Estate planning refers to wills, trusts, powers of appointment, powers of attorney, gifts, property ownership, and beneficiary designations. Typically, estate planning is only done when someone with an estate passes away or when a family with an estate breaks up because of divorce.

The average age for first time divorcees in America is 30. There are a number of different causes for divorce, and some involve fault on the behalf of one involved party. There are also no-fault divorces, in which the divorce is somewhat amicable. Even in that case, dealing with divorce can be difficult.

Enter lawyers. While most people typically think of attorneys as only necessary for representation in a criminal trial, there are estate planning lawyers, elder abuse lawyers, divorce and family lawyers and even legal adoption lawyers. For any situation in which legal ownership comes up, a lawyers can help.

Family adoption lawyers can have hugely beneficial effects on families. According to Adoptive Families Magazine, the average cost for an adoption in America is roughly $30,000. In addition, however, families looking to adopt typically have to do a number of different things, and a family adoption lawyer can streamline the process or prove that a family is suitable to adopt a child, which can help their odds.

Lawyers can even stand up for the elderly when they are abused. Elder abuse was defined by the World Health Organization as a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person. Elder abuse is heavily frowned upon, and offenders are typically subject to the most intense prosecution by elder abuse attorneys. After all, elder abuse is typically a felony.

For instance, an estate planning lawyer can help when someone needs to liquidate an estate. On that note, if your will and testament is not already in order when you pass away, your loved ones will likely have to go through the probate process in order to distribute their estate and assets. With the use of an estate planning lawyer, however, your will and testament can be verbatim what you want it to be, and your family will be taken care of after your death.