How about daughter Mary Jones - what last name is she using - maiden name or married name? It’s important to refer to the correct legal name for all parties involved in the estate planĤ. Jones, Mark Jones Jr., does Mark go by another name (i.e. This may sound basic, however, on many occasions, I will ask clients the names of their children and one of the children shares the same name as their father. Your intake form should prompt you to ask for these documents. If a client is divorced, you should ask for a copy of the divorce settlement agreement which may impact the dispositive provisions of a client’s estate plan. In addition to asking clients whether they have entered into a pre- or post-nuptial agreement, you should ask for a copy of the agreement for your files and review it prior to drafting estate planning documents. Married clients that are on a second (or even third marriage) are more likely to have a pre- or post-nuptial agreement that sets forth terms that will govern the disposition of their property in the event of a divorce and may even set forth terms for what a surviving spouse is entitled to (and waivers of certain state spousal inheritance rights) in the event of a death of the first spouse. You should never assume that a client that walks into your office (or you meet virtually) is a citizen of the United States.Ĭlients that are not citizens of the United States (green card holders) or are citizens of other countries potentially require additional planning for tax purposes and/or coordination of their United States based estate planning with their planning in their other country of citizenship.

My estate planning practice focuses primarily on residents in South Florida - a part of Florida which has a diverse population including citizens from Latin America, Europe, and Canada. To make sure you’ve covered all the bases, here are 7 pieces of information you should confirm are included in your intake form or you should consider adding to your intake form: Whether I meet with clients virtually via a Zoom or WebEx video conference, a traditional teleconference, or a socially distanced in-person meeting wearing a protective face covering, I rely on my intake form now more than ever to make sure that I capture all of the details needed to recommend and commence work on clients’ estate planning documents. In these unprecedented times, a “meeting” with prospective clients has taken on many different forms.

Estate planning intake checklist