Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Can I do an online will, trust, etc. or do I need face to face attorney?


Asked on 8/08/14, 9:30 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Len Tillem Tillem McNichol & Brown

You can do your own will, trust, Limited Liability Company, Corporation, etc. online.

It's usually a bad idea. Estate planning attorneys do not sell wills and trusts. We sell estate planning. When you hire an attorney to prepare an estate plan, you aren't just buying forms to fill out. You are buying advice concerning what kind of estate plan is appropriate for you under the circumstances.

There are many questions that are not asked by a blank form or webpage and that you don't know to ask yourself. Here's a small example: Many people don't put any thought at all who should be trustee of their trust when they die and by default select the first-born child (or commonly, the first-born male child) without any regard as to the relationship amongst the children.

So, you can do your own estate plan, but understand that you get what you pay for.

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Answered on 8/11/14, 9:20 am


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