Estate planning generally starts with a telephone call to an attorney.  He or she will take matters from there, send you a planning checklist and schedule an appointment.  The hard part for many people is determining whom to call.  The answer can be fairly simple: Ask friends or family members for references.  Who was the attorney who wrote their wills or served as estate attorney when there was a death in the family?  Were they satisfied with that person’s performance?

If you have recently moved to a new community and can’t get the first-hand experiences of others, call the local bar association and ask for names of attorneys who are active in estate planning and probate work.  The American Bar Association provides links to state associations at www.abanet.org/barserv/stlobar.html .   And on its website, you can search for lawyers who belong to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a national organization of approximately 2,600 lawyers who specialize in trust and estate planning.  One suggestion - when interviewing a prospective attorney, always ask how much of their practice is devoted to estate planning and probate work.

The Red Cross would be pleased to send you our free estate planning and charitable giving guide, Touching the Future, which can be helpful in preparing to see your attorney.  Just visit our website at www.redcrosslegacy.org.  This 38-page guide is in a handy workbook format that allows you to keep all your important information in one place.