
Legacy Lawyers
The Red Flags Every Utah Family Should Know Before Hiring an Estate Attorney [Ep. 140]
Not all estate plans are created equal, and most people have no way to tell the difference until it's too late. In this roundtable episode, Michael Haslam, Taylor Stone, Brian Edwards, and Cody Millward get candid about what they actually see when a client brings in a plan built somewhere else: trusts that were never funded, revocable living trusts drafted with no Medicaid protection despite claiming otherwise, and documents with blank fields nobody caught. They break down the exact questions to ask an attorney before signing anything, and the red flags (a suspiciously low price, hourly billing on an already-signed trust, a firm that mails you documents and tells you to go find a notary) that usually mean shortcuts were taken. Key Takeaways: The Funding Gap: A trust is only as good as what's actually inside it. One attorney describes a family who paid for a complete trust, but the house deed was never transferred, meaning the asset protection clock never started. The Price Red Flag: A real estate plan takes real time. A quote far below what other firms charge usually means shortcuts are happening behind the scenes, and the family pays for it later. The Questions to Ask: How will you help me fund my trust? What happens if my trustee and beneficiaries disagree? What did you consider and rule out for my plan, and why? The Special Needs Blind Spot: Most trusts the attorneys review never address what happens if a child later qualifies for state benefits, a gap that can force a family to spend down assets before that child can requalify. Michael Haslam, Taylor Stone, Brian Edwards, and Cody Millward are practicing attorneys at Voyant Legal in Utah. This episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Visit voyantlegal.com or call 801.951.0500.

