Prepare Legal Documents
Complete step-by-step checklist to prepare legal documents covering consult legal professional and draft legal document details, and essential action items.
Consult legal professional
Speak with lawyer to ensure document covers local laws
Draft legal document details
Write down terms (e.g. power of attorney, will, deed)
Review clauses with parties
Read terms with all signees to verify understanding
Sign with notary public
Sign papers in presence of a certified notary witness
Store original in home safe
Keep original document in safe; share copies with lawyer
Identify neutral legal witnesses
Have non-family witnesses sign document if required
Draft document revisions logs
Note date and reason for any updates to original draft
Check local notarization laws
Verify if state requires virtual or in-person notary stamps
Provide executor copies
Give copy of will/attorney papers to designated executors
Review legal terms annually
Audit document content yearly to reflect family/asset changes
Confirm digital copies are encrypted
Protect scanned legal PDFs with strong master passwords
Register documents at county records
File property deeds at local land registry offices
Check witness eligibility restrictions rules
Ensure witnesses are not named as heirs in document
Confirm estate asset listings updates
Keep sheet tracking active bank accounts and assets list
Confirm trust funding status actions
Verify trust deeds bank account transitions are active
Identify medical directives choices lists
Ensure doctors have copy of living will directives
Verify attorney name change corrections
Confirm document spellings match passport names exactly
Post safe box access codes
Provide box key directions to trusted executors in letters