Palm Beach Inheritance Attorney

Need a hand with that Florida probate or estate? If you need a Palm Beach Inheritance Attorney, be sure you know what you are looking for.

Palm Beach Inheritance Attorney: looking for the right DNA

There are two kinds of Palm Beach Inheritance Attorneys in the world.

Those who may choose diplomacy or discussion.

And those that choose action.

Managing Partner John Pankauski says he seldom “writes letters”, other than to put someone on notice.

Pankauski should know, as the lead trial attorney at his boutique probate litigation law firm covering all of Florida.

He explains that many times, prospective clients want to hire him to simply “write a letter” to a potential defendant.

Why?

Maybe a trustee won’t give you your inheritance. Or an executor won’t show you the books. Maybe a POA took your money.

Writing letters, he cautions, is often a waste of time and money. He explains that a letter typically won’t solve your riddle. “If someone was going to do the right thing ” so the thinking goes “they would have not wronged you in the first place.”

Getting a letter or an email from a law firm that uses fancy legal jargon won’t cause the “bad legal actor” to give you your money. More often than not, they use the money they took –YOUR MONEY– to hire a lawyer to fight you.

Choosing the “right” Palm Beach Inheritance Attorney may be about finding the right DNA.

How to match up with your lawyer

So, how do hire someone to watch out for you ? Maybe protect your inheritance.

After all, the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy estimates that over $50 BILLION is being transferred from the WWII generation to Boomers.

Find the “right” DNA in your lawyer, Pankauski suggests.

You can be aggressive and action-packed, but still be professional, and not a jerk.

Have a strategy. Understand the tactics.

It’s OK to ask your lawyer what she thinks is best.

Know what your “end game” is and then fashion an approach to fit it.

In Pankauski’s case, that typically means setting a matter for trial. Staying “focused and furious” so to speak. And then having some pointed discovery to either make your case or defend with strength.

“When someone new calls me” says Pankauski “it’s to start a fight or end a fight. There’s a problem to resolve. We are in the business of problem resolution.”

If all you want is for your lawyer to write a letter, don’t worry. There’s hundreds of great lawyers in Florida who will gladly do that for you. Finding a tough probate litigator? Interview as many as you have time for.

And ask them:

• How many trials did you have during COVID?
• When was your last trial?
• When is your next trial?
• How many days is your standard trial?
• How many witnesses do you need to call?