Most people need an attorney to draw up their will. An attorney can also advise you whether you need a trust, and they can draft Powers of Attorney that are tailored to your needs. Here are three resources that may help you find an attorney who specializes in estate planning.
- Trusts and Estates: Selecting a Good Lawyer. Read the article at https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/trusts-estates/trusts-and-estates-selecting-a-good-lawyer.html
- Search for an attorney specializing in trusts and estates through the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel at https://www.actec.org/.
- You can also search for an attorney from the Martindale-Hubbell online directory at https://www.martindale.com/. For best results, type in both the specialty area (estate planning) AND state or city in the search bar.
- Some attorneys, accountants, and financial planners may hold the Accredited Estate Planner designation. You can search for them at http://www.naepc.org/designations/estate-planners/search#spec/All.
You can complete a Power Of Attorney yourself, using the statutory forms provided by your state. For Illinois, download the statutory forms using the following links:
- Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney for Property
- https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gac/Forms/Documents/POA_Property_July2011.pdf
- This document must have at least one witness and must be notarized.
- Power of Attorney for Healthcare
- https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gac/forms/documents/poahealthcare2016.pdf
- This document requires one witness. It does not have to be notarized.
