Online wills and legal forms

A Need for a Will? Often, There’s an Online Way

Planning
A Need for a Will? Often, There’s an Online Way
By CHRISTINE LARSON
Published: October 14, 2007
The growing sophistication of software and increasing consumer comfort with online financial management have led to a boom in homegrown estate planning.

Excerpt:

WHEN John Chuang of South Pasadena, Calif., became a father in 2005, he and his wife, Sulynn, knew that they needed a will. But Mr. Chuang, 38, didn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars to a lawyer to draw up the document. So he turned to an online service that helps people fill out their own legal forms.

For about $70, the service, called LegalZoom, gave Mr. Chuang an online questionnaire about his last wishes. Completing it took about 30 minutes. A LegalZoom employee later reviewed Mr. Chuang’s answers and turned them into a will, which Mr. Chuang received about a week later.

“I don’t like lawyers. I think they’re extremely overpaid,” Mr. Chuang said. “With all the services on LegalZoom, I don’t see myself using a lawyer for anything, unless it’s a lawsuit.”

Recently, the increasing sophistication of software and services for estate planning, combined with growing consumer comfort with online financial management, has led to a boom in homegrown estate planning.

Between 2005 and 2006, downloads of Quicken WillMaker Plus increased nearly 33 percent, according to Nolo, the publisher. LegalZoom says sales of its estate planning documents are up 73 percent this year from last. And We the People, a storefront franchise that helps people fill out legal forms, has grown to 110 locations in 23 states from 25 locations in 2000, according to the company.

Comment: We used a will-maker software product for our wills. Legalzoom.com