BLACK FAMILY WEALTH MATTERS: Click here to learn how we are working to support you.
Proteja Su Hogar Y Su Familia-Se Habla Espanol. Haga clic aquí!
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Areas We Serve
      • Los Angeles County
        • Inglewood
        • Malibu
        • Santa Monica
        • Torrance
        • Venice
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
      • Attorney Caprice Collins
      • Attorney Lioness Ebbay
    • Awards & Recognition
    • Giving Back
    • Our Reviews
    • Staff Events
  • Services
    • Asset & Business Planning
    • Estate And Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning Services
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Medi-Cal and Elder Law
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
  • SEMINARS/WEBINARS
  • Resources
    • Elder Law
      • Ladera Heights Elder Law
      • Los Angeles County Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Medi-Cal Planning Checklist
    • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Reports
        • Advanced Estate Planning
        • Basic Estate Planning
        • Estate Planning For Niches
        • Trust Administration
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Free Seminars
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Business Succession Planning
      • Elder Law
        • Medi-Cal
        • Nursing Home Planning
        • Understanding Dementia
      • Estate Planning
        • Charitable Gifting
        • Estate Planning for Women
        • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
        • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Financial Planning
        • Tax Planning in Your Estate Plan
      • Incapacity Planning
        • Veteran’s Benefits
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Power of Attorney
      • Probate
        • Serving as Executor
        • Small Estate Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trusts
        • Living Trusts
      • Understanding Estate Taxes and How They Impact Your Estate Plan
    • Legacy Wealth Planning Pre-Consultation Form
    • Newsletters
    • Probate and Trust Administration
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Published Books
    • The Ultimate Caregiver Guide
    • Caregiver’s Worksheets and Checklists
  • Videos
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Women’s Planning
    • A Guide to Estate Planning for Women
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Trust Administration
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Collins Law Group

Los Angeles Estate Planning Attorney

powered by BirdEye

Connect with us today(310) 677-9787

Attend a Free Seminar/Webinar
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
x

What to Do When a Loved One Dies

During our webinar, we discuss family home protection, avoiding nursing home poverty, preventing family feuds, protecting your kids' inheritance, and how you can keep the government out of your affairs.

Watch our webinar now
Home » Estate Planning » Los Angeles Estate Planning Lawyer Explains the Danger in a DIY Will

Los Angeles Estate Planning Lawyer Explains the Danger in a DIY Will

November 16, 2017Estate Planning

Los Angeles estate planning lawyerLike over half of all Americans, you may be aware of the importance of having an estate plan in place, yet you have still not gotten around to creating one. In fact, you haven’t even executed a Last Will and Testament yet. In today’s electronic age, it can be very tempting to rectify that by turning to a “Do-It-Yourself” Will form you find on the internet. After all, using a DIY form would save you money and time, right? The reality is that while a DIY Will form might appear to save you time and money in the short run, your loved ones are likely to pay the price in the long-run.  To help you understand why using a DIY Will form is such a bad idea, a Los Angeles estate planning lawyer explains the dangers inherent in using DIY Wills.

DIY Legal Forms – Why You Should Steer Clear

With the rise of the internet, people across the world now do everything from communicating with far away loved ones to banking to research using their computer or smartphone. You can find almost anything on the internet, including DIY legal forms. Just because you can find something on the internet, however, doesn’t mean you should use what you find. This is particularly sage advice when it comes to legal forms. Consider the following common problems encountered when someone uses a DIY Will:

