Any recommendations for a good estate planning attorney?

[Anonymous]

Just the basics - wills, living wills etc. - don't need anything fancy. Preferably in DC.

[Anonymous]

I'd appreciate some recommendations on this too. We need to get our stuff together (it is making me nervous). How much should we expect to pay? Seems we are frozen because we don't know who to go to or how much $$ we should expect to pay?

TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd appreciate some recommendations on this too. We need to get our stuff together (it is making me nervous). How much should we expect to pay? Seems we are frozen because we don't know who to go to or how much $$ we should expect to pay?

TIA

Honestly, my advice if you are frozen is to get the willmaker software/book. It costs about $30, it will educate you about all the issues, and if you have plain vanilla circumstances you will get a perfectly adequate will from it (with proper instructions on how to sign it to make it valid) so you at least have something.

That's not to say you shouldn't go to a lawyer-- a lawyer will do a better job of considering different future scenarios and setting up trusts so your kids don't get too much money too soon, and can help you consider whether you need trusts to avoid state estate taxes.

I think for 2 people you might end up paying around $1000-1500. You can easily find people who will charge a lot more, you might find people who will charge less.

[Anonymous]

There are some very good ones in Tyson Corner, VA.

[Anonymous]

We used Eileen Swicker. She has an office in leesburg. Nice and knows her stuff.

[Anonymous]

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=willmaker+nolo&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4030343591&hvpos=1t3&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=20297273851472323217&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_4vfhu2nutz_b

[Anonymous]

Michele Davos in Silver Spring. Nice, easy to talk to, knows MD and DC estate laws very well.

[Anonymous]

Rhonda MacDonald in Tyson's. I'm a lawyer and have referred many to her.

[Anonymous]

used Michele Zavos, too. It's Zavos, not Davos. She is very experienced with adoptions, same sex couples, but we're a very typical hetero couple, no divorces, etc.

[Anonymous]

I was told an estate plan usually costs between $2K and $4K in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was told an estate plan usually costs between $2K and $4K in this area.

A larger firm might get that, but a solo practitioner will be cheaper.

[Anonymous]

I went to a small firm in NoVa and was quoted $1,200 for a will/power of attorney and advanced medical directive. If we add a trust, it would cost $2,500.

[Anonymous]

Samantha Musso in Fairfax. Reasonable price, knowledgable, and easy to talk to.