Wednesday, April 20, 2011

5 Reasons to Avoid Doing Your Will On the Internet

While there are actually many more than five, here are the top five reasons to avoid internet Wills:

1. Internet Wills Don't Work:

Most folks who attempt to create an internet Will miss one or more important questions or drafting issues rendering the document useless. If you are going to do a Will, why not have one that actually works?

2. Internet Wills Can Work In Unintended Ways:

As with most fill in the blank documents, the end result is a function of what goes in. Remember GIGO? That stands for “garbage in, garbage out”. Since most folks who attempt to use these are not aware of legal details that apply to estates the documents they create, while enforceable, create consequences that are not intended.

3. Internet Wills Don't Apply to You:

When a form is made general enough to apply to millions of potential users, it usually will not apply to you. This is why well drawn Wills are custom for each client.

4. Internet Wills Don't Address Special Circumstances:

Do you have a disabled child? If so, forget internet documents. Internet documents cannot address any special circumstances that require special handling.

5. Do You Really Want a Will from one of OJ's Attorneys?

The most popular internet documents are from a company started by one of OJ's lawyers. While he may be a good criminal lawyer, he knows very little about Wills and estate planning. Enough said on that.

What are your thoughts? Please join our conversation.

2 comments:

  1. Making an internet will using a document preparation service is risky. I've written about the risks in The'>http://www.texaswillsandtrustslaw.com/2010/01/27/the-problem-with-legalzoom-and-other-do-it-yourself-estate-planning-solutions/">The Problem With LegalZoom and LegalZoom'>http://www.texaswillsandtrustslaw.com/2010/05/24/legalzoom-vs-lawyer-what-you-dont-know-can-hurt-you/">LegalZoom vs. Lawyer.

    However, working with an attorney online is different. Attorneys with web-based law offices can provide clients with the convenience of making their wills online, advise clients according to the facts of their unique circumstances, and customize clients' legal documents to ensure that their legal needs are met.

    Rania Combs
    www.texaswillsandtrustslaw.com

    ReplyDelete

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