  • Failure to distribute the entire estate – one of the most common problems with a DIY Will is the failure to distribute the entire estate. One of the primary reasons for executing a Will is to avoid the state’s intestate succession laws. If any assets are left out of your Will, however, an intestate estate proceeding will have to be initiated. Unfortunately, the language in many DIY Wills does just that – results in assets being left out, triggering the state’s intestate succession laws.
  • Out of date language or law – most DIY Last Will and Testament forms have been floating around the internet for years. Applicable laws may have changed in the interim, making some of the language in the form, or the entire form, stale from a legal standpoint. If the language used in the form is out of date it will almost certainly prompt litigation.
  • Failed interaction between documents – using a DIY Will is problematic by itself; however, most people don’t stop there. Your estate planning documents must work in harmony with each other. The more DIY legal forms you try and use together, the higher the odds are that they will result in failure because you need experienced legal advice to accomplish this.
  • Not state specific – many of the laws that govern wills and estates are state laws. For this reason, a Last Will and Testament must be state specific to ensure it will be valid. Many DIY forms, however, are generic and do not include state specific language and/or laws.
  • Improper execution – for a Will to be valid, it must be executed using the proper procedures. Those procedures vary from one state to the next. A generic DIY Will form won’t explain how you need to execute the document to comply with your state’s laws.

Why Your Loved Ones Will Pay for Your Mistake

The biggest problem with using a DIY Last Will and Testament is that you cannot “fix” the problem once it becomes a problem. Your Will, after all, doesn’t become relevant until your death. Consequently, it will be your loved ones who are faced with the problems your DIY creates. Those problems could easily lead to costly, and time-consuming litigation. That litigation might even create conflict within your family as people take sides. Of course, by then you will not be around to clarify anything or change anything in your Will. Ultimately, it will be your loved ones who pay the price.

Contact Us

For more information, please join us for one of our upcoming free seminars. If you have additional questions or concerns about conservatorship in the State of California, contact the Collins Law Firm by calling (310) 677-9787 0r Click Here reserve for a Free Estate Planning Workshop.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Caprice Collins
Caprice Collins
Attorney Caprice L. Collins is a top rated Harvard Law School graduate. She has 34 years of legal experience with a successful law practice devoted exclusively to Estate/Business Planning and Trust Administration. Attorney Collins is a well-respected keynote speaker on Wills, Living Trusts, Estate Planning, Business Planning and Trust Administration. She has appeared on California’s Real Estate Radio Station KTLK AM 1150 as a legal expert on Estate Planning and Living Trusts among many other notable media appearances.
Caprice Collins
Latest posts by Caprice Collins (see all)
  • Debunking Inheritance Planning Myths - January 26, 2023
  • Tips for Alzheimer’s Caregivers - January 22, 2023
  • Power of Attorney Problems — Gifts - January 19, 2023

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Inheritance planning lawyers
Debunking Inheritance Planning Myths
Power of Attorney Problems — Gifts
The Right Way to Disinherit an Heir
Building Flexibility into Your Plan
Using Entities in Estate Planning
Los Angeles estate planning attorney
Collins Law Group Answers 5 Common Estate Planning Questions

Primary Sidebar

Collins Law Group

Blog Subscription

Sign up to our blog to receive the latest estate planning news and updates!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Our Attorneys

Attorney Caprice Collins

Get to Know Attorney Caprice Collins


Attorney Lioness Ebbay

Get to Know Attorney Lioness Ebbay

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Testimonials

Client Review
August 19, 2020
    

“My mother told me about the Collins Law Group and I must say, the entire experience has been a real pleasure. Although I was nervous at first, the Collins Law Group staff put me at ease with their friendliness and knowledge. I didn’t realize how hard it could be on your family and loved ones left behind if you die without any planning or directions in place for them. My biggest concern was making sure my elderly mother would be provided for and taken care of if something happened to me. I have been a caregiver for her for 12 years, so this planning was crucially important. I had previously made a living trust for myself on Legal Zoom but there is no comparison to the level of service and professionalism that Collins Law Group embodies. Attorney Collins and her staff provides excellent service and it will take a large burden off of my family when they need guidance at the time of my passing.”

default image
-Ms. Jones

Where We Are

Collins Law Group
3330 West Manchester Boulevard
Inglewood, CA 90305
Phone: (310) 677-9787
Fax: (310) 677-6742
Email: clcfirm@aol.com

See Larger Map Get Directions

Office Hours

Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Map

Collins Law Group Google Map

Footer

  • About Our Firm
  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • Services
  • Sitemap
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Collins Law Group footer logo

Attorney Advertisement

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.