Justin Gilbert knows what it’s like to practice law from a fancy office on a high floor in a gleaming tower for a large firm. It’s what made him realize that there’s more to being an attorney than billing hundreds of dollars an hour to clients he never sees. That experience prompted him to return to his Middle Tennessee roots to form Music City Estate Law, a practice that enables him to assist clients one-on-one while providing time and space for him and his wife to raise their young family. Recently, we met with Justin to find out how he arrived at this point in his career. Here are some excerpts from that conversation.
WHY DID YOU GO INTO LAW IN GENERAL AND ESTATE LAW IN PARTICULAR?
Law, in general, is about helping people. Because legal documents and the legal process can be confusing, intimidating, and frustrating to people who don’t understand them. We use our legal background and training to craft solutions for each client’s need.
I enjoy estate planning because I get to work with families in a very personal way. Oftentimes, they are stressed and overwhelmed because a family member is sick or has recently passed away. It’s a great feeling to be able to hold their hand, guide them through the process, and help relieve some of their anxiety. It’s about relationships and trying to help people.
WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ESTATE LAW?
Many people are under the belief that by having a will they’ll bypass probate, which is the court process of winding down an estate so that bills are paid and to ensure that the money goes to the intended beneficiaries. That is the furthest thing from the truth. In fact, there’s a new law which almost guarantees that if you have a will, and if you owned assets solely in your name, without a designated beneficiary, at the time of your death, then your estate will trigger probate. Another misconception is that people think the process is much more complicated than it is. We pride ourselves on making the process easy and as painless as possible. The comment I hear most often is, ‘Wow, that wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.’
WHERE AROUND TOWN ARE PEOPLE LIKELY TO SEE YOU?
Definitely at school. My wife, Chelsea, and I have two kids at Clovercroft Elementary and two kids at Woodland Middle School. The older kids are involved in wrestling and lacrosse and my younger son and daughter do theater. We’re very active at our church and I am on the Heritage Foundation’s planned giving committee, called the 1799 Society. We’re taking a more active role in that to support the good work they do here in Franklin and Williamson County. Chelsea also has her own business, Legacy Counseling, which is in The Offices at Cross Creek, the same building as my Music City Estate Law.
MusicCityEstateLaw.com