How much does a will cost? How much does a trust cost?

By far, one, if not the, most common question asked, is “How much does this cost?” Rightly so, attorneys carry the dubious distinction of being attentive to the time (see this article for an example), oftentimes, going as far to bill in 6 minute increments (or in 1/10 of an hour allotments). So, how much can you expect to pay for a will, a trust, or powers of attorney documents for your family?

While each attorney varies how they bill for legal work, there are three general approaches:

Hourly Billing. Just as it sounds, you are billed for the amount of time an attorney works on your particular legal matter. At the end of the day, the legal bill will depend on how long and complex the legal matter is and the time the attorney spent on the legal issue(s).

Contingency Billing. Here, the billing amount is based on the total amount recovered from the other party. For example, if you agree to a 15% contingency fee arrangement, and the total recovery is $10,000, the attorney would be entitled to receive $1,500. This type of billing approach is often utilized in personal injury cases and how attorneys (oftentimes the ones you see in commercials) can claim that you will not owe them anything in legal fees unless you win your case.

Flat-fee Billing. Flat-fee billing is often used when the legal work is for a particular legal transaction and not necessarily for an unpredictable, personal injury-type situation. This type of approach can have the added benefit of being more transparent on the front end, as you will know the total cost for the particular matter, without incurring additional and unexpected costs.

At The Estate Planning Group, we do things a little differently – we prefer to develop trusting relationships with families for life, so we can ensure you and your family are protected no matter what happens, and we let you decide on the appropriate plan and costs.  All our estate planning services are billed on a flat fee basis, so you know the total costs before you make a decision.

The best way to determine exactly what planning will best suit you and your family’s needs and concerns is to meet with one of our attorneys for a Life & Legacy Planning Session, where we can help answer all of your questions, address your concerns, and meet your goals.

At your initial complimentary Life & Legacy Planning Sessions, we walk you through what would happen if something were to happen to you, how your family would handle things, and design a plan to make it easier for the people you love. By knowing what would happen, you can identify those things you want to address in your planning.

You, then get to choose the right planning tools from a point of understanding, not just have a lawyer whose motives may not be the same as yours tell you that you need this or that plan.  We can then assist in designing the plan that will take care of your family.  To get started, contact us today!