5 Reasons You Should Hire A Will Lawyer To Draft Your Will

Posted by smith clea on February 19th, 2020

Have you noticed that there are a lot of “free” online will forms?

You may be thinking that there are so many free forms that pretty much anyone can do the job of a will lawyer.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as you think…

Often times the “free” online estate planning forms you find on the internet are just generic templates designed to get you to sign up for an email list. While it may seem like an appealing option to get a will done for free, these types of forms can put your valuable assets and your family members at risk after you pass away.

Everyone’s estate planning situation is different, so it is really hard to create secure estate plans from cookie cutter documents like these.

• Who prepared the template and is it accurate enough to actually protect your assets and your family?
• Will, trust, and estate law changes from state to state – are the forms valid in yours?

• Did you input the correct information to make sure that the document performs the way it is supposed to?

• How do you make the will legally binding after it’s created?

These are all questions you need to ask before you go ahead and place all of your faith in an online form. When you are estate planning, you are creating a document to preserve your legacy and pass your most valuable assets onto your loved ones in the most effective way possible.

If your will isn’t valid, the probate court will decide what happens to your money and property instead of you. This can take a long time and it can be expensive for your family.

The expenses paid in probate court and attorney fees will likely be much more costly than just spending a little bit of money upfront to have a professional draft your will.

1: Will disputes are costly

The point of a will is to pass on your assets to your loved ones in the most efficient way possible. While you may have had good intentions when you filled out the online will, it may result in unintended consequences that can create additional expenses for your family.

That’s because they will have to go through the probate court process just to get access to the assets you wanted them to have in the first place. In a lot of cases, this means they will have to pay court fees and a probate lawyer to fight on their behalf.

The price of getting a will prepared by a professional is much cheaper than the cost of fighting over your assets in court. 

 Read : useful tips to evaluate online reviews about a will lawyer.

2: Your assets may fall into the wrong hands

As we stated earlier, if your will is found to be invalid by the court, the court will decide who gets your assets. If you have children under the age of 18, the court will decide who should be the legal guardian of your children.

 Are there certain family members you don’t want to pass your assets to?

 Are there people in your family who you wouldn’t entrust to care for your children if you are not there?

 Because the stakes are so high when it comes to estate planning, it is always best to have a professional will lawyer draft the document to ensure it is accurate and legally binding.

3: An invalid will could cause family infighting

It is not uncommon for families to fight over assets if they feel they are entitled to them. This happens all of the time in probate court. Situations like this can cause additional stress on your family during an already emotional time. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is never easy, and having a properly drafted, legally binding estate plan can make dealing with the loss much easier on your family.

4: Online forms may not be up to date

A lot of online forms are either just simple documents someone typed up on their computer to advertise as a “free will”. Others could have been valid at one point, but are now outdated. Just because a web page is on the internet doesn’t mean it is updated everyday.

In a lot of cases, pages are created and just left out there on the web. If you want to use one of these free forms, at a minimum you should consult with a will lawyer to make sure that it is up to date and valid in your state.

The Conclusion

Online advice regarding specialized areas of the law are often so generic that it is hard to understand whether or not they apply to you. One of the major benefits of a will lawyer is that they are able to understand your needs and create a customized plan to make sure you and your family are protected.

While “free” online will forms may sound like a good idea, often times they can end up costing you and your family more in the long run. Will, trust, and estate law is complex and mistakes can be costly. If you have any questions about your unique circumstances,

It is best to schedule a risk free consult with a professional will lawyer. Consult Rochester law center