Intro and will question

ross344

Hi! I'm 34 weeks pregnant with our first daughter - we're due Easter Sunday (4/24). I've given DH the task of arranging for us to have a will before baby girl is born and he is failing miserably. Anyone have experience in this area? IL's paid $400 to a lawyer from our church for their's. We think that's kind of expensive but maybe it cost more for them because they have more assets than we do? Any knowledge or advice is appreciated. TIA

KYmama9286

I would say to have an attorney draw up a will and/or living trust for $400 is actually pretty cheap. At least from the few attorneys we priced out the avg seemed to be about $700-800. Also we were told from everyone we know to NOT use any sort of legalzoom style of will, while these are cheap and do it yourself in the long run they often dont end up being valid/dont have enough information, etc. We figured it was worth the money to ensure that things are going to be taken care of properly so that it doesnt end up being a burden or argument for anyone involved. HTH! Also there are a few attorneys on this board-- one of them actually did our will, Jscaggs, I can give you her office info if youre interested.

twinsmom23

I agree.  $400 sounds very cheap.  I would estimate a will usually runs more in the $1000 range for a simple will.

sara401

$400 is super cheap!!  We used rachel06's husband to do all of our stuff.  He's great!  His website is:  https://thesmithlawfirmohio.com/index.cfm

notguilty

That is super cheap.  You should consider having a living will, durable health care power of attorney and a will drawn up by a competent estate planning attorney.  I would guess the average cost of a will would probably be around $1,000 in Cincy.  Just a guess since I don't practice in that specific area.  Attorneys bill between $200 and $400 an hour in Cincinnati depending on their experience and the type of work they perform. 

I encourage you to invest in this now.  It's so important for your child to make sure she will be taken care of if something should happen to both you and your DH.

ross344

Thanks for all your feedback. I tried to find an average cost for this kind of service but was not finding anything online. I'm very nervous to enter the hospital without a will, not to mention bringing this baby into the world. I put a call into one firm and I'll start researching more. Thanks again!