When it comes to life’s biggest events, legal guidance is always a must.
Most people wait until something bad happens before even considering the hiring an attorney. But here’s the thing…
Truth is, the best time to consult an attorney is before bad things happen.
Whether you’re opening a business, purchasing a home, or experiencing a family tragedy, the right legal advice could save you thousands of dollars, years of stress, and an infinite amount of headaches.
What you’ll learn:
- When Legal Help Is Necessary
- Life Events That Require Legal Guidance
- Wrongful Death and Preserving Your Family’s Rights
- Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid
- When to Call a Lawyer
When Legal Help Is Necessary
Life doesn’t always go as planned.
When the unexpected happens, and something bad occurs, the decision of when to seek professional legal help becomes important.
According to the Legal Services Corporation, 56% of Americans mistakenly believe they have a right to free legal representation in civil matters. They don’t.
This misconception causes people to go into court completely unprepared, to lose cases they could have won, and to feel a general helplessness against a system they don’t understand.
So, when exactly should someone pick up the phone and call a lawyer?
The answer is simpler than most people think…
Life Events That Require Legal Guidance
Certain points in life demand professional legal guidance. For various reasons, it becomes an essential part of the whole process.
- Getting married or divorced.
- Buying or selling property.
- Starting a business.
- Experiencing a family tragedy.
- Injuries due to negligence.
Getting married or divorced. Marriage is a process that includes much more than emotions and feelings. It also includes property, assets, and legal obligations. Divorce proceedings even more complex because of custody arrangements, inheritance, division of assets, and so on.
Buying or selling property. Contracts, title search, negotiations and more. One wrong move, one overlooked clause, and one could lose a fortune.
Starting a business. Choosing the wrong business structure can prove detrimental to your business and leave your personal assets vulnerable. Ignoring this crucial stage is a recipe for financial and legal disaster.
Dealing with a family tragedy. In a wrongful death case, the deceased’s beneficiaries have certain legal rights, and knowing who has the right to file a wrongful death suit in New York — spouses, children, parents, and financial dependents — is extremely important to pursue the justice they deserve and to preserve the rights of the family to be compensated for the loss of their loved one.
Being injured due to negligence. Injury claims always require proof, documentation, and attention to the statute of limitations. Negligence in pursuing a personal injury case often results in family members losing their rights.
See also: How BTL Family Law Helps Scottsdale Families Navigate Divorce
Wrongful Death Claims Explained
Losing a loved one is never easy. When it’s due to someone else’s negligence, the pain multiplies.
Wrongful death lawsuits allow families to file a claim and seek compensation when someone dies due to misconduct, unlawful activity, carelessness, or the failure to act when someone else had the duty to do so. Examples of wrongful death cases include, but are not limited to, medical malpractice, fatal car accidents caused by negligent drivers, workplace incidents, and defective products.
There is one caveat, though.
In order to file a wrongful death claim, there is a strict deadline. Statutes of limitations set the terms and, as a rule, provide a two-year period for the family to file. If this time passes, families are left with no right to compensation.
Here’s the most important part.
Families are often not aware of their legal options until it’s too late. Grief blinds them and before they consider pursuing a wrongful death claim, they are time-barred.
Retaining a lawyer early helps protect those rights.
Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid
Did you know that only 32% of Americans have a will?
It means that, in 2024, 7 out of 10 adults have no will. In other words, there is no legally binding document that would allow the deceased to outline their wishes for their property, children, and assets.
Most people believe that estate planning is for the elderly and the rich. The truth is, estate planning covers much more than the will and a last testament.
Estate planning is a way of designating who will receive the property and assets, and who will care for minor children in case the parents pass away. Estate planning allows the individual to control their legacy in the following ways:
- It legally documents who will receive one’s property.
- It designates who will care for minor children in the event of the parents’ death.
- It states a person’s healthcare wishes in the event of their incapacitation.
- It can significantly reduce taxes on the inherited property and assets.
- It avoids the hassle of probate court and the family fighting in court over the inheritance.
Estate planning is for anyone with a last name and who has anything to their name.
There are many excuses people use to explain why they haven’t created a will yet. Most of them involve simple procrastination and the common misconception that one simply does not have enough property or assets to plan their estate.
In reality, estate planning doesn’t have to be an expensive process. Most of the most commonly cited reasons for procrastinating are simply not true.
Criminal Charges and Civil Disputes
Have you ever been accused of a crime? Even a minor one?
It will follow you for the rest of your life.
A criminal record can harm your job search, housing application, and future professional licenses.
Legal representation during criminal charges is not only an advantage; in most cases, it’s what will make the case be dismissed instead of found guilty.
Civil cases are slightly different but no less important.
Civil disputes occur between two private parties or individuals and concern disagreements over money, property, or contractual obligations.
- Contract disputes with other businesses or people.
- Disagreements between tenants and landlords.
- Debt collection issues.
- Defamation and slander.
- Boundary and property lines.
A lot of people try to deal with these things on their own. What most don’t realize is that courts have very specific procedures, filing requirements, deadlines, and evidence regulations that inexperienced people routinely fail.
How to Know When It’s Time to Call a Lawyer
Many cases do not require a lawyer. However, there are several telltale signs that someone should seek professional legal help. These include:
- The process concerns or involves large sums of money.
- Complex legal documents need to be reviewed.
- Deadlines are approaching and may be missed.
- The other party has an attorney, but you don’t.
- Criminal charges are being filed.
The cost of hiring a lawyer often seems like an expense that can be easily avoided.
The cost of not hiring a lawyer when one is necessary? That is a price that is hard to calculate.
Wrapping It All Up
Major life events call for professional legal guidance.
Wrongful death lawsuits, estate planning, business formation, and criminal defense are just some of the areas in which professional legal advice could save families and businesses a lot of trouble, stress, time, and money.
The biggest mistake is waiting too long and letting the problem get out of hand.
Truth be told, the right thing to do is to consult an attorney during life-changing events and do so before there is a real problem.
It’s not an expense. It’s an investment in one’s future peace of mind.
