How To Become an Estate Attorney

When people age, there are additional concerns about how their estate will be divided after they pass. To help prepare for what will happen after they go, people turn to estate planning attorneys to establish a will with properly allocated resources and beneficiaries.

Estate planning law will always have demand, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 8% job growth for members of the legal profession by 2032, which is over double the projection for all jobs.

Steps for Becoming an Estate Planning Lawyer

If you're considering becoming an estate planning lawyer, there are several steps you need to take before you can practice law.

1. Find Out Which Major Is Best for You

Estate law, compared to other types of legal practice, is focused more on financial law, property law, and asset management than it is criminal law. Because of this, many estate planning lawyers pursue undergraduate degrees that are related to money.

Being admitted to law school doesn't require a certain degree before applying for law school; however, more specialized areas of the law will benefit from choosing an undergraduate degree that can give them more in-depth information about their future area of practice.

Some common pre-law degree programs that students earn to prepare for real estate law practice include:

• accounting
• finance
• financial services

Once an undergraduate degree has been earned, law students then continue their legal education at a law school and complete a higher degree like a Juris Doctor or Master of Laws (LLM).

2. Find the Right School for Your Major

Pre-law degrees, such as accounting or finance bachelor degrees, can be earned at a variety of accredited schools. It's common for students to earn their undergraduate at a school different from the law school that they attend.

For future estate planners who want to pursue finance degrees, some schools to look into are:

• Arizona State University
• University of Virginia
• CUNY - Baruch College
• University of Texas

3. Obtain a Bachelor's Degree

Once you've selected your school and major, it's time to earn your bachelor's degree. If you're able, look for internship opportunities that can help you earn experience and see the daily work of estate planning lawyers.

After you earn your bachelor's degree, you'll need to pass the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). With an undergraduate degree and a qualifying LSAT score, you'll be able to apply for law school.

4. Attend Law School

After you are admitted to law school, you will take a variety of courses to prepare you for legal work. Law school is usually a three-year program, with a combination of general legal studies for first-years and second- and third-year students taking specialized classes, like estate planning and estate tax law.

Other classes you can expect in your estate planning law curriculum include:

• asset management
• family law
• real estate law
• living trusts

5. Take the Bar Exam

Before you can begin working at a law firm and practicing law, you'll need to pass the bar exam and earn your license. The bar exam will vary from state to state, and to practice estate law, you'll need to pass the bar in the state you plan to practice in.

6. Gain Experience Working With Clients

After you have your degrees and licenses, you can begin practicing law, either with a firm or in your own practice. Building experience helping clients with a variety of end-of-life planning tasks will help you become a more well-rounded attorney.

What Is an Estate Attorney?

Estate planning attorneys are very specialized lawyers who focus on estate planning to help people prepare their estate after they pass away. Estate planning involves multiple aspects of financial and property management that need to be completed properly to avoid disputes and confusion after a person has passed.

Responsibilities of an Estate Attorney

The daily responsibilities of an estate attorney involve a lot of work with legal documents to make sure that all relevant information is filed and binding in preparation for the estate owner's passing.

Some of the common responsibilities of an estate lawyer include:

• preparing living wills
• informing people about retirement plans
• certifying beneficiaries of life insurance policies
• filing directives such as power of attorney designations for end-of-life events
• preparing charitable contributions
• interpreting elder law to estate owners and their families

Skills Required of an Estate Attorney

There are several skills that an estate attorney needs to have that other lawyers might not need. The ability to understand probate code is one of the most essential. Estate planners work extensively with wills and other legal documents that concern the allocation of assets after death. If family members want to challenge the legitimacy of a will, the document is taken to probate court.

Other skills that benefit estate attorneys include:

• understating estate tax law
• mediation skills
• real estate law

Benefits of Being an Estate Attorney

Being an estate attorney is a high-demand profession because people of all income levels and estate sizes will need assistance with end-of-life planning. This legal specialization is only expected to grow as more people want to make sure their assets are properly allocated after they pass. Because this is such a specialized segment of law practice, there is high earning potential.

FAQs About Estate Attorneys

Estate attorneys are important to people of all ages trying to plan the future of their assets, but many people still have questions about what these attorneys do.

What Is the Average Day for an Estate Attorney Like?

The average day for an estate attorney involves processing and filing legal documents and consulting with clients to make sure that their wishes are being met. Outside of probate court, estate planning attorneys perform most of their work outside of courtrooms.

Estate attorneys work primarily with older people because they have more assets that they need to allocate, but the work of an estate planner can benefit people of any age.

How Do You Maintain a Professional License as an Estate Attorney?

After you pass the bar exam, you'll have your license to practice law. Although individual requirements might vary from state to state, this license will need to be renewed yearly. Law is an ever-changing field and continuing legal education (CLE) is often required to renew your license. In addition to CLE, there are fees required to renew your license. Luckily, you won't have to retake the bar unless you move states or are involved in ethics violations.

What Other Career Paths Are Available for Estate Attorneys?

Estate attorneys are well-versed in finance and contract law. If a lawyer looks to get out of estate planning, they will have the skills necessary to enter corporate law or other financial-based legal work.