In the legal arena, elder law is a specialty that focuses on those legal issues that commonly affect seniors. Our Orange County elder law lawyers are experienced with the complicated financial and social problems their clients commonly face. An elder law attorney will bring to his or her clients the expertise necessary to provide the best advice about these issues.
What makes our Orange County elder law lawyers good at what they do?
A good elder law attorney is typically connected to a system of healthcare providers, geriatric care managers, social workers, psychologists, and other related professionals who can assist you or your loved one with any legal matters that may arise. Our Orange County elder law lawyers focus on providing legal advocacy as well as education, counseling, and planning for the future needs of seniors.
Orange County elder law lawyers know the common myths about seniors
Another important part of being an elder law attorney is making a distinction between the myths and the facts. There are so many myths out there regarding seniors and their competency in general. It takes knowledge to be able to recognize the real physical and mental issues that seniors frequently face, as opposed to the misconceptions that society commonly perpetuates. It is also important to understand the importance of preserving as much freedom and autonomy for seniors as possible.
What you need to know before your first appointment with any attorney
Although there are many legal issues that most Orange County elder law lawyers will be familiar with handling, not every attorney will necessarily handle every type of legal issue. For that reason, one of the first things you may want to find out is whether the firm handles the types of elder law issues with which you need assistance. For example, some issues might include estate planning and administration, establishing trusts, guardianships and conservatorships, and Medi-Cal or Medicare coverage for long-term care. If you need help with a certain issue, you need to hire Orange County elder law lawyers who frequently handle that specific issue.
How long have your Orange County elder law lawyers been practicing?
It may be useful to ask how long the attorney has been practicing elder law and what percentage of his or her practice is devoted to that specialty. That will shed some light on the level of competency those attorneys have in that area of law. You may also want to ask up front whether there will be a fee for the first consultation. Even more important is determining whether you will need to bring any particular information or documents to the first consultation, based on the reason you are seeing an elder law attorney.
The best way to be prepared for your first meeting
The answers to these questions can be very useful in deciding whether the Orange County elder law lawyers have the qualifications required to assist you with your legal issues. This information can also help you prepare for a productive and informative initial meeting. Don’t forget that if you have a specific legal issue that requires immediate attention, be sure to inform the law firm of this during the initial telephone conversation.
What will it cost to speak to an elder law attorney?
In most cases, lawyers do not charge for an initial consultation with a potential client. This is also true for Orange County elder law lawyers. The subsequent fees for legal services are based on the type of services provided. There are also certain types of fees for probate work that are established by state statute.
Established fees for certain elder law services
In California, the fees elder law lawyers can charge of probate work is set by statute, based on the gross value of the estate. Additionally, there are other fees that may be incurred during the probate process, including court fees, personal representative fees, accounting fees, appraisal fees and business valuation fees. Court fees and personal representative fees are also set by state law.
Depending on the nature of the assets in an estate, there could also be miscellaneous fees such as postage for mail notices and other documents, the cost of insuring and storing personal property, shipping personal property, and the cost of moving personal property. These fees are typically deducted from the estate when it goes through probate.
If you have questions regarding your first consultation with one of our Orange County elder law lawyers, or any other elder law matters, please contact the Schomer Law Group for a consultation, either online or by calling us at (310) 337-7696.
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