All true, but that line of reasoning is true for almost any professional you might consider hiring, from plumbers to criminal defense attorneys. The more subjective the quality of work is, the more important and the more difficult the selection process. But, seriously, you aren't going to study diligently on the internet and then defend yourself in a criminal action, are you? ....
The "study diligently" part can only be a good thing, right? At that point, you can decide if DIY or not. Your research might tell you that DIY is fine. It really depends on the complexity of the situation, and how well you feel your study prepared you, and your own personal motivation to DIY.
Thanks, ERD50. I'm disappointed in our attorney. He should have directed us to this form. It's pretty straightforward.
You're welcome. And that's a great lead in to the 2nd part of OldShooter's post...
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And ... to amplify your point there were times when DW came home fuming about having to do to court to get a bad document fixed, including some done by supposed trust & estate specialist attorneys. SHe knew 'em all and, unfortunately, came to know all the judges as well.
So how does Rianne (or anyone) find a good attorney?
Back to the complexity issue. I've been involved as executor/trustee to 4 estates (parents and parents-in-law). After sorting through a lot of fluff, the key is who gets how much (and when for g-kids under 30 YO). It's all in one section, not rocket science for a basic estate. And yet, these 'pros' screwed that up. I pointed it out to them There were two redundant, but differently worded paragraphs - they said the same thing, but with different words. Very confusing, was one meant to convey something different? One lawyer at the firm told me they did cover different cases, but none of us could see the distinction, and she could not explain the difference. I asked again to the principal attorney, he agreed they were redundant and struck one out. How can I have any confidence in them, when they don't seem to know what they are doing? There were other sections they could not explain. I would have 'fired' them, but they represented my MIL, and I had already stirred the pot enough.
And this isn't some fly-by-night place, they have been in business for decades, in a high net-worth area.
If you have complicating factors, divorces, step-children etc, maybe a pro is needed. I dunno, we don't have that situation, so I skipped over all that in the NOLO books. But if it applied, I'd read up and then decide if I need a pro or not.
We had our plan done by 'pros' about 18 years ago (a MegaCorp benefit, but even paying the income taxes on that makes me question if I got my money's worth). Big bound books with so much fluff. I know that 99% of that is filler to impress us. I had to work with the attorney on a one page flow-chart-like sketch to understand what it meant.
Time to revisit those plans, as our kids are all responsible adults now. I need to do another deep dive, but from my studies so far, I'm hard pressed to see what a 'pro' would bring to the table that isn't already covered in the simple, time-tested forms that NOLO provides.
Yes, there are also the issues of Power of Attorney (medical and $), those need to be looked at as well. But the trust part really is quite simple for many. And again, I trust NOLO as a resource over my attempts to pick a good attorney. I could get fooled.
-ERD50