On average, estate and trust attorneys charge a minimum of $250 an hour and a maximum of $310.
*Disclaimer – These fees are always changing, and this is not an actual quote. If you need an experienced divorce lawyer contact Moshier Law to start your initial consultation.
If you feel that you might require a lawyer’s assistance or advice with part of your estate planning, you are most likely wondering how much it costs. Or possibly you’re the trustee, manager, or executor of someone’s estate, and you require an attorney’s professional help. Although the estate pays the lawyer’s fee, you need to take into consideration that the cost is part of your obligation to preserve the assets of the estate.
To find out more about how, and how much estate and trust lawyers charge for their services, we’ve gathered and examined information on fee agreements reported by attorneys throughout the US that focus on living trusts, wills, probate, and other concerns associated to estate planning or management. Here is what we’ve learned.
Estate Planning Attorney Fees
When estate lawyers charge by the hour, they can charge differing hourly rates, according to the kind of service provided and the client. A lot of the lawyers in our study reported a variety of hourly fees, with minimum and maximum rates averaging $250 and $310.
Obviously, those are plainly averages throughout the US. You might find attorneys that charge fees beyond that range for many reasons, including:
- Geographic Location. Not surprising, hourly fees are inclined to be higher than average in large metro areas. Our report also showed that from state to state, fees differ.
- Years of experience. You may also anticipate that attorneys charge more an hour as they get more experienced. Our report found out that anticipation, with average minimum-maximum rates rising from $210-$265 for attorneys with ten years or less in practice to $280-$350 for the more experienced one. However, when comparing lawyers and their fees, you should take into consideration that experienced attorneys that focus in estate planning or management may, at the end of the day, be a bargain, since they can usually answer your questions or manage your estate concerns in less time than lawyers that have less experience in this field of the law.
Estate Planning Flat Fees
Attorneys sometimes bill a set or “flat” fee to deal with certain matters related to estate planning or management. As an example, lawyers might quote you a single cost for an estate plan or will preparation, to deal with common probate proceedings, or to prepare a specific legal form. Attorneys also sometimes offer a “package” flat fee to prepare a number of estate planning forms, including an estate plan, will, and health care instructions.
Our survey of readers that hired lawyers for estate planning form preparation revealed that more than 8 out of 10 paid a flat fee and nearly 9 in 10 of those paid a package fee (with a normal package fee of $1,000-$2,000). And our readers that had a lawyer’s assistance with settling an estate or probate shows that almost a 1/3rd (32%) say that the attorneys charged a “flat” fee; around the same (34%) stated that the estate paid$2,500 or less to lawyers for estate management services
