By Ron Jones
(Ron is the Supervising Attorney over the LegalShield department of Davis Miles. He has practiced Estate Planning law in Arizona since 1990)
One of the problems with Estate Planning forms that you can buy online or at a stationary store, is that when it comes to filling out the forms, you don’t have anyone to ask when you have questions. For example, if you are filling out your form for the Last Will and Testament and the form asks whether you want to require a bond for your Personal Representative, the instructions tell you what will happen if you choose “Yes” and the instructions tell you what will happen if you choose “No”, but the instructions don’t tell you what is the best choice for your situation. You don’t know why you should choose “Yes” or “No”. What you need is someone to help you plan.
That’s where you have a huge advantage if you have a LegalShield membership. You can call Davis Miles at 800-435-5081 and talk to an attorney right then or get a call back from an attorney later that same day. The attorney can discuss with you why you would want to choose one or the other option for the bond. Depending on your situation, either choice might be appropriate, but without knowing why you would want to choose one or the other, you could select the wrong option and end up causing yourself or your loved ones unnecessary expense, delay, or hassle. There are many other choices when filling out your forms for which you need advice. Having a professional to help you plan gives you peace of mind that you don’t get when you fill out a form on your own, whether on paper or online.
One of the best values from your LegalShield membership is the Will Benefit. It’s a great value because it is a set of professionally prepared estate planning documents along with advice from an attorney as you decide how they should be prepared. For no cost to you (other than your monthly membership fee) you get a set of the basic estate planning documents that everyone should have.
Through your LegalShield benefits, Davis Miles, your Provider Law Firm, will prepare for you (and also your spouse, if married), the following at no charge:
(1) a Last Will and Testament;
(2) a Medical Directive (which includes a Medical Power of Attorney and a Living Will); and,
(3) a General Power of Attorney (also called a Financial Power of Attorney).
So that we can prepare your estate planning documents, you need to fill out and send us a Will Questionnaire. You can obtain a Will Questionnaire from your New Member Packet, by calling Davis Miles, or by calling the LegalShiled corporate office in Oklahoma. Fill out the Will Questionnaire and send it in as instructed in the form. If you have questions as you fill it out, call us at 800-435-5081 and an attorney can answer your questions.
The legal fees for preparing those documents usually cost somewhere in the range of $600 to $800 (depending on who prepares them for you). However, because of your LegalShield membership, there is no cost to you. That benefit, by itself, covers more than a year of your membership fees.
We at Davis Miles look forward to helping you with your estate planning.