Do-it-yourself estate planning in these situations is fraught with risk. Overwhelmingly, my clients are motivated to plan their estates so that their loved ones are able to settle their estates in the most cost-effective and expeditious manner. From what you described, there seems to have been a protracted legal battle with four lawyers involved in which his children and ex-wife tried to contest the validity of the will, most probably because of the form it was in.
Would your friend have wanted his girlfriend to endure that legal battle? The attorneys fees paid for representation in the will contest, not to mention the emotional toll on his girlfriend, was probably significantly more than any attorney in his area would have charged to advise your friend and draft a will that would have been less susceptible to a challenge.
All very interesting, and somewhat valid. There are more bad, incompetent, lazy, careless, over paid lawyers and law firms out there than the law community chooses to admit to. I know, because I have just gone through a 3 year divorce, and no one that I met or encountered along the way would I consider to be competent, diligent, fair or impressive. The judicial system here has very few cost-effective or easily accessible checks or balances.
Attorneys get paid whether they do a good, bad or indifferent job, and it is difficult, time consuming and costly to seek redress if and when they mess up. So, I am not saying Legal Zoom is perfect, but do not try to claim that attorneys are also, or that the probability is high that any attorney you find will do a better job. Like all people, attorneys are human and fallible. Additionally, there are always going to be a certain percentage of any group of individuals, whether professional or otherwise, whose bad behavior causes disrepute to that group.
The legal profession is certainly not immune. To safeguard clients, attorneys are bound by certain rules of professional conduct and are accountable to our state bars for behavior that falls short that. For example, rules require that an attorney handling a case be competent and diligent in our representation. An attorney is prohibited of accepting or continuing employment in a legal matter in which the attorney knows is beyond her competence, or of neglecting a legal matter entrusted to the lawyer.
Aggrieved clients can file complaints for misconduct with the state bar, which will conduct an investigation. Additionally, in the event that an attorney makes serious mistakes in handling a case, the legal system gives the client redress. An attorney can be sued for malpractice, and malpractice insurance can often make the client whole.
This is in stark contrast to document preparation services, which specifically disclaim any responsibility if something goes wrong. While there may be some attorneys who give others in the profession a bad reputation, there are also many attorneys who sincerely care about justice and are making strides to ensure that legal services are accessible and affordable.
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These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice. Popular Courses. Best Online Will Makers Expand. Best Online Will Makers. Final Verdict. Compare Providers. What Is an Online Will Maker? Are Online Wills Legitimate? Sign Up Now. Why We Chose It. Pros Get comprehensive estate planning documents for a flat rate Free legal updates for one year Downloadable software.
Territories Need to meet minimum operating system requirements Not available on mobile devices. Pros Free unlimited updates Includes forms for assets outside the U. Cons No living revocable trust available Website not as intuitive as other competitors Signup process for spouses can be clunky. Pros Comprehensive learning center Choose from three options so you can feel less overwhelmed The website is intuitive to use.
Pros Low annual or monthly fee Premium members have access to free and discounted legal services Ability to create a wide variety of documents. Cons Customers who purchase one-off documents have limited update period No living trusts available No online access for executors. Pros No need to sign up for an account to get access to documents Available to residents of all 50 states Ability to save your will as either a PDF or Word document.
More on this here. Congress will often pass new laws that subsidize startup businesses in an effort to boost the economy, but in order to take advantage of these subsidies, you have to draft your documents to fit with their parameters. Downloading a boilerplate document, even from paid websites such as LegalZoom, leaves that money on the table.
If you purchase a form document from LegalZoom or find one off the internet, however, there is no one standing by it. If the document is at all incorrect in the way it is written, if it misses any necessary terms that your business requires to operate, you have absolutely no recourse for errors in your document.
Your local city government can shut your business down.
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