Finance Q&A

Any advice on how to find a good lawyer? Or does anyone know of a good estate/will lawyer in the Central NY area?

Q. I have an 8 mo old dd and will eventually have another child (maybe two more). I know how important it is to have a will and am anxious to get one, but I have no idea how to go about finding a good lawyer. I'm reluctant to just pick one out of the phone book because I've had bad experiences with that before. Unfortunately, most of my relatives and friends don't have wills yet or they did it so long ago their lawyers are no longer in practice or in the area. Any advice on how to find a good lawyer? Or does anyone know of a good estate/will lawyer in the Central NY area?

A. -If you have a relatively straightforward financial situation, you could just use a do-it-yourself book (or computer program). Nolo Press publishes a good one. Call those lawyers anyway, and ask for their recommendations to someone who *is* still in practice in your area. Chances are the retired ones knew of a younger lawyer or two to whom they handed over their remaining practice. In fact, your friends may still have a letter from their retiring attorney advising them of the name of a person to call if they have any future questions or need to change their will. You can also call the local Bar Association and ask for a referral to an estate planning specialist. This is not a *lot* better than using the phone book, but it is definitely somewhat better -You do not need a lawyer to create a will. -It depends on how many assets you have, among how many people you want to spread them, and what form they are in (home equity, 401Ks, stock investments, collectibles, etc) and whether you have enough to trigger estate taxes. If you have enough of the above to create even a little complication in you life, then it is penny wise and pound foolish to do you own will. Of course, if you only have a home, some cash, and a few personal items, and it is all worth well under $675,000, you could do a will without a lawyer.