Good estate planning attorneys will never beat the fees online providers offer for estate planning documents.   It is true that all estate planning attorneys use forms.   Some law firms create their own forms, others purchase memberships to estate planning companies that provide template forms.  And as noted above, online companies sell legal forms at low cost directly to the public.  My guess is that cost goes from highest to lowest based on the above scenarios.   That said, you get what you pay for.

Our elder law firm uses forms that we have created based on over thirty years of combined experience in estate and asset protection planning.   They are based on decades of experience derived from thousands of interactions with Massachusetts families and state agencies such as MassHealth.  Our forms reflect changes that occur when new regulations are issued or when case law is created that affect our clients’ common goals of asset protection, estate tax minimization and probate avoidance.   Our forms reflect the knowledge our attorneys gain through active participation in elder law organizations such as the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and by our attendance at seminars offered by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, some of which we have created and often chair.

My point is that Oalican Law Group is unique.   We don’t “dabble” in several different areas of the law like “full service” law firms.   We are estate and asset protection lawyers – period.  We bring value to our clients based on our specialized focus in Massachusetts elder law.

Here are a few examples of important issues that are often not addressed by firms that use forms purchased by third party companies, by firms that don’t specialize in elder law (i.e. “full service” firms) or by online forms purchased over the internet:

• Does a power of attorney continue after death?
• What happens to a child’s share if he predeceases me?
• How can I protect an inheritance in the event of a divorce, bankruptcy or law suit?
• I own real estate with my siblings. What happens to my share if I die?  Does it go to my other siblings or can I control where it would go?
• Can I use a power of attorney to make gifts for Medicaid planning purposes?
• How do I fund a trust? What type of assets should go into the trust?
• How much will I pay in estate taxes when I die? How can I eliminate or minimize the tax?
• Can the personal representative of my will sell real estate without court permission after my death?
• Should I use an irrevocable trust or a revocable trust to protect my assets?
• Is a deed with a life estate better than an irrevocable trust to protect my house from a Medicaid lien?
• Will my current estate plan protect my assets if my spouse enters a nursing home?

Forms are just the start.  Our advocacy, knowledge, counseling and experience add indispensable value for our clients.  With Oalican Law Group you get personalized interaction and in exchange, you receive peace, security and comfort when you put pen to paper in our office.

Regards,

Eric R. Oalican