Questions to ask an Attorney doing Gift and Estate Tax Planning

In addition to the general questions asked in the article "Why choose a Christian financial professional" by Ron Blue, there are some other issues and specific questions you might want to ask an attorney you are looking to employ. As in most situations it is helpful for you to interview and consider several candidates before you make your final decision. Some of the questions we would suggest you ask include the following:

Experience

• How long have you been in practice?
• Can you tell me a little about your practice?
• How many lawyers in your firm?
• What is your client base made up of?
• What percentage of your clients are Christian/non-Christian?
• What are your areas of specialty?
• Have you handled complex situations?
• Give me an example of some of the complex cases you have handled.
• Have you handled many cases in my area of need (estate planning, business succession, tax planning, etc)?

Services

• Will you or an associate of yours work with me?
• How long will it take for you to do my work?
• How responsive are you to my calls and questions?
• How timely is your work generally done?

Referrals

• Do you have clients with similar situations like mine who might be willing to speak with me about your services?
• Do you have other professionals that might be willing to speak to me about your services?

Reputation

• Are you in good standing with your local bar association?
• Have you ever been cited by a professional governing body for disciplinary reasons?
• What other outside activities are you involved in?

Compensation

• Do you charge for initial consultations?
• How are your fees calculated?
• Can the fee arrangements be set forth in writing before the engagement begins?
• What are your hourly rates?
• What are the hourly rates of your associates?
• Will you be charging me for every phone conversation and/or meeting?
• What do you project my costs would be for your services?
• What can I do to help you with your work and keep your fees to a minimum?

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