initiate guardianship proceedings. Guardianship involves a lengthy, expensive process, and the court could still deny guardianship in the end.

If, instead, you had a knowledgeable McKinney estate lawyer create your documents, your attorney will make certain they are legally binding. If there’s ever a problem ever arises, you can go to your legal advisor for help.

Talk to a McKinney Estate Lawyer Today for Immediate Assistance

You know that LegalZoom and other online providers can produce virtually any generic legal document you want. What you may not know, however, are the variety of ways a dedicated McKinney estate lawyer can help protect your interests now and in the days to come.

Estate planning covers far more than wills. An estate planning attorney can develop a plan to cover long-term care costs, provide for health care decisions, and meet a variety of other needs. Contact The Nordhaus Firm today for a free consultation to learn how we could help you.