Month: July 2019

Estate planning is usually seen as a field in which a single missing/misplaced signature or a wrong word can change the entire outcome and intent of a trust or will. In short, it is a serious business that doesn’t tolerate any mistakes!

On the other hand, statistics also show that roughly 50% of Americans do not have any basic estate planning documents and do not understand the advantages that come with a will or with an estate planning lawyer.

Even though you think you may be able to handle it all by yourself, without having to pay any lawyers, you’ll soon find that you are almost required to have one by your side when engaging in estate planning. One of the most important reasons to have such a lawyer with you is the fact that your family won’t have to deal with any issues you may create.

Let’s see exactly why you should hire an estate planning attorney!

 

State Laws rule Estate Planning

Naturally, given the fact that the laws of your state rule the estate planning process, as well as everything related to it, you will definitely want to have an attorney that knows all of those laws at your side.

The state laws mention everything about the aspects of state planning; namely, who can and cannot be in a will or trust, who can or cannot serve as a personal representative and so on.

For example, there are states in which your personal representative must be related to you by blood or marriage and a resident of that state as well. In short, if you appoint an attorney or a friend from out of state as your personal representative, they won’t be able to serve their purpose, leaving your family with a costly mistake that they will have to fix.

 

Proper Documentation

When filing your estate planning documents, you should consider whether they are valid or not. If you don’t have an attorney and have made the documents yourself, or downloaded them from the internet, then you may be in for a nasty surprise.

You should avoid preparing your estate planning on your own, especially if you have little to no idea as to what they mean. If your documents are deemed invalid, then your family will most likely have to spend thousands of dollars in order to fix your mistake and will have to use an estate planning attorney.  You might as well just start by hiring one and avoid any kind of problem to begin with.

 

They Help you make Choices and Deal with Situations

Obviously, an estate planning attorney will be there to answer all of your questions and help you deal with any of your complex financial or family situations, as well as help you make choices regarding your assets, healthcare, finances and so on.

Here are some of the situations you may currently be in which should make you hire an estate planning attorney as soon as possible:

 

• You are the owner of one or more businesses
• You own real estate in more than just one state
• You recently divorced or are in a second or later marriage
• You don’t have any children
• You want to leave some of your estate to charity
• You have questions related to your choices regarding your assets
• You wish to prepare finances and healthcare for an emergency
• You want to avoid probate
• You wish to protect your children.

 

The Bottom Line

In short, an estate planning attorney is essential when you consider engaging in estate planning.

As mentioned before, this is not something that you should be doing on your own, mainly due to the various laws which vary by state and also because of certain situations that may have to be solved in a different, particular way that you are not aware of.

It is safe to say that your estate planning lawyer will provide you with all of the information you need and help you avoid making any mistakes that could later affect your family.

Are you the victim of asbestos exposure, and now your mental health is a mess? If that’s the case, you should file an injury claim and look for lung cancer attorneys. Mesothelioma is no laughing matter, and if you think someone else is responsible for it, then you should receive compensation.

But even so, how much can you receive after such a case is settled? You will find everything out in this post.

What Do You Receive Compensation For?

When you become a victim of asbestos exposure and end up with a bad medical situation, then having to be the one paying for the treatment isn’t inspiring. After all, someone else caused this, so they should be held responsible.

Luckily, most cases offer compensation for medical expenses. So if your attorney builds a strong case in your favor, then you’re set. But aside from medical costs, you can also receive compensation for things such as:

• Emotional distress
• Suffering and pain
• Loss of property
• Loss of income
• Travel expenses
• Past and future lost wages
• Past and future medical expenses
• Funeral expenses

How Much Are You Going to Get?

When it comes to how much you can get, it all comes down to the things you’re experiencing. An injury attorney is the one who can make an estimation and give you an idea but generally, this is settled during the case.

Furthermore, the total amount is also depends on the severity of your illness. If you didn’t know, there are multiple kinds of Mesothelioma, some more severe than others. Here are the types and what to expect:

1.Minor Asbestos-related Disease

This is the least dangerous type of the malady, where less than 10% of your lung tissue is affected, and you have asbestosis and pleural thickening.

2.Moderate Asbestos-related Disease

This is when symptoms get tougher to manage. People suffering from this type of the disease are also having asbestosis and pleural thickening, while experiencing breathing problems.

3.Severe Asbestos-related Disease

This sort can severely impact the quality of your life. It is basically terminal lung cancer.

4.Very Severe Asbestos-related Disease

It’s not only your lungs that are affected, but your heart as well. You also experience long-term severe pain.

As expected, the more severe the disease, the bigger the amount of money you’re likely to receive.

Final Thoughts

Compensation varies, depending on the severity of mesothelioma and how it’s affecting your life. We suggest consulting with an attorney for better insight.

 

Are you planning to file a personal injury case? Then you probably want to know how much can you get from it. Life is full of surprises, and you can never predict when someone else may cause an accident. Even if you’re following the rules and being careful, other people may not, ending in a misfortune.

You must receive compensation, but how much and what exactly is covered? Read on and you’ll find out.

Distribution of Compensation

When you’re going through a personal injury case, there is a settlement according to which money has to be offered to you, depending on the type of inflicted damage. If you end up losing your life as a result of the accident, then your family/survivors will be the ones receiving the money.

The sum to be given is going to be settled during the case after the parties agree on the amount. The money will be offered by the one responsible for the damage, whether it’s a person or an organization.

How Much Will You Get?

How much you receive as the injured party is unclear to say because it all depends on the damages you’ve suffered.Whether you’ve been injured or lost items, as a result, most damages are considered compensatory, thus meaning you have to receive money no matter what happened.

Nevertheless, setting a price is not easy, because not all things are simple to monetize. When something is lost, including items and especially someone else’s life, you can’t really put a monetary value on it. But as an insight, here are some things you might receive compensation for:

Pain/Suffering

Of course, during an accident, you’re very likely to suffer from injuries, whether they’re simple scratches or more severe issues that end up in long time suffering. This is one of the things you can receive money for, although it may not be so easy to set a value on.

Treatment

You must be treated if you’ve been injured as a result of an accident, but why would you spend all of your savings when it was someone else’s fault? Most of the time, you will receive compensation for the medical care, and/or what you’ve already received prior to the case.

Emotional Suffering

Physical wounds and pains are possible during an accident, but you’re also very likely to suffer emotional distress. It’s not easy recovering from an accident, and that will be obvious when you experience anxiety, depression, etc.

Loss of Property

Did you lose your car or other belongings in the accident? Then you can rest assured you’ll receive compensation for it. It doesn’t matter if the object just needs reparations or is totally ruined – you’ll get reimbursed for it.

Loss of Income

If your earnings have suffered as a result of the accident, then you will receive compensation. The same thing applies if the accident made it impossible for you to earn an income in the future, meaning you’ve lost your ability to work for the money.

Monetizing your damages can be difficult unless you talk to someone who knows how it works. Therefore, talk to personal injury lawyers to estimate the amount and know what you’ll receive compensation for.