#Legal zoom software
#Legal zoom professional

Online document providers are not attorneys and do not counsel and recommend what provisions you should have in your documents. Unfortunately, elder abuse is very common and it’s usually done by those who are appointed as POA. For others, unlimited gifting simply gives your agent a wonderful opportunity to deplete all of your assets. For some, unlimited gifting might be necessary. A POA usually contains large amounts of standard boilerplate provisions that can be confusing to some people and may not be applicable to your situation.įor example, buried in your online POA might be a provision that allows your agent to make unlimited gifts to anyone. This document allows your designated agent to make financial decisions for you on your behalf. One essential estate planning document is the financial power of attorney (POA). If you use online documents to name your children’s guardian, you might be unaware of this issue or unable to customize your documents to address that concern.Ī lack of customization with online documents might cause the inclusion of wrong provisions in your documents. Although it was your intention for him to raise your children with your sister, the only Will does not address what happens upon death or divorce.Īn estate planning attorney will be able to recognize this co-guardian issue and will implement the appropriate contingency in your Will that would remove him as guardian upon your sister’s death or divorce. However, do you want your brother-in-law raising your children if he and your sister get divorced or if your sister passes away? As a named co-guardian, your brother-in-law can present a strong case to the court that he should raise your children pursuant to the Will. After careful consideration, you determine that you want your sister and her husband (your brother-in-law) to serve as co-guardians of your children under your online Will.Īfter completing and signing your Will, you think your children will be properly cared for if something happens to you.

#Legal zoom software

For example, when you begin the online document process, the software will ask you for basic information such as who you want to serve as your children’s guardian under your Will. Most online documents lack the proper customization you need to address these overlooked or ignored issues. If your issues are overlooked or ignored, your estate plan will not work the way you intended. Each family has unique issues and online documents often do not address those issues. Over the years, I have found that no two families are alike. In estate planning, one size does not fit all.

#Legal zoom professional

Why You Need A Professional For Your Estate Planning In short, despite a disclaimer that their document preparation services are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney, they try to convince you that the advice of an attorney is simply not necessary. They suggest that the document you get from their company will be just as effective as one an attorney creates by garnering endorsements from famous lawyers like Robert Shapiro. They provide you with a portal that gives you a “general understanding of the law” even though the information it contains is “not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up-to-date.” They try to assure you with testimonials of customers professing that their product has given them “peace of mind.” They try to lure you with a cheap product and a process that takes less than half an hour to complete. Sites like LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer are readily available these days for those quick fix documents and “expert” legal advise that people are looking for.