Questions to Ask Before You Hire Your Estate Team
What to ask, how each kind of professional gets paid, and what to bring to the first call, whether you found them on Legacy List or somewhere else.
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Start with the questions, not the name
Most people don't shop for an estate attorney the way they'd shop for anything else that costs real money. They get a name from a neighbor, they call, and they sign whatever gets put in front of them. That's fine if the neighbor's operation looks just like yours. It usually doesn't.
This isn't a list of professionals to hire. It's a list of questions to ask before you hire anyone. Print it. Bring it to the first call. Write down the answers, not just the impression you walked away with.
Estate Planning Attorney
Drafts and reviews the legal documents that move the operation from one generation to the next: wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and often the entity structure (LLCs, partnerships) that holds the land and equipment. A good one also thinks through what happens if someone dies with debt still on the books, or a spouse remarries, or one kid farms and two don't.
- How many of your clients actually farm or ranch, versus own land they lease out?
- Have you handled a transition where the operating heir and the non-operating heirs needed different things?
- Who drafts the documents, you or someone else in the office, and who do I talk to when I have a question?
- If land values change a lot in five years, do we revisit this plan, or is it a one-time document?
- Do you coordinate directly with our accountant and financial advisor, or is that on us?
A flat fee for a defined plan (a will, a trust package) is common. Hourly billing shows up for anything more open-ended, like ongoing counsel or a complicated dispute. Ask for the fee structure in writing before the first real meeting, not after.
Get the rest of the guide, free
You've read the questions for one of the seven professionals. The full guide is an 8-page PDF you can print and bring to the first call.
- Questions for all seven professionalsEstate attorney, financial advisor, succession consultant, CPA or tax advisor, lender, insurance professional, and appraiser
- How each one gets paidPlus the red flag to watch for with each
- Documents to have readyWhat to gather before the first call
- Who belongs at the tableMatched to what's going on in your operation
- A full-page comparison worksheetSize up three professionals side by side
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About Legacy List
Legacy List is a directory of attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, succession consultants, lenders, insurance professionals, and appraisers who work with farms, ranches, and ag businesses. Families never pay to use it, and professionals can't pay for placement.
This guide is general information to help you prepare for conversations with professionals. It isn't legal, tax, financial, insurance, or appraisal advice for your situation, and it doesn't recommend any particular professional. Fee structures vary by firm and state, so always confirm costs in writing.