Ouch. Of course attorneys can make mistakes too but in this case it was the use of an online document service (unnamed to protect the guilty) that messed up. Decedent, we will call Betty, signed a will a few months before dying. Betty asked unnamed online document service to write the will to give all her assets to her one child and nothing to the children of her deceased child. This seemed like a great idea as she saved money, right? I am sure an online will form is cheaper than hiring an attorney, right?

You maybe can see where this is going….

Unfortunately the online document service didn’t write it the way Betty wanted. So instead of 100% of a $300k house my client gets only one-half of a $300k house and the estranged children of deceased child (brother to my client) get the other one-half.

Needless to say client is UPSET! I am just the messenger and still she seemed mad at me. It sucks. Obviously we all wish Betty had just hired an experienced estate planning attorney to get it done right. However, that ship has sailed. She didn’t hire an attorney. Betty tried to save money and it bit her family in the tail!

I should add there is a place for online document services but, in my opinion, only in extremely straight-forward situations. Plus, even then you should read and understand what you are signing!

One side note is that an online will form company, no matter how much advertising they do, has to be able to explain the legal options with an experts precision. For example, why didn’t the online form company suggest a living trust? That would have saved Betty’s family even more money… while, if they had done that right.

Don’t be a Betty. Get your will and/or trust done properly by an experienced estate planning attorney.

-John