estates

[mulitweed]

maybe off topic , my mom passed away a year ago , she had some land and a house all in a trust , i have two siblings the will said divide everything equally , went to settle everything yesterday at the law office , bill was $12,500 seems high but i dont know its done i guess

 

[grsthegreat]

My parents had their stuff in a trust, with sister as trustee. Didnt need a lawyer and estate was multi million. Why did you need a lawyer involved?

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Seems high especially with a trust. We settled my FIL estate no lawyer. He had a handwritten will that is all the state needed. We submitted everything done.

 

[ruffdog]

When my MIL died my wife handled the estate during the covid crisis with no lawyer.

 

[Snobdds]

Sometimes the trust is sent up in such a way that the bill is paid upon settlement, not upon creation.

It just depends on how it designed.

Ask.

 

[big bubba]

OP: sounds high as mentioned, but at least your family had the foresight for an estate trust to avoid probate court. my estate plan is in place for my daughter as well, will soon sell my mt property of 47yrs in prep for the inevitable. regards,

 

[mulitweed]

When my MIL died my wife handled the estate during the covid crisis with no lawyer.

guess i should have been a lawyer $$$ , I did all the accounting stuff , oh well its done now

 

[2manyrocks]

What was the hourly rate compared to what other lawyers charge in your area?

 

[paulsharvey]

Trust doesn't make problems completely go away, you still have to divide everything into a cash value, convert it into cash (sell) and divide the cash out to the heirs. Some assets, people might not want to sell, but it can't be split 2 or 3 or 7 ways. You can't realistically share ownership of a home, land, or car.

 

[2manyrocks]

Sometimes a trust can simplify things or sometimes it can complicate things leading to more expense. I'd want to know the number of hours, the rate, and what work needed to be done. If it's a $12,500 bill for a $12,500,000 estate....