My short answer to this question is “Yes!”
“Oh,” you might say, “of course you would say that; you are an estate planning lawyer and you are drumming up business.”
Setting your suspicions aside, let me tell you that everyone has an estate plan already, provided for you by state and federal law. If you are over 18, and legally competent, however, you may want to develop your own estate plan that reflects your uniqueness, rather than rely on the one-size-fits-all plan provided by governments.
Do you have step children? Do you own property with a partner to whom you are not married? Do you have an IRA or a 401(k) plan? Do you want to give to charity at your death? These are every day issues in the lives of many people. These are just 4 examples of situations that may result in a different disposition of your property at your death than you might wish, unless you have your very own, individual, estate plan.