Mark Masters Discusses 12 Things to Have Before Writing a Will

Mark Masters, '82, visited Washburn Law on November 7-8, 2016. He met with several small groups of students to discuss various aspects of trusts and estates law and lectured to the Decedents' Estates and Trusts & Future Interests course.

In addition, Masters presented the Lunch and Learn lecture "12 Things to Have Before Writing a Will." He explained that trusts and estates practice requires educating clients about their situation, and then technically putting their intent down on paper. The goal is to keep clients out of litigation. This is an especially rewarding career for many practitioners because attorneys are able to represent individuals and sell peace of mind. Masters mentioned that he rarely has to worry about his clients failing to pay for his services. In fact, they often give him "thank you" gifts! One challenge in estate planning is that clients typically do not know what they want, and attorneys must challenge their beliefs and the situation they are presenting. Masters concluded by encouraging students to have confidence in knowing they can be successful in this area of practice.