This week I’m at the Georgia Bar’s Fiduciary Law Institute — an event I look forward to every year. I’m usually one of the few non-attorneys in the room, which I find equal parts humbling and useful.
I’m not there to practice law. I’m there to learn what’s happening in fiduciary law, stay sharp on the issues my clients are navigating, and keep building relationships with the attorneys and other professionals who are often the first call a family makes after a loss.
Most of my referrals come from attorneys, so I spend a lot of time at this conference spreading the gospel of how we help clients.
Estate attorneys are focused on the legal work, as they should be. But families are often dealing with a whole separate layer of logistics, organization, and decision-making that runs parallel to the legal process.
That’s where we come in.
So this week felt like a good time to share what to listen for — because if someone in your world is navigating a loss, you might be closer to the referral than you think.
7 Signs Someone Needs an After Loss Professional
- They’ve had the same three things on their to-do list for six weeks and haven’t touched any of them.
- There’s a house, storage unit, or car nobody can bring themselves to deal with — not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know how.
- The words “overwhelmed” and “I wish someone could just handle this part” come up every single day.
- They’re asking questions that aren’t necessarily legal questions — “What do I do with all his clothes?” or “What do I do with all this furniture?”
- They’re the person everyone is calling with questions, and they’re holding every moving part in their head while also trying to grieve.
- Assets are scattered across states, banks, or digital accounts, and nobody has a full picture. Just a shoebox and a guess.
- There’s an executor living three time zones away trying to manage the estate, including a house they haven’t seen in person.
If any of these sound familiar, that’s not just a legal problem. That’s an estate administration problem, and it’s exactly what we do. Think of us like wedding coordinators, but for death.
If you’d like to learn more about how AfterLight works or how to refer someone our way, just comment below. I’m happy to set up a call.
