Question about a lawyer's fee

V

Victor

Senior Member
Location
midwest USA
I just had my will revised by my lawyer. He wrote the first will 3 years ago and charged me a fee of $300. It is very short, not complex.
This week I met with him again to make some changes and at first he was going to write a codocil for $150 or 200. Then he decided to write a new will with a new executor and other changes also for $300. Including phone calls and 2 visits, maybe 90 minutes at most. Do you think this is fair?
I really thought he would charge less because it was a revision. I paid the money on the spot but had second thoughts. Overall, I am satisfied with his work and I would recommend him. But I still feel overcharged. I am just a worrier.
In the future he said I could write a codocil (amendment) myself.
 

had our wills/etc done in 2014 - $325/hour for our attorney. I recall total of approx $750 for both of us for all docs (living will, MPOA, etc)

So, no, you were not overcharged
 
You were not overcharged. My lawyer charges 350.00 an hour and others in his firm are at least 500.00 an hour. Mine takes a lot of pro bono cases.
 

I think you were charged fairly Victor. Sometimes making changes costs more than what you wanted done originally. It's like that in a lot of areas of life not just dealing with attorneys.

After you paid him did you tell him you thought he over charged? You said "I paid the money on the spot but had second thoughts." If you told him that maybe that's why he told you in the future you could make the changes yourself.
 
After reading the replies I feel really lucky. Our wills were written to what we wanted instead of the typical boiler plate way fits all wills are generated. Copies of both wills for my wife and me plus copies for each of our sons with the lawyer holding the orginal cost $100.00 The main change was asset distribution. upon our death, boiler plate had distribution going to the family of our sons even if one or more of our sons died. Specifying that assets would go only to our surviving sons wasn't a happy discussion but they understood that it is ours to do with as we please.
 
Linda said:
Knight, you got quite a good deal. Was this service done a long time ago or recently?
Click to expand...
About a year & 1/2 ago. While we were having it drawn up we asked to read the rough draft. There was no problem with if my wife survived me or the other way around. When it came to distribution of assets when we are both gone the boiler plate language didn't work for us. No problem getting the wording we wanted for the final version & our signatures.
 
AZ Jim said:
They all get to much for their service but it's par for the course.
Click to expand...

BUT...someone has to pay for all the money these lawyers donate to our politicians....when you look up who donates to the various campaign funds, lawyers are usually at, or very, near the top of the lists. Plus, the TV ads they run trying to encourage people to sue for the slightest perceived "fault", cost lots of money. Then, there is the fact that the U.S. has the highest number of lawyers, per capita, of any nation. IMO, it's a 3-way tie between lawyers, politicians and Used Car salesmen as to who is the least trustworthy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top