Reasonable Attorney Fees?

My hubby and I had the same documents done in naperville, for 1200-1500 about 2 years ago. That seems high.

I used a downtown attorney - Alan Sohn who specializes in this area and he was midrange in price and I paid $2000 for will, trust, power of attorney and health care power of attorney and guardian for my daughter.

Seems awfully high for this. We had done one for my mom a few years back and it was under $2000. Shop around or email me personally at ____@____.com and I'll find the attorneys number in Orland Park. L.

I am an attorney but I do not practice regularly in Chicago. I won't comment on the fee, because legal work does involve a lot of nuances the lay person cannot do adequately but it could be too high anyway-- I just do not know (additionally I don't practice that type of law). However, in Wisconsin, I could get a will done by an attorney with everything you've included for around 1500? Ours would not be complicated though, not sure about yours.

However, I would caution you against using do-it-yourself materials without the advice of an attorney. A will is a serious business. If you and your husband died, or were incapacitated, would you want there to be any question about your intentions?

I would look for an attorney who charges a flat rate fee. Also, about 99% of attorneys do use a standard form where they just plug your information into the spots and it's the office help that does it not the attorney. This seems a bit expensive, but you also have to take into consideration where you live. Finding a small town attorney other than an attorney in Naperville would probably save you a ton of money and do just as good of a job.

Hi
Due to the economic climate in American today, you along with so many other Americans are searching for reasonable legal representation. People want to take a step in pre-planning for their future, however they do want access to affordable attorneys. My husband has been an Associate for a very reputable legal service for the past 14 years. I don't know if you are familiar with Pre-Paid Legal Services but they provide the services that you are searching for. If you would like more information about this service please send your contact info to ____@____.com. Thank you and good luck.

That sounds excessive to me, but I haven't actually priced it out. I would think it would be more in the $500 range. These documents aren't complicated and shouldn't take a lot of billable time by the attorney (they should have paralegals to do most of the legwork and they just review it). I would ask them to justify the quote and try to itemize it. If they stick to their guns on it, I would shop around a little. I don't think you HAVE to use any particular attorney for this since it's pretty straightforward. I would try to find someone less expensive, personally.

Lucy,
I see you've gotten a lot of responses, and one fo the attorneys recommended in another response took care of all of this for us about 2 1/2 years ago for a fraction of what you were quoted. Suzanne Cahalan is in Wheaton and she charged us a flat fee. She had come highly recommended to us by several of our friends, and has since also taken care of setting up trusts/estates/power of atty and wills for more friends as well. She is very down-to-earth and takes the time to really listen and help you to set up exactly what you want. The best part for us is that she comes to your house (or location of choosing) and will do so in the evenings or when it's convenient for you. I would definitely recommend giving her a call. Her number is ###-###-####.

Good luck!

Knowing that attorney's average charge is $250 per hour. That amount seems very high. Unless you have some unusal circumstances, I would think you could have it done for less than $2,500.

Shop arround, maybe this is the going rate in your area?

i think that is kinda high in price..im pretty sue mine did not cost anywhere around that much.. not reall sure where you are from but, Manuel Law Firm in mahomet Il is really good. ###-###-#### Even if you live far away you could a least get an idea what others charge. good luck.

I have a great attorney in the Chicago western suburbs who did ours and recently my mothers. The price you received seems high. You should call her. She's a nice woman and very knowledgeable. Suzanne Cahalan, ###-###-####, Wheaton, IL

C.
Geneva, IL

We used an attorney at Horwood, Marcus and Burke in the city and paid around $2300. This included 2 wills, 2 trust, POA, etc.

that seems awfully high. i guess it depends on what he's doing for you. i was just doing the same thing and was given a quote of $850

It seems awfully high since most attorneys use a standard template and just insert your info, so it's not like it starting from scratch. When I was in MD, I worked for a Estate Planning attorney and her going rate was $275 an hour. At her rate, to get to $3800, she would have to spend around 14 hours of work. I don't think we ever spent that much time on a will, POA and trust. POA are fairly standard and in some states you can find the forms free online. For the health care POA check the hospital website. I know here in TX, when I went to the hospital website when I had my daughter, I found the POA form. It is the trust that is costing the most money, but I still think that is a lot of money. I would look into other attorneys. Call your local bar association and they can recommend an attorney for you.

That seems really high to me - get a few more quotes. My attorney charges $250 per hour.

When we set up these exact same things, just prior to our son being born, we paid $2,500. Our lawyer is a great guy in Naperville if you need a referral. He handles everything for us and several family members. He is from an established local family and has been in business for years.

My husband and I are slogging through this now with a lawyer we really like, and she said it would be around $1500-$2500, depending largely on the time involved, i.e, the better we are at following up to questions and paperwork, the faster (cheaper) it would go. I feel a lot better talking to an attorney about it, as many questions have been raised that I would not think to explore on my own, and we have immediate legal assistance should anything go awry with our assets or issues of guardianship with our daughter. Our lawyer works independently from home, so that may or not play into the costs.
Good luck!
Jen

You could sign up for Prepaid Legal Services and have it done for a fraction of the price and then, if you like, cancel the service because you pay month-to-month. Let me know if you'd like someone to contact.

I think that is way to much. I would inquire with another attorneys office for a comparison. The family trust replaces a will and usually includes power of attorney if something happens to you he has it, if something happens to him, you have it, if something happens to both of you then you have to decide who will take care of everything. It should be more like around $1000-$2000 depending on the complexity of your assets from what I've seen.

We got something similar done with an attorney in Naperville for $500: David Senneke, 630/357-8887. He was referred by a friend and also worked with us when we bought our new house a couple years ago. Your quote sounds way too high to me.

If you have a bunch of businesses maybe. We did this 16 years ago for 1200.00

It does not sound reasonable at all. you should shop around.

I would shop around. Just like you'd get a second opinion from another doctor, or contact several contractors before having a big job done on your home, don't hire the first attorney that you speak with.

whoa seriously way too much. You can get all that done on Legalzoom for hardly anything. I did mine by myself and it's still valid. Don't pay this much

Personallly, it seems really high; I paid considerably less for some of the same things excluding any kind of trust. I'd feel better if the attorney would be available to you over time for questions. Good luck.

We did Power of Attorney for Health Care and a Will for both me and my spouse about 4 years ago in Plainfield. The cost was around 600 dollars, I believe. The attorney was reputable.

It sounds like you'd be adding a little more than we did (family trust), but I don't know how much more that would have been for us.

My husband and I each had our wills drawn up, power of attorney for each and a trust and What sticks in my head is about $2500 a few years ago in the Kansas City area.
I personally would not do something like this on my own and you are paying for experience and expertise.
Good Luck,
Lori K