Get Insights to get Work Efficiently with Your Lawyer
Hiring an attorney for Estate Planning, Probate and Elder Law for your legal matter(s), you want to maximize the best possible value and get things done as quickly as possible. Let us go over some ways to have the most useful, value-oriented and meaningful experience with a law firm.
- Know that there’s team involved and you will be working with them. Aside from getting to know your attorney, make sure to get to know the staff because they will be the ones you want to reach out to. They would be paralegals and office assistants hired by the attorney to help in your legal matter. Usually, for hourly cases such as probate, the more you work with a paralegal or an assistant, your bill can possibly be lower due to lower billable rates.
- For the process to more efficient and go according to what’s expected, get organized and have a plan. Have all your required and requested copies of documents in a well-organized binder. This will help you save time and cost of having this reviewed and organized including additional trips to the office.
- Have all your original documents copied and secure it in a safe place. If the law firm requests the original document, make sure you make a copy and have it scanned it to your computer data file copy. This is because in most cases, the original will is brought to the first meeting when your loved one’s estate needs to be probated.
- The advice that’s given to you will be as appropriate as the information you provide. Make sure to be brutally honest about your situation and your thoughts. Do not provide a sanitized version of the story, remember that you are paying for advice, so give the whole story so the advice you get and pay for will be based on the real circumstances and not what you think it should be. Keep in mind, we are not here to judge, we are here to develop solutions to your legal issues that you and your loved ones are facing. Let us know your honest doubts and concerns about the advice you receive because we want to ensure that you and your loved one’s interests are protected as possible.
- Be prepared to have a list of your goals, concerns and questions to every meeting and we will cover everything you want to discuss. This will save you the trouble of incurring cost on additional phone calls and meetings because of asking questions you forgot to ask.
- In a meeting, you are probably not going to remember everything, so feel free to take notes. Make sure you are understanding what you are writing down, ask us to clarify it for you if you don’t understand something or repeat something. We want to help you and it’s important that we all understand each other. Remember, this is your case and your meeting. We want you to feel satisfied that you are receiving enough information.
- Carefully review your fee agreement, so you understand how you’ll be charged for services rendered. If you have billing questions that you can’t answer by referring to the contract or your statements, call us for an explanation. It always better to have open communication about the financial aspects of representation.
- Make sure to understand how you will be charged for services rendered and carefully review your fee agreement. Call us for an explanation if you have billing questions that you do not understand. We encourage everyone to have an open communication about the financial aspect of representation, we know this is your LIFE and your LEGACY.
Overall, hiring a law firm will gain access to a team of legal support and administrative professionals to advocate your legal concerns whether they be estate planning, elder law or probate matters. The legal team works together on your behalf to provide the best client representation. We at MMZ LAW, believe and carry out our mission statement: We strive to create value and a meaningful experience for all of our clients, we know this is your LIFE and your LEGACY. I invite you to consider our mission statement. Call (909) 256-6702 to schedule your FREE consultation. We are in the Claremont Village near surrounding cities of Upland, Pomona, La Verne, San Dimas and Rancho Cucamonga.
*Ask us about Medi-Cal Asset Protection because nursing home costs are tremendously expensive and can wipe away your assets.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
MMZ LAW, A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
341 W. 1st St. Suite 100
Claremont, CA 91711
MARIVEL M. ZIALCITA is the founder of MMZ LAW, A Professional Corporation, where she practices in the areas of Elder Law – Medi-Cal Planning Asset Protection, Trust & Estate, Special Needs, Conservatorship, Trust Administration, & Probate. Ms. Zialcita is a frequent speaker on trust and estate matters and holds memberships in the State Bar of California, Trust and Estate Section, The San Bernardino County Bar Association, Wealth Counsel and Elder Counsel. She currently assists in the pro bono legal services program at the James L. Brulte Senior Center in Rancho Cucamonga, California. She is based in Claremont but assists clients throughout Southern California.
This information is educational information only and not legal advice.