19 Answers you should know before you appoint your probate lawyer

19 Answers you should know before you appoint your Probate lawyer. There are so many Probate lawyers to choose from, but where do you start? Even where you have received a recommendation, how do you that you will really get on well together in the difficult circumstances of the loss of a loved one. There are many probate lawyers, who might be regarded as technically competent but there are fewer Probate lawyers that you might call service quality competent. There are indeed, fewer Probate lawyers that are willing to give you what you want and not just what they think you need. What you will need to do is to take your own experience, and recall the last time you dealt with a professional recently, whether or not a probate Lawyer. Ask yourself did they do the following? • Explain what they were going to do and why and not just assume you knew and already understood? • Help you understand the reasons behind what was going on rather than just telling you what was going on? • Keep you informed when you want to be, and how you wish to communicate; by letter, fax, email, text or sms message or in person? • Avoid jargon and write to you in plain English? • Make sure they were accessible when you want them to be? • Keep their promises? • Keep to time limits? • Show an interest beyond the work at hand? • Be helpful beyond the task for which they were paid? • Treat you as an individual not a case or matter number? • Guarantee to return every call by the end of the day? • Tell you your call is important, yet there are not enough staff to answer the phone to you? • Assign you to this team or that, only for you to have to explain yourself over and over again? • Provide common sense solutions to problems without making a song and dance about it? • Counsel you and give you a helping hand, when the stress gets too much? • Give you all the charges before we start to work for you and no nasty bill shock? • Make it easy for you to make contact so you don't have to take time off work? • Give you a guarantee that you can always speak to the lawyer dealing with your matter? • Above all, provide testimonials from clients proving they don't just talk the talk- but walk the walk!? There we are. No real magic, but just a common sense approach to make your dealing with the loss of a loved one as pleasant as possible. Contrary to some public opinion, lawyers are human as well! Paul Hajek is the Principal of Clutton Cox Solicitors in Chipping Sodbury, Bristol, South Gloucestershire England. He has been a lawyer for 26 years. His firm has vast experience in Conveyancing, Wills and Probate and Real Estate.