How AI Can Help You Prepare for Your Meeting with Your Estate Planning Attorney

When I meet with clients to discuss preparation of their Will, Trust, Power of Attorney and Health Care Directive (their “estate plan”), clients sometimes become overwhelmed because of the volume of new information we discuss. Some clients feel that they do not know the right questions to ask their attorney about their estate planning, which can leave them feeling uneasy and wondering if they are missing important questions they should be asking.

This is where AI may serve as a valuable tool. AI can be used to help you organize your thoughts by providing you with suggested questions to ask your attorney at each stage of the process that you might not think of on your own, or to reassure you that you have not missed any important questions that you should be asking.

Here are some AI queries that may be helpful to you at different points in the process of creating or updating your estate plan including your Will, Trust, Power of Attorney and Health Care Directive:

1. What should I do to prepare for my meeting with my attorney to discuss my estate plan? This question helps to ensure that you have covered all of the bases and that you are not missing any important questions. A word of caution here: DO NOT insert confidential or sensitive information into an AI search – a good rule of thumb is that you should not enter any information in an AI search that you would not disclose to a stranger on the street that you have never met. Specifically, DO NOT enter names, addresses, birthdates, phone numbers, or other sensitive or personally identifiable information into an AI search because this information could be accessible by others in ways that could be harmful to you in the future. DO type in your own questions, framed in general terms.
2. What questions should I ask my attorney about the drafts of my estate planning documents? This question provides guidance to your review of the drafts your attorney prepared for you and gives focus to your review. A word of caution here: DO NOT upload the drafts of your Will, Trust, Power of Attorney, Health Care Directive, or any other documents into an AI platform as the information may be used by the AI platform, or others, in negative ways that may not currently be foreseeable. 
3. What questions should I ask when I meet with my attorney to sign my estate planning documents? This question helps you to mentally prepare to review your estate plan with your attorney and to ensure that you think through all of the relevant issues so that you can prepare your questions prior to reviewing your estate plan with your attorney. A word of caution here: DO NOT rely upon AI generated information as definitive or authoritative advice. AI search results do not constitute legal advice and may or may not apply to your situation.

AI’s answers to these general queries can reassure you, and your loved ones, that you are not missing any important issues or questions that need to be asked. Used for this purpose, AI can help you to have more peace of mind so that you are not forgetting to ask any important questions when you meet with your estate planning attorney.

Henningson & Snoxell Ltd.’s estate planning attorneys are here to listen to you and to provide you with individualized advice aimed at helping you and your family achieve your goals for your Will, Trust, Power of Attorney and Health Care Directive in the best way for your situation.