Do you need a lawyer, or can you use an online service?
Short answer: Sometimes an online form is enough. If you own real estate, have a blended family, a beneficiary with special needs, property in more than one state, or an estate large enough to face New York or federal estate tax, a form is where problems start.
When a form can work
You are single or in a first marriage, you rent, your accounts all have named beneficiaries, and everything goes to the same people either way. A simple will and powers of attorney, signed correctly with two witnesses, may do the job.
Where forms fail (we see these in probate)
- A trust that was signed but never funded, so the house went through probate anyway.
- A Florida homestead left to someone the constitution does not allow, so the gift failed.
- A will signed without the right witnesses, or notarized but not witnessed.
- Out-of-state property left out, forcing a second probate in another state.
- A beneficiary form from a prior job that overrode the whole plan.
- A special-needs child named outright, which cut off benefits.
What you are paying a lawyer for
Not the paper. You are paying for the questions: how is the house titled, what does your spouse's plan say, what happens if a child dies first, who should serve if your first choice cannot. The documents are the result of the answers.
A middle path
If you already have documents from an online service, we will review them with you and tell you plainly whether they work. Sometimes the answer is "keep them."
Next step
Email the firm through the Contact page and tell us what you own, who is in your family, and whether you have any documents today.
This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Simani Law, PA is licensed in Florida and New York.