By Andy L. Gitkind | Gitkind Law Firm | Boulder County Estate Planning
If you’ve been thinking about getting your estate in order but aren’t sure whether you actually need an attorney—or what an attorney would even do for you—this post is for you.
The short answer is that an estate planning attorney does much more than draft documents. They help you think through decisions you may not have known needed to be made, identify gaps in your existing plan, and build a structure that actually works when your family needs it most. Here’s a closer look at what that process involves.
Understanding Your Situation
Good estate planning begins with listening. Before any documents are drafted, a skilled estate planning attorney takes the time to understand your family, your assets, your goals, and your concerns.
This means understanding things like: What sort of legacy do you wish to leave? Are you married? Do you have children from a prior relationship? Do you have a family member with special needs? Do you own a business? Are there people in your life you specifically want to exclude? Are there beneficiaries who shouldn’t receive a large sum of money outright?
The answers to these questions shape everything that follows. A plan that works beautifully for one family may be completely wrong for another—even if their asset levels and intentions look similar on paper.
Explaining Your Options
Most people don’t walk into an estate planning consultation knowing whether they need a will or a trust, how a power of attorney works-when does one take effect and when does it expire, or what an advanced directive does. Part of the attorney’s role is to explain these options in plain language—without jargon, without pressure, and with enough context that you can make informed decisions.
Should your plan be will-based or trust-based? Who are the right people to name as trustee, personal representative, and agent for finances and medical decisions? Should your children receive their inheritance outright or through a trust? At what age? Under what conditions? These are questions an insightful and well qualified estate planning attorney helps you think through carefully.
Drafting Documents That Actually Work
The documents themselves—wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives—need to be properly drafted to be legally valid and to accomplish what you intend. A poorly drafted document can be contested, misinterpreted, or fail to achieve its purpose at exactly the moment your family needs it to work.
An experienced estate planning attorney knows the technical requirements under Colorado law, the common pitfalls, and the language that holds up under scrutiny. They also know how to customize documents to address your specific circumstances rather than relying on generic templates.
Coordinating the Full Picture
Estate planning isn’t just about the documents you sign with your attorney. It also involves your beneficiary designations, the titling of your assets, and how all the pieces work to compliment each other.
A retirement account with an outdated beneficiary designation can undermine an otherwise excellent estate plan. A home that isn’t transferred into a trust doesn’t get the benefit of trust-based planning. Life insurance proceeds payable directly to a minor child may end up in a court-supervised guardianship rather than managed by the trustee you named.
Part of what an estate planning attorney does is help you see the full picture—and make sure all the pieces are coordinated. This often includes working alongside your financial advisor and CPA so that your legal plan, investment strategy, and tax planning are all pointing in the same direction.
Walking You Through What You’re Signing
You should never sign estate planning documents you don’t understand. A good estate planning attorney reviews every document with you—explaining what it does, how it works, and what it means for your family—before you sign anything.
This isn’t just a formality. It’s an opportunity for you to confirm that the documents reflect your actual wishes, ask any remaining questions, and make any final adjustments. Many people find that reviewing the documents prompts them to think about something they hadn’t considered—and that’s exactly when it’s easiest to address. In fact, all clients of Gitkind Law Firm are invited, within thirty days following the signing of any documents, to make adjustments to those documents without any additional fees. Many clients report that this provides a great sense of relief and the confidence required to move forward with proper planning.
Helping You Fund the Plan
For trust-based plans, creating the trust document is only part of the work. The trust also needs to be funded—meaning your assets need to be transferred into the trust’s name for it to function properly. An unfunded trust is like a safe with the door left open.
Funding typically involves re-titling real estate into the trust, transferring financial accounts, and updating beneficiary designations where appropriate. A good estate planning attorney assists you through this process and makes sure it gets done.
Providing Ongoing Support
Life changes. Laws change. A good estate planning relationship doesn’t end when you walk out with your signed documents—it continues as your family grows, your assets shift, and your circumstances evolve.
This includes periodic reviews to make sure your plan still reflects your wishes, help updating documents after major life events, and guidance when family members need to step into roles like trustee or personal representative. In fact, if the firm hasn’t heard from you a few years following the signing of your plan, you will hear from us-to remind you to at least pull out the plan to review its details, or come in for a review meeting, to consider if the plan is still as fitting as it was on the day it was signed.
What Makes a Good Estate Planning Attorney?
Not all estate planning attorneys are the same. Things worth looking for:
- Focus: An attorney who dedicates their practice to estate planning brings more depth and insight to the work than a general practitioner who handles it occasionally alongside divorce cases and business disputes.
- Experience: Years of practice in wills, trusts, and estates means familiarity with edge cases, common mistakes, and what works in real-world application.
- Communication: You should leave every meeting feeling like you understand what you signed and why. If an attorney is condescending, rushed, or relies heavily on jargon, that’s a problem.
- Local knowledge: Colorado law has specific provisions—transfer-on-death deeds, particular probate procedures, community property considerations for people moving from other states—that a locally focused attorney will know well.
Working with Andy Gitkind at Gitkind Law Firm
Andy Gitkind opened Gitkind Law Firm in 2004 after six years at one of Boulder County’s largest estate planning practices. His work is dedicated exclusively to estate planning, wills, trusts, and probate—with a focus on education, clarity, and practical guidance that makes the process comfortable rather than intimidating.
If you’re curious about what an estate planning attorney could do for your family, the first conversation is always complimentary. There’s no obligation, and no pressure—just a chance to understand your options and decide what makes sense for you.
Gitkind Law Firm, P.C. | 801 Main St., Suite 230, Louisville, CO 80027 | 303-960-6628 | gitkindlaw.com