Posts tagged ‘LegalZoom’
the hidden costs of a DIY will
I just this moment returned from a court hearing to establish a guardianship. A hearing that occurred for only one reason: my client’s dad used LegalZoom to make a will.
My client’s dad thought he was doing the right thing. I mean, having a will is better than having no will, right?
Wrong. Having a well-drafted will that includes the right language is MUCH better than having no will. (To learn more about why you need a will, go HERE and HERE.)
But having a poorly-drafted will that doesn’t include what it should – or includes the WRONG language – can be much worse than having no will.
In my client’s situation, her dad left some money to her minor son. Which is great! But, because he bought the will from LegalZoom and didn’t get any legal advice, he didn’t structure the bequest in the right way. And because of this, my client had to file a legal action to get the court’s permission to accept this money on her son’s behalf.
So, the cost of using LegalZoom for this family far exceeded the difference in cost between a DIY will and working with an attorney. How much? Many hundreds of dollars, months of time.
FYI – a DIY will has hidden costs. Buyer beware.
Announcing Our VIRTUAL LAW OFFICE – C2LAWonline.com
EXTRA! EXTRA! Today we have launched a new part of C²Law – it is our virtual law office (VLO), called C2LAWonline.com.
Through C2LAWonline.com, we offer residents across the state of Tennessee instant access to our legal services in the following areas:
•estate planning (wills , powers of attorney and related documents)
• business services (creation of LLCs and other entities, contracts, employment agreements and other business documents)
•general property matters ( deeds, leases and other documents related to real property)
In addition to creating documents, we can also answer legal questions and review legal documents through the VLO.
What is a Virtual Law Office (VLO)? A VLO is a law office that provides services to clients via the internet. Clients are able to REQUEST A LEGAL SERVICE directly through the VLO. Through this secure, online process, we provide a cost quote for the requested service. Clients can retain us, pay us online, and then receive legal counseling and delivery of the final legal product (such as a document), all via the internet.
This process gives clients 24 hour access to their legal matter, through a secure online CLIENT EXTRANET. Each client has access to his or her unique client extranet, which is secure and confidential. All written communications and document sharing takes place via the client extranet.
Perhaps most importantly, the cost for obtaining our legal services via C2LAWonline.com generally is half the expense of hiring a lawyer in the conventional way. You receive personal legal counsel and advice, but pay far less because your contact takes place online.
And there are many other advantages:
•you save time (in addition to money) because you don’t have to travel to a physical office – you can complete all aspects of your legal representation from the comfort of your own home (or office, or wherever it is most convenient for you to do so!)
•you don’t have to schedule an office or telephone meeting, coordinating your time with an attorney’s
•all written communication and documents related to your legal matter exist in a single, secure online source that you can access 24 hours a day, seven days a week
•you have access to an attorney licensed to practice in Tennessee, who guides you through your legal matter and provides legal counsel tailored specifically to your needs and goals.
It is *important* to note that through our VLO, we offer a much wider breadth of service than one can obtain through a legal ‘forms’ website such as LegalZoom. We are attorneys, and when you hire us through C2LAWonline.com, you receive legal counsel and advice as part of the process. We evaluate your needs and goals, and offer advice and tailored legal services. Legal ‘form’ websites CANNOT provide legal advice. You get a form, and that’s it – no legal advice, and no way of knowing whether a form is appropriate and adequate to meet your needs.
We are incredibly excited about the launch of our new VLO. At C²Law, we always have been committed to providing cost-effective legal counsel. Our VLO gives prospective clients increased access to our services, at lower costs and in a very convenient, user-friendly format.
We welcome your contact and hope that you will visit C2LAWonline.com to learn more about our VLO and all the services and benefits it offers.
