Common Problems and Practical Solutions in Will Drafting
Original Program Date :
Length: 38:16
Many problems arise in the course of drafting a Will or Trust that are easy to overlook. You can develop lengthy checklists of provisions to remember, but with every case being different, it is better to obtain all the information you can upfront and create your document based on your specific client’s issues. An excellent practice tip is to meet with your local probate judges and request to be added to the guardian ad litem list for Wills requiring probate (for minors or protected persons) to expose yourself to many different attorneys’ estate planning documents. Also, consider administering estates for clients serving as personal representatives to develop an understanding of problems in administration of estates. Understanding estate administration is a tool in your estate planning arsenal. This seminar is a discussion of how to solve most of the problems you are likely to incur.
Lindsey Eastwood is an estate and probate lawyer focused on estate and trust planning, estate administration, and estate litigation. Her clients include individuals, families, and owners of closely-held businesses. She develops estate plans with her clients by listening to their planning goals. She counsels clients on tax issues, beneficiary designations and retitling assets, wealth preservation, charitable giving, and risk management and asset protection. She also assists clients with business formation including entity choice, amendments to business formation documents, and buy-sell agreements.
In addition to her estate planning practice, Lindsey’s practice also includes serving as counsel for the personal representatives, heirs, or trustees of approximately eighty-five (85) active estates and trusts, and she serves as personal representative and administrator of several multimillion dollar estates and conservatorships. Lindsey regularly litigates will contests, beneficiary change civil actions, adversarial conservatorships, and cases involving issues of testamentary capacity and breach of fiduciary duty. Lindsey has recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars for her clients. She currently serves as Education Chair of Probate Section of the Birmingham Bar Association. She is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Greater Birmingham. She is also a member of the Women’s Section of the Birmingham Bar and a member of Real Property, Probate, and Trust Section and Elder Law Sections of the Alabama Bar.