CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An attorney in North Carolina is raising awareness about estate planning for members of the LGBTQ community.

What You Need To Know

New laws targeting LGBTQ rights are being introduced across the U.S.

Experts are encouraging couples to discuss estate planning

One attorney says failing to plan could lead to legal hurdles

Crystal Richardson focuses on the challenges LGBTQ couples and families face in estate planning. She said there are steps you need to take to protect your assets.

“Estate planning is important for everyone, regardless of how they identify," Richardson, an attorney in Charlotte, said.

Although same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states, new laws targeting LGBTQ rights are being introduced across the country.

Richardson said it's important for couples to make a plan that works for them because there could be future legal hurdles.

"I think it's extremely important in the LGBTQ+ community because it can be detrimental to members of that community if we fail to plan," Richardson said. "Unfortunately, the LGBTQ community members are often estranged from their family, and again, a detrimental outcome if we have next of kin. People we haven't talked to in years and decades would be making decisions for us.”

She also encourages all people to find an estate attorney and make sure their wishes are recorded now, so there are no questions when it comes time to making after-death decisions.