Most estate planning and elder law attorneys can be counted on to represent their clients honestly and professionally but it is wise to choose a representative carefully.
One of Florida's well-respected elder law attorneys, who wrote columns about elder law and estate planning, is no longer an attorney and not very respected. On Dec. 10, 2015, the Supreme Court of Florida permanently disbarred William Edy. The list of things Edy was charged with doing improperly is long.
He was charged with skimming money from a client's settlement checks, charging for unnecessary work that was never completed, charging a deceased person's credit card and not maintaining a trust account to hold client funds. These are all serious ethical problems that resulted in charges that Edy financially abused his elderly clients.
The News-Press reported on this story in an article entitled "Elder law attorney rips off seniors."
As horrendous as these charges may be it is important to note that he does not represent the overwhelming majority of estate planning and elder law attorneys who do not financially abuse their clients.
When hiring an attorney make certain you can trust the attorney. If something does not seem right, then it is often a good idea to ask a friend or family member if it seems right to them. You can also ask another attorney in the field for a second opinion.
The attorney you hire will most likely treat you fairly but it is wise to choose carefully.
Reference: News-Press (Dec. 21, 2015) "Elder law attorney rips off seniors."
For more information on how to chose an estate planning attorney, please visit our website.
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