Why Using a Real Lawyer is Always Better Than Online Legal Programs
By Madelynn Carpenter | Summer Intern
Quick-fix legal websites are becoming more popular with their inexpensive work products and quick turn-around time. But despite their claims, using a website is not a substitute for legal advice or work product from an attorney, especially in the estate planning field!
When it comes to your legacy, no algorithm can replace a real conversation.
Online tools fill in blanks. Lawyers fill in the gaps.
Lawyers Give Personalized Legal Advice and Documents
Every estate planning situation is unique and special, because every person’s life is unique and special! Legal service websites offer generic documents but cannot legally give legal advice to its customers. Real attorneys provide specialized and tailored advice and can create documents that will achieve your goals. Lawyers can draft, review, and modify your documents to fit any situation that arises (like complex estates, contentious divorces, business intricacies, or just unique objectives). Online sites fail to fully address these scenarios!
Lawyers Lessen Your Risk
Online legal programs are narrow in the scope of what they do - they provide customers with simple tools and basic documents, but once these objectives are met, they no longer serve a purpose! These programs, unlike real lawyers, cannot represent you in any court proceedings, negotiations, or mediations. Further, with a website’s general “do-it-yourself” model, it opens up the risk to you and increases the chance of errors or accidentally leaving things out of your estate plan that you want in it! Real lawyers identify risks and listen to you, so that you can have the best documents that meet all your goals; all while helping you think about issues that never would have crossed your mind! Lawyers make sure to minimize your risk, and they don’t leave you vulnerable to fines or with unenforceable documents down the road!
Lawyers Have Specific, Irreplaceable Knowledge
Online legal service websites offer very broad, nationwide services to its customers. With this wide range of accessibility, comes the risk that it may overlook state- or city-specific rules, regulations, and laws. You definitely don’t want your legal documents to be deemed invalid because a city-specific law was missed! Real lawyers know these specific laws, procedures, and court preferences to ensure your documents are valid, enforceable, and will stand the test of time!
Lawyers Have Ethical Obligations… Websites Do Not
To practice law, lawyers must be licensed professionals who have to abide by certain rules and laws! This is to make sure they run their practices legally, ethically, and correctly - and most importantly, this is to protect their clients! Websites lack this accountability – they’re just commercial services that even disclaim that they cannot practice law. Lawyers give you the above-and-beyond customer service through their integrity, trustworthiness, transparency, and fairness!
Lawyers Save You Money!
I bet you weren’t expecting this, but lawyers save you money in the long run! While online legal programs may seem cheaper at the get-go, they often charge you more money… for less work product compared to a lawyer. Attorneys provide you advice and support throughout the process of creating your estate plan and can help you as your situation changes! Legal service websites only provide a one-time service, and they don’t even review your documents for legal adequacy, or to make sure everything you want is included. Not only that, but it costs more money if your situation changes or if something was left out and needs to be put in later! Another bonus: lawyers can draft your documents in a way to minimize the amount of fines, fees, and taxes that you pay, and to avoid the emotional and financial burdens of court proceedings or probate!
Here at Legacy Planning and Probate, we offer a complimentary consultation to understand your unique situation! Whether you have questions about your current plan, want to make some changes, or need to get the process started, we can help put your mind at ease. Contact us with your questions or start the process to leaving your legacy! Our team at LP&P is here to facilitate you planning for tomorrow, today.