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Legal Zoom Review
Monday, May 13th
2024 Will Service Reviews
Legal Zoom
- Pricing on wills starts at $89
- Estate plan bundle starts at $249
- Living trust starts at $399
- On-demand legal advice included with some packages
- 60-day refund policy
- "A-" rated and accredited by the BBB
- In business since 2001
LegalZoom is on a mission to "democratize law" . Over more than two decades in operation, this service has helped clients create over 3.5 million estate planning documents including Last Will and Testaments, Living Wills, Living Trusts, and Powers of Attorney.
One-time cost to create a will
LegalZoom's will creation services are straightforward. You'll pay $89 for LZ's most basic plan, going step-by-step online to create a will that's valid in your state, and it comes with free revisions for 30 days after purchase. For $10 more, you can get Attorney Assist for a year. That last perk gives you access to real attorneys in the LegalZoom network at no extra cost: for example, you can ask your estate planning questions, or request a document review. Just be aware that you'll automatically be subscribed for ongoing legal advice for $25/month if you don't cancel.
Access other estate planning documents too
If you're not sure that a will is the only thing you need, we recommend clicking over to the main Estate Planning page. There, you'll find a blue "Help me decide" button linking to LegalZoom's comparison page that clearly spells out the benefits and considerations of each available document.
Save with document bundles
In most cases, we'd recommend one of LegalZoom's Estate Plan Bundles, either for a will or a living trust. This package includes your choice of will or living trust, plus a living will (or advance directive) and financial power of attorney, plus unlimited revisions and Attorney Assist for a year.
Check out the sample
We suggest looking at LegalZoom's sample documents before getting started. You can see how your Last Will and Testament (or other estate planning document) is likely to be put together based on your state.
Satisfaction guarantee - in certain circumstances
LegalZoom offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee for the first 60 days. But, there are some terms that make it a little less cut-and-dried to get a refund: "we can only refund our fee for issues we're directly responsible for." In other words, if you sign up for the will creation service and then change your mind, you won't get any money back - but if you buy a plan with Attorney Assist and are unhappy with the turnaround time for getting answers to questions, that would potentially be a refundable situation.
Strong overall reputation
How about reputation? Clients use LegalZoom for a variety of situations, not just wills, and the company's overall track record is good. At the time of this review, the Better Business Bureau had given LZ an "A-" rating and accreditation. Why not an "A+" ? Probably because of the nearly 1,000 complaints filed with the BBB over the last three years, 400+ of which came from the last 12 months. Of course, with over four million customers since 2001, it stands to reason that LegalZoom would have its fair share of issues - and the BBB rating means that the company is doing a satisfactory job of handling problems that are reported. We also found almost 1500 five-star reviews from very happy LegalZoom clients, balancing out those complaints.
Solid choice for will creation
LegalZoom is a good option for getting your will created. You don't have to worry about subscribing to an entire library of legal documents when you just need one service - but do watch out for that Attorney Assist feature that converts to a month-to-month if you opt for a package that includes it.
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Creating a will can be an emotional process. Most of us don't like to think about leaving our loved ones behind. Who will take care of our pets? Who will be the guardians of our children? Who should receive the family heirlooms? However, having a will can be one of the best - and easiest - ways to make our wishes known, and to spare them from having to make heart-wrenching decisions in the midst of their grief.
Wills are just one document that is often included in estate planning. You may also have heard of Living Trusts, Power of Attorney, Living Wills (also known as Advance Directives), and more. What's the difference among all of them, and which ones do you need?
Will Service FAQ
Continued from above...
Most experts agree that your first priority is to decide between a Will and a Trust. Both will allow you to specify how you want your assets distributed upon your death, but they accomplish this in different ways. The biggest difference is that wills require your estate's distribution to be overseen by a court, known as probate; trusts, on the other hand, skip the probate process altogether and are handled privately. But, trusts can be more complicated to create and establish - transferring real estate and investment accounts into the ownership of the trust - and so it's perfectly acceptable to create a will first, then decide if you need to take the extra steps required for a trust.
Either way, it's a good idea to have a Power of Attorney and Advance Directive as part of your documents too. A Power of Attorney gives a person you specify the authority to act in your behalf: if you're incapacitated and you need someone to pay a bill, get information from a doctor, or make arrangements for your care, someone with Power of Attorney can do those things.
Advance Directives (often consisting of a Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare) give you the ability to state what interventions you want (or don't) if you become unable to communicate. In other words, your will or trust details your wishes after you die, and a Power of Attorney and Advance Directive gives you say-so over what you prefer while you're alive.
Fortunately, creating a will doesn't have to be time-consuming, especially if you've already given some thought to your preferences. There are a number of services online that can help you draft your will within a matter of minutes and have it ready for printing, witnessing, and notarization. Which one is right for you? Here are some factors to consider:
- One-time fee or subscription-based. Some will creation services charge a one-time fee to make the document, while others (typically those that provide legal documents for a variety of other purposes) have a month-to-month subscription. Those membership-based plans often have a one-week free trial; as long as you cancel before the time period ends, you could very likely create your will for no cost.
- Document storage. How will your documents be maintained? Can you access them as long as you want and make changes, or is there an expiration date? Will you have to pay ongoing digital storage fees?
- Access for loved ones. Will your family members, executor, or other relevant individuals be able to access your will online after you die? Does the will creation service offer any means of storing your signed copies, or is that on you?
- Reputation. What do clients say about their experience with the will creation service? Is it easy to use? Were there any issues canceling the free trial? What does the Better Business Bureau say about the company?
To help you with your estate planning, TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the most popular will creation services available today. We're sure that this information will make it easy, affordable, and relatively hassle-free to get this important task checked off your to-do list.
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