Law Office of Rick Todd Blog

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Ellicott City Wills Lawyers

Most attorneys in Howard County typically congregate in Columbia, Maryland because it is the commercial center of the county and has the most office space. Estate planning is not a particularly litigious area of the law even though Maryland has a court system devoted almost exclusively to it (Orphan’s Court).

So for most attorneys, Ellicott City remains a little bit of a hike, but it's a necessary one as the Register of Wills is located in the Circuit Court building there. Ellicott City is the county seat, the center of the county's government, and the location of a number of government offices.

There is a type of lawyer that practices in Ellicott City who does estate planning. That type of lawyer (an Ellicott City wills lawyers) is located there in order to be in close proximity to the courthouse. This lawyer practices estate planning "on the side." Why do they practice it? If you have just gotten a divorce, you’ll want to change your will in order to write out your ex-spouse (though you probably don’t have to immediately). Your family practice lawyer will say that, for an extra 500 to a grand, they’ll write your estate plan up in a jiffy. This is a bad idea.

Estate planning is not the most difficult area of the law, but it can be tricky. A family practice lawyer may not have an understanding that a testamentary trust is needed to manage money for children. There may be estate tax issues and there may be asset protection issues. All of these things will be foreign to the family practice lawyer. A family law lawyer is a master in the courtroom because they spend an incredible amount of time there. An estate planning lawyer, such as Ellicott City wills lawyers, will rarely make appearances. Each has its strengths.

Unfortunately, in our capitalist under-regulated society, everyone wants to make a buck. Be careful of working with an attorney who doesn’t immerse themselves in the area of practice that you need.

 


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The Law Offices of Rick Todd has offices located in Columbia, Chevy Chase, Fairfax, Virginia, and Maryland and serves clients throughout Clarksville, Columbia, Ellicott City, Fulton, Rockville, Bethesda, Potomac, Laurel, Howard County, Montgomery County, and Washington D.C.



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