Estate Planning. The name itself sounds pretentious and snobby. Like you would only consider planning your estate if you were Preston Blake from the movie Mr. Deeds or at least in one of those higher tax brackets. With this elitist mindset on the formation of pre and post mortem documentation comes the equally elitist mindset of what estate planning lawyers must be like.

Don’t get me wrong, I can definitely see how one could think Estate Planning law is lofty and pointless to the average American what with all the legal jargon, paperwork, and all the big decisions one has to make in preparation for their own death (daunting, I know). It can get to be a lot but the truth is it is easiest to start now rather than later. The problem with Estate planning, as I have observed from two years behind the reception desk at a small law firm in Dunedin Florida, is that no one truly knows what their signing (except the lawyer) and whether or not those papers are in the best interest of themselves or just the lawyer racking up a hefty bill.

While the ladder is sadly true in some cases, most of the time, lawyers are just looking for the best way to protect you and your assets from harm in all legal ways possible. My dad, the lawyer I look up to most (with Elle Woods in close second), probably said it best when I asked him what his main goal is being an Estate Planning lawyer. He said “We’re basically all just problem solvers, that’s all it is”.

His use of the group mentality in saying “We’re” is important here because in this day and age, it seems almost impossible to fly solo in the Estate Planning business. All lawyers have certain areas of specialty (just like doctors) since the law itself is so big and ever-expanding, it just becomes too much for one lawyer to account for. For example, no one was worrying about protecting online assets twenty years ago but now you have plenty of people wondering what will happen to their cryptocurrency when they die.

It is for this reason being apart of multiple groups or associations is vital nowadays to the success of all Estate Planning attorneys. Just to name a few, the Elder Section of the Florida Bar, Medical Care Advisory Committee, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys are some groups that one could join if they want to be a successful Estate Planning lawyer. In joining such associations, lawyers open themselves up to new people, new problems, new solutions, and can offer their own solutions to problems others may have in forums, face to face interactions, and in the form of the listserv. While listserves exist for all aspects of legal specialization, it is one of the most important aspect in terms of productivity in the Estate Planning community. Think of it as the Quora of Estate Planning law where one can find similar questions and answers to problems in their specific field all at the click of a mouse.

With all these resources, it is important to note that these outlets exist to serve clients as individuals. The validity of a one-size-fits all estate plan holds about as much weight as a one-size-fits-all piece of clothing. Just as that t-shirt will cover almost all wearers, it only truly fits a very small part of the population. In the world of Estate Planning, everyone could be protected under a big, fancy, (and lets not forget) expensive trust plan that some Estate Planning lawyers like to give out like candy but the truth of the matter is that a plan such as this will only truly help a small percentage of people. Due to the inexplicable differences in which everyone chooses to live, one’s Estate Plan should be just as unique.

With this in mind, my lovely father wants people to know, the best estate planning lawyers are those that get to know their clients, become familiar with their situation, and are not afraid of attempting to break from the “norm” in assisting everyday Americans (in his case, Floridians) if it means they can protect the estate they have built from themselves and make sure it is distributed the way the client deems fit.

To best do this, my dad is a big proponent of “Empowerment in Education” as his main motivator in how he runs his firm. While empowering clients by teaching them the certain aspects of the laws surrounding the planning of their estate is always beneficial, educating himself by learning from other lawyers is another vital aspect to ensuring excellence in the work he provides for his clients. For this reason and all the aforementioned, the groups and associations that bring lawyers from certain fields together are vital to the experience of an estate planning lawyer because they help expose all community members to the changes and possible solutions that come with interpreting and protecting those who seek their help from the ever changing law of the land.