The first call is free. We will tell you whether a simple will covers you, or where it would leave you exposed.
A downloadable will form and an attorney drafted one can look the same on the page. These are the four situations where the difference matters.
Naming a guardian happens in the will itself. Without one on file, a court picks who raises them, and it may not be who you would have chosen.
A will has to be signed and witnessed the way the state where you live requires, and a mistake there is usually invisible until someone tries to use it.
A second marriage, a stepchild, someone you want to leave out on purpose. A downloadable template gives you one clause for each of those, and the wrong clause becomes a fight you are not there to settle.
A will only works after you are gone, and only through probate. If keeping your family out of court matters more than the paperwork itself, that is a different plan, and we will tell you plainly which one fits.
A downloadable form gets you a document. It does not tell you whether you signed it correctly or where to keep it. Here is the whole sequence, ending on the two steps a form leaves to you.
You tell us about your family and what you own. We tell you whether a will covers it, or whether you need something more.
Executor, guardian if you have young children, beneficiaries, and a backup for each. A form gives you blank lines; we help you work out who actually belongs in them.
You get a will in plain language, and we walk through every section with you before anything is signed.
We are there for the signing, with the witnesses your state requires, so the will is valid the day it is needed and not just the day it was written.
A will nobody can find, or that gets lost in a drawer, protects nobody. We tell you where to keep the original and who should know it exists, the step a downloadable form never mentions.
A form cannot tell you if you signed it correctly. We can.
A will is the document that says who gets what, who is in charge of settling your affairs, and who raises your children if they are minors. It only takes effect after you die, and only by going through probate.
A downloadable form can hold the same words. What it cannot do is confirm you signed and witnessed it the way your state requires, catch a family situation it was not written for, or tell you where to keep it so it can be found.
Learn More: For a definition and guide on what is a Will, visit investopedia.com's definition and comprehensive guide to what is a Will.
We draft wills for families in Brooklyn, Newark and Philadelphia, for New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. You tell us who matters and what you own; we make sure the will says so in words that hold up. Still weighing a will against a trust? Read our comparison of the two.
We start with who is in your life and what you own, not a fixed set of boxes to fill in.
You understand every clause before you sign, and we are there for the signing itself, witnessed the way your state requires.
A will written for the family you had ten years ago may not say what you mean now. We review and update it as things change.
Drafting is half the job. Being there for the signing and telling you where to keep it is the other half, and it is the half a form skips.
We practice in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which matters if you live in one and own property in another.
This firm also handles probate, including estates where the will was never properly signed or could not be found.
You will understand what your will says before you sign it, not just trust that it says the right thing.
Call (917) 515-1825 or contact us online to get started
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Knowledgeable, responsive, and extremely easy to work with throughout the trust creation process. Stefan created a highly organized set of documents and walked me through everything step by step from start to finish. I would highly recommend reaching out to him if you are considering estate planning or looking for guidance on setting up a trust.
None of this takes bad luck. It is what happens when a will was never signed, was witnessed incorrectly, or cannot be found.
Without a valid will, state intestacy law decides who gets what, and that list may not match who you would have chosen.
If you have young children and no guardian named, a court chooses who raises them, without your input.
A will with a missing signature or the wrong number of witnesses can be thrown out entirely, and your family is left with no will at all.
A will sitting in a drawer nobody knows about does the same nothing that no will does. Your family finds out too late to fix it.
Each problem above is prevented by a will that is properly drafted, properly witnessed, and easy for your family to find. None of that is complicated when it is done while you are healthy.
Tell us about your family and what you own, and we will tell you whether a will covers it.
Pick a time below, or call (917) 515-1825. The first fifteen minutes are free.
A phone call, not a video meeting. It helps to know roughly who is in your family and what you own.
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Tell us who you want to provide for and what you own. We will come back to you with what we would recommend, a will or something more.
