Los Angeles Probate Attorney Explains the Danger in a DIY Will

Posted by Gaurav Mali on March 1st, 2018

Being a responsible citizen of America, you must be aware of the significance of having an estate plan. If you haven’t even prepared a Last Will and Testament, you really need to consider executing them now. Well, most individuals try to come up with a DIY Will in order to save time and money. The fact is that a DIY Will form may seem to save you time and money in a short way; your close ones are likely to spend a significant amount of money in the long-run.

To help you understand why executing a DIY Will is such a wrong idea, a probate Los Angeles County explains the uncertainties associated with it.

DIY Legal Forms – Why Should You Avoid?

With the acceleration of the internet, users all around the world now do everything from talking to faraway close ones to shopping to banking to research using their smartphone or computer. Today, you can get almost anything on the web, including DIY legal forms such as Will. Just because you can easily find something on the web, doesn’t mean you will start using what you find. And, when it comes to legal forms, you need to be very careful.

Here are some common problems found when someone practices a DIY Will:

Fail to Distribute the Complete Property

One of the most apparent problems with a DIY Will is the failure to distribute the whole property. However, the motive of preparing a Will is to evade the intestate succession laws of your state. If any assets are ignored out of your Will, an intestate estate process will need to be initiated. Unfortunately, the DIY Wills may lead to such problems; boosting the chances of state’s intestate succession laws involvement.

Failed Interaction between Documents

Preparing DIY Will and Testament is uncertain by itself; however, most insidiously don’t stop there. Your estate planning papers should work in accordance with each other. More DIY Last Will and Testament forms you use together, the higher the chances are that they will fail since you need expert legal advice to achieve this.

Not State-Specific

In America, most Last Will and Testament follow specific state laws. Therefore, a Will must be executed state-specific to assure its validity. However, many DIY forms available on the web are generic and do not incorporate state-specific language or laws.

Out of Date Language or Law

Many outdated DIY Will forms have been floating around the web for many years. Appropriate laws and other rules & regulations may have changed in the interim. If the word used in the form is outdated, it may probably prompt litigation.

Improper Execution

In order to make your Will valid, it must be accomplished using conventional procedures. All those legal procedures may vary from one state to another. A common DIY Will form can't define how you need to validate the documents to follow your state’s laws.

The main problem associated with using a DIY Will is that you cannot fix the issues once they became a dilemma. Those problems may also lead to time-consuming and expensive litigation; leading to family conflicts. So, in order to avoid such problems, you should hire probate attorney in Los Angeles County.

Michael C. Maddux is known as the most trusted probate attorney who provides solid legal guidance related to estate planning, living wills, trust litigation, and notary in San Bernardino.