ABA Family Legal Guide

Estate Planning

Estate-Planning Basics

Working with a Lawyer

How can I find a lawyer to help me plan my estate and write any necessary documents?

You can ask friends who have hired lawyers to draw up their wills. Or you can use any of the Internet resources listed in this chapter. Or you can see if you are or can be covered by a legal service plan.

By some estimates, over 100 million Americans are eligible for the benefits of legal service plans. These plans enable members to get legal services either free or at reduced cost. In many programs, simple wills are either free or cost far less than the going rate. More comprehensive estate planning and preparation of other documents are available from lawyers at a reduced hourly rate. About 80 percent of plans are available to members of certain organizations (like AARP, the military, or a union), or to employees of certain companies as a result of collective bargaining agreements or adoption of a plan by the employer. Plans also may be available to credit card holders and bank customers or through individual sales agents. Some of these plans have no fee at all to the participant; others may require payment of a monthly fee.

Legal clinics are another low-cost alternative. They can prepare your will for modest amounts because legal assistants do much of the work under a lawyer's guidance. That work often consists of adapting standard computerized forms to fit the needs of the client. If you have a small, simple estate, the cost may be modest, and you get professional advice and reassurance that your will meets the standards for validity in your state. You may be able to find a law school clinic or other clinic by looking in the yellow pages.

---

Just a Click Away

The American Bar Association website has information on lawyer referral that may help you get a referral to an estate-planning lawyer in your community at www.abanet.org/legalservices/public.html. The site also has information that will help you find a lawyer online, and will give you some tips on hiring a lawyer, sources of information for the public, and how to resolve problems with your lawyer. Chapter 1, "When and How to Use a Lawyer," also contains information on how to find a lawyer.

---