Among Friends

[jackthebear]

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@BunSnoop wrote:

@layla2450 

As I mentioned in my prior post, I do plan on asking when I call the attorney's office what to bring.  I had called earlier today to schedule an appointment and received a recording their office was closed until next week.  In the meantime, until I could get in touch with them, I just wanted an idea as to perhaps what I may need.

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we did an appt with the firm to see if we liked them
once we discussed all the options 

they sent a contract and long questionaire

just take your questions  and ask

you need to see if they firm is a good fit for you 

[millieshops]

@BunSnoop   Neither the firm that wrote my original trust document nor the one that I used to amend it when I moved to another state used any of the papers you mentioned.  

Once you have the trust document you should also receive instructions for what is good to put into a trust as well as how to do that;  you should also be told what is best left out.  Some of the decisions will be based on your reasons for wanting a trust.

[geezerette]

Unless you're willing to pay the attorney for putting all those things into your trust (which can be very costly), you won't need to give those documents to your attorney.  A much cheaper way to go is for you to do your own footwork and do the transfers yourself once you have the trust.

Of course you need to ask when you make the initial call, but usually the first visit is just getting general information and a time for you to ask any questions you may have.

Often, the actual person/people that you may end up dealing with would be the attorney's paralegals.

And it's possible you may decide you want to go with another attorney after that first appointment.

ETA:  You also will need to make a will, power of attorney, and health directives.  So after your initial visit you will need to think about how you want all that set up before making anything legal.

[Ainhisg]

My experience:

You will call to get the appointment, which is usually free, and is usually several weeks out.  They will email or mail you a list of the documents that you need to bring to the appointment.  You will have plenty of time to get your documents together, but they will want current account statements of all financial accounts, contact info for all people involved in the trust (POA, beneficiaries, etc.), and you will need to have thought out how and to whom you want your estate distributed.  Depending on your assets, the price can vary to have a trust created. 

[BunSnoop]

@patbz , I went to the website you referenced and, yes, the checklist is perfect.  Thank you!!!!