Making a will to direct how your property should be distributed after your death is something that you should take care of during
your lifetime. Using a lawyer is the best way to have a will made. Doing it yourself is ill advised.

Your will should also keep pace with changes in your life and may need to be updated from time to time. Family changes such as new children or grandchildren, or a move to a new state, which may have different inheritance laws, or material changes in your estate’s value; or other changes in your life over the years, are reasons that you should consider making changes in your will or in your estate planning. You should consult either your former lawyer, or a new lawyer, especially if you have moved to a new state.

"Estate" is a legal term that refers to a person’s property, assets, and money. An Estate Planning lawyer can help you determine how your property and assets can be managed during your lifetime and how they can be distributed after your death. The Estate Planning lawyer can also advise you how to manage your estate to minimize taxes and future court costs, as well as help you create legally binding documents that give you control over your finances, taxes, and medical plans.

Estate Planning lawyers also help you with creating documents, in additions to wills, such as Trusts that allow you to manage property and money for your children, relatives, charities, or other persons in the ways that you desire.

PROBATE LAWYERS

Most Estate Lawyers in addition to wills and trusts also handle Probate matters. Probate is the name of the procedure to process a person’s Will after their death. If you are an heir or an executor, you should consult such a lawyer to handle the probate process to legally establish the Will and carry out its provisions.

Probate lawyers can also handle matters for you if there is no Will. The laws of the state where the deceased person lived and died usually control how the property is distributed. A probate attorney may also represent family members and beneficiaries wishing to challenge a Will.