Preparing to meet with an estate planning attorney can feel overwhelming. Whether it’s your first meeting or you’re updating an existing plan, walking in organized helps your attorney understand your situation quickly and create a plan that truly fits your needs—without turning the conversation into a scavenger hunt for information.
Here are eight practical ways to prepare for your first meeting:
- Gather Basic Personal Information
Put together a list of full legal names, birthdates, and contact information for yourself, your spouse or partner, your children, and other important family members or friends. Having this information ready helps your attorney understand family relationships and potential beneficiaries from the start.
Be sure to bring a valid form of photo identification to your appointment.
- List Your Assets and Liabilities
Assets (what you own): Make a list of your bank and investment accounts, real estate, retirement accounts and pensions, life insurance policies, vehicles, business interests, and even digital assets. Include approximate values for each item to give your attorney a clear picture of your estate’s size.
For each asset, note:
- How it’s owned (in your name alone, jointly with your spouse, or with others)
- Whether you’ve already designated a beneficiary (and if so, whom)
Liabilities (what you owe): List any debts such as mortgages, home equity loans, credit cards, medical bills, auto loans, or personal loans. Note the approximate balance for each and who the lender is.
If any debts are jointly held with your spouse or someone else, indicate that as well so your attorney knows who’s legally responsible for repayment.
- Think About Your Beneficiaries
Consider whom you want to inherit from you and in what proportions—or whether your current beneficiaries should change based on new circumstances. It’s also helpful to choose backup (contingent) beneficiaries in case your first-choice beneficiaries pass away before you or are unable to inherit.
Think about whether there’s anyone you specifically wish to exclude from inheriting your property, or if your previous exclusions still make sense.
Consider how and when: There are many ways to structure inheritances. You can give an inheritance all at once, or distribute it over time at specific ages or milestones (such as completing college or reaching age 30). You can also keep the inheritance in trust, with a trustee deciding when and how to make distributions based on the beneficiary’s needs. This approach can provide ongoing protection and support.
Your attorney will walk you through different options, but thinking about each beneficiary’s current needs—and what they may need in the future—will help create a thoughtful plan.
- Reflect on Your End-of-Life Wishes
These are sensitive questions, but thinking through them in advance helps your attorney prepare or update the right documents, such as a living will and healthcare power of attorney, so your wishes are clearly documented.
Consider:
- Do you want life-sustaining treatments if you have a terminal condition or are severely incapacitated with no reasonable expectation of recovery?
- What are your preferences regarding life support and medically supplied nutrition?
- If you become seriously ill, do you prioritize prolonging life or maximizing comfort and quality of life?
- Where would you prefer to receive end-of-life care (at home, in hospice, in a hospital)?
- Would you like to be an organ or tissue donor?
- Choose People for Key Roles
Selecting or reconsidering the right people to handle your affairs and make decisions for you is one of the most important parts of estate planning. You can choose different people for different roles.
Common roles include:
- Executor or personal representative – Manages your estate after death
- Guardian – Cares for your minor children (if applicable)
- Financial power of attorney agent – Handles your finances if you become incapacitated
- Healthcare power of attorney agent – Makes medical decisions if you’re unable to
- Trustee or successor trustee – Manages assets held in a trust
Why are these decisions so important? If you choose someone who cannot or will not serve when needed, the plan you’ve carefully created will be much harder to carry out.
Most people want their attorney’s advice in selecting the right individuals or institutions for these roles. Still, it’s helpful to think about which family members or friends might be good candidates—and which ones may not be suited for these responsibilities.
- Gather Relevant Documents
Bringing key documents makes the meeting more productive and helps your attorney create a plan tailored to your situation. Gather what you can, but don’t feel overwhelmed if you can’t find everything.
Helpful documents include, but are not limited to:
- Recent statements for bank, investment, or retirement accounts
- Property deeds
- Business agreements
- Life insurance policies
- Recent debt statements (mortgages, loans, credit cards)
- Existing estate planning documents (wills, trusts, powers of attorney)
- Marital agreements or divorce judgments, if applicable
- Note Any Special Circumstances
Every family is unique, and your estate plan should reflect your specific situation. Your attorney should know about circumstances such as:
- Blended family considerations
- A child with special needs
- Business ownership
- Property in multiple states
- Charitable giving goals
- International family members or assets
- Write Down Your Questions
It’s easy to forget questions once the meeting starts. Preparing a list ensures nothing slips through the cracks. You might want to ask about costs and timelines, the differences between a will and a trust, or why many people work to avoid probate.
This is your meeting, and your attorney wants you to feel comfortable with the decisions you’re making. No question is off-limits.
Moving Forward with Confidence
Estate planning can touch on sensitive topics—family dynamics, end-of-life preferences, and decisions about who will care for your children or manage your affairs. You may learn about planning options you never knew existed. Being open and honest with your attorney will help them create a plan that truly fits your circumstances and wishes.
These eight steps may seem like a lot to organize, but the peace of mind you’ll gain from having a comprehensive estate plan makes the effort worthwhile.
Book Your Introductory Meeting Today
Ready to get started? Meet with our team for 30 minutes to discuss your estate planning, trust administration, or probate needs. We’ll help you understand if we’re the right fit for your situation.
Call us at (650) 325-8276 or complete our online contact form to schedule your meeting.
