The Academy of Special Needs Planners is a reputed and trusted organization. Experienced estate planning lawyers and financial advisors, serving families with special needs dependents, belong to this organization.
It is highly challenging to find the best special needs lawyer to take care of your legal issues and concerns. Families should tackle complicated and emotionally-charged legal concerns if a member is a person with special needs. Persons with special needs are vulnerable and may fail to advocate their cases independently. They need the services of an expert special needs attorney. You may focus on retaining a lawyer with sound knowledge of special education, housing, or employment.
The regulations and laws that govern special needs planning will vary from one state to another. These laws are dynamic and are evolving with time. Public benefits seem complicated. A special needs estate attorney must possess a sound understanding of eligibility of standards, legal instruments, and agency policy. You should choose experienced lawyers for special needs planning. They must be dedicated and have an unwavering commitment to obtaining an ongoing legal education.
Is the lawyer the perfect fit for special needs estate planning?
Although all qualified lawyers are competent, you need to realize that general practice attorneys do not have the specialized knowledge or the experience in the specific field of special needs estate planning. Even a competent estate planning lawyer cannot cope with issues related to the specialized field. You need to ask if the lawyer in question has adequate exposure and experience in this specific branch of law. He should be conversant with the ways special needs trusts, personal injury settlements, government programs, and ABLE accounts interact. As such, always choose a legal professional who spends a reasonable time dealing with special needs estate planning and relevant issues. He should have at least a few years of experience in this highly-specialized field.
What does the website communicate to the clients?
You need to do online research on your shortlisted special needs estate planning attorney. Often lawyers claim that they have enough experience in special needs estate planning. However, when you examine their official websites, you may soon realize that they may spend more time on bankruptcy cases or other fiduciary lawsuits. It is, therefore, a wise move to go through the website of the lawyer in question and see for yourself whether he has a track record in special needs estate planning or not. Choose an experienced attorney with a focus on special needs estate planning. Moreover, examine online client reviews and testimonials to ensure that your shortlisted lawyer is very much involved in special needs planning.
Is he listed on the special needs answers site (ASNP or Academy of Special Needs Planners)?
The Academy of Special Needs Planners is a reputed and trusted organization. Experienced estate planning lawyers and financial advisors, serving families with special needs dependents, belong to this organization. The organization offers conferences and seminars to these legal professionals to help them remain updated with the latest developments in the field, changes in law, and critical updates federally and state-wise. There are new developments in the field now and then. For instance, U.S. News discusses the top special education programs. These special education programs are designed to prepare graduates to operate with a broader spectrum of challenges faced by special needs students. Lawyers should know of these programs. Legal professionals need to pay a fee for becoming members of this prestigious organization.
Conclusion
You may even find out if the attorney has written a book, published articles, or been to conferences as a speaker on precisely the topic, special needs estate planning. Experienced and dedicated attorneys will always try to contribute to the community regularly. You may consider the price while choosing the lawyer but do not opt for the cheapest option as the quality of legal service may be compromised. Reputed and experienced lawyers may charge a little more, but you can rest assured of top-quality legal assistance and guidance.
