If the attorney who drafted your will, handled your closing, or set up your business has retired, you are not starting over. Your documents are still valid. Your estate plan still exists. But you need someone who can step in, understand what you have, and be there when you need legal help next. That is what we do.
What to Do When Your Attorney Retires
Many people in Western Pennsylvania have worked with the same attorney for years — sometimes decades. When that attorney retires, it can feel like losing a trusted advisor. You may not know where your original documents are, whether your plan is still current, or who to call if something happens.
Here is what we recommend:
Locate Your Documents
Find your will, trust, powers of attorney, healthcare directive, and any deeds or business documents. Check your home safe, safe deposit box, and any copies your former attorney may have sent you. If your attorney's office transferred files to another firm (including ours), we can help you locate them.
Schedule a Review
Bring your documents to us for a review. We will read through everything, identify what is current and what needs updating, and explain where your plan may have gaps based on changes in Pennsylvania law or your personal circumstances since the documents were drafted.
Update What Needs Updating
Some plans are fine as-is and just need a new attorney on file. Others need updates — a change in beneficiaries, new powers of attorney that comply with current Pennsylvania law, updated beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, or a trust that was never properly funded. We will tell you honestly what needs work and what does not.
Establish the Relationship
Going forward, we are your attorneys. Your executor knows who to call. Your agent under power of attorney knows where the documents are. Your family knows the firm. When the time comes — whether that is a real estate closing, a probate matter, a business question, or an update to your plan — we are here.
Common Situations We See
- Estate plan drafted 10+ years ago. The law has changed — Pennsylvania's power of attorney statute was significantly updated, the federal estate tax exemption is now $15 million (permanent under the 2025 law), and your family circumstances may have changed. A review ensures your plan still does what you intended.
- Original will is with the retired attorney's office. If the office closed and files were transferred, we can help you track them down. If the original will cannot be located, we can discuss options including executing a new will.
- Pending probate matter. If your attorney was handling an estate and retired mid-process, we can step in and take over the administration — filing with the Register of Wills, inheritance tax returns, distributions, and accounting.
- Business without current counsel. Your attorney handled your LLC formation or corporate filings. Now annual reports are due (new PA requirement as of January 2025), your operating agreement needs updating, or a partner wants to exit. We handle all of it.
- Real estate closing coming up. You always used the same attorney for closings. Now you need title insurance, a deed review, or a settlement agent. As licensed title agents through Chicago Title, Commonwealth, and First American, we handle closings the same way your former attorney did — with an attorney at the table.
Free Peace-of-Mind Review
If your attorney has retired and you are not sure whether your estate plan is still current, we offer a free Peace-of-Mind Review. Bring your documents, and we will review your will, trust, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations — no charge, no obligation. If everything is in order, we will tell you. If something needs attention, we will explain what and why.
We Practice What Your Attorney Practiced
Most retiring attorneys in Western Pennsylvania practice in the same areas we do:
- Estate planning — wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives
- Probate and estate administration — executor guidance, inheritance tax, distributions
- Real estate — closings, title insurance, deeds, commercial transactions
- Business law — LLCs, contracts, succession planning, annual compliance
- Elder law — Medicaid planning, long-term care, veterans benefits
This means the transition is straightforward. We understand the documents your former attorney drafted because we draft the same ones. We know the courts your former attorney filed in because we file in the same courts.
Your Documents Are Still Valid
An attorney retiring does not invalidate your will, trust, or any other legal document. Everything your former attorney prepared remains in effect. What you lose is the relationship — the person who knows your family, remembers why certain decisions were made, and is available when questions arise. Our job is to rebuild that relationship so you have the same level of counsel going forward.
If your attorney has retired and you need a new legal home, call (724) 733-3500 or schedule a free consultation. We will review what you have and make sure you are covered.