Why we offer low cost (flat

fee) attorney services for

Uncontested Probates.

The majority of probate matters are relatively simple and should not cause your family to incur enormous legal fees. Most probates are uncontested, not subject to estate tax, and don’t involve complex assets or closely held business. When you have a simple estate matter, there is no reason to pay a lawyer a percentage of the estate or high hourly rates. Attorneys don’t like to keep track of every minute they spend on a case, and clients don’t like paying for every phone call or question. All those minutes add up quickly. Flat fee billing eliminates the worry about increasing the bill every time you need to ask the lawyer a question. As a result, the attorney client relationship is more relaxed.

What is Probate?

When an individual dies with a Last Will & Testament, the Surrogate’s Court procedure is called probate. A Will must be probated when the individual died with assets valued at $50,000 or more.

Flat Fee Arrangement

Before entering into an agreement to pay a flat fee for probate work, make sure you know what is and is not covered. Usually, you will have to pay costs including court filing fees, copies of Letters Testamentary, etc. It’s important to have a written retainer agreement covering: • Legal services that are included in the flat fee and the expected result. • Additional costs the estate will incur. • How you will be billed and when. • Charges for additional legal services beyond those covered by the flat fee. To qualify for flat fee probate: • The probate of the Will must not be contested. Litigated estate matters do not qualify. • All family members must be willing to cooperate in the process. • If a family member is left out of the Will, he or she must also be willing to cooperate. • You must provide the original Last Will and Testament. Lost Will proceedings do not qualify. • You must be able to provide current addresses for all family members and/or beneficiaries of the Will. • If anyone with an interest in the Will or the estate is a person under disability (e.g., under 18 years of age or suffer from a mental disability) additional charges may apply. We provide a detailed no nonsense retainer agreement to our clients. We will be happy to send you a sample agreement. Call 800-939-0235.

Serving: Nassau County; New

York County (Manhattan);

Queens County; Suffolk

County and Westchester

County.