Loading…

Remember when getting a will meant actually sitting down with a lawyer downtown? | Chicago Legal Advice - Vivisector

Remember when getting a will meant actually sitting down with a lawyer downtown?

I've been putting off updating my will for years now. Back in 2005 when I first did one, I had to take a day off from the bar, drive to a lawyer's office on LaSalle Street, and sit there for an hour going over every little thing. Now my buddy just used one of those online services for $89 and had his whole thing done in 20 minutes from his couch. I know it's convenient but something about doing it that way feels off to me, like I'm missing something the lawyer would catch. Has anyone else here used those cheap online will sites and actually had to deal with probate court later?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylan4632mo ago

man I totally get that feeling. my uncle used one of those cheap online will sites back in 2017 and when he passed last year, his kids had to go to probate court and it was a nightmare. the judge basically said the will was valid but it didn't cover half the stuff my uncle owned. so they had to hire a real lawyer anyway and it cost way more than if he'd just done it right the first time. for simple stuff like "I want my niece to get my coin collection" those sites work okay, but if you got any real estate or a small business or anything complicated, bite the bullet and see a real lawyer. I learned my lesson after that mess, just did mine last spring with a local attorney and it cost me $450 but I sleep better knowing my daughter won't have to fight over my rental properties. you been thinking about what happens to your bar if something hits you?

leo_johnson2mo ago

Damn @dylan463 that's rough what happened with your uncle. I feel for his kids having to go through all that extra stress on top of losing him. You're totally right though about the cheap online will stuff being a trap for anyone with more than just a few simple assets. My cousin tried one of those and the formatting was all screwed up when the court finally looked at it, judge threw the whole thing out. Cost them thousands to fix. That $450 for peace of mind sounds like a steal honestly when you think about what could go wrong. Yeah man I've been meaning to get my stuff sorted for a while now, my bar is probably the biggest thing I'd worry about if I checked out suddenly. Got two partners who'd probably fight over it like kids over a toy.

shanec612mo ago

... yeah and honestly that's the thing that gets me, my stuff isn't even THAT complicated but I KNOW if I kicked it tomorrow my brother would try to claim my fishing boat and my sister would insist it was promised to her. God forbid they'd have to split a BUD LIGHT between them. @dylan463 you're spot on about the rental properties, I bet the peace of mind is worth every penny. I keep telling myself I'll get to it when business dies down but we all know how THAT goes.