What does a lawyer typically charge to set up a will?

[Deejmonster]

Hello all,

My wife and I have been in discussions about create a will for the each of us as we now have a few assets and a child that we need to make sure are properly taken care of in the awful event of an unpredicted demise of either one of us or the both of us. We have already spoken to family about who would take custody of our daughter in the event that we both passed and we  have some basic assets that we need to allocate in the event of our passing. 

We opted to use an online service to create a general will for the both of us but are struggling to get witness's and a notary all in one place to finalize the wills. We were originally against hiring a lawyer for this process as we don't want to take time off of work or pay for it, but we are entertaining the idea, unfortunately. 

My question is, have any of you used a lawyer for a will? and if so, was it a relatively quick process? If you don't mind me asking, what is the going rate to get a will created? and how did you go about finding a lawyer to create said wills.

Any information would be helpful!

[Wiseman2]

There are specialized estate attorneys. It largely depends on your area, how complicated your estate is and how specific it is. There are alternatives to wills such as trusts and better estate planning. Wills have downsides such as getting tied up in probate.

For example if you are legally married everything automatically goes to your spouse if you are intestate (no will). Likewise everything would go to your child if you were both to die at the same time. However if they are a minor at the time it gets complicated as far as appointing a trustee.

So make sure what you want in your will is necessary and consider options such as trusts, living wills, life insurance and having beneficiaries on accounts, etc 

Please research it a bit more according to your circumstances. Please also keep in mind that a poorly drafted instrument can be a huge headache including being contested and invalidated. 

[Starlight925]

You can go to a UPS store, a real estate office, etc., which will typically have a notary available.  For a witness, just bring a friend. 
 
You need a will.  We all need a will.  I’ve had one for 20 years, changed a few times.  I used an attorney, but in my case, he’s a friend’s husband, so he didn’t charge me much.   But I do think the online will services are valid. 
  
Add a codicil for specific items, i.e. if you want to leave a specific item to a specific person.  You can update the codicil as you wish. 

Make sure you have designated Benificiaries or TOD’s (Transfer On Death) for EVERY single account you each have, as these will supersede the will, and in many cases, allow exemption from probate. 

[Batya33]

It's a very individual thing and depends on the couple's particular financial and family situation -it can be "quick" (which is subjective -what is quick) you can use an online service without an attorney, or it can take longer depending. Cost varies based on where you live and the attorney's hourly rate.