With just a few clicks and a small fee, online legal services like LegalZoom promise to make estate planning easier than ever. These platforms offer ready-to-use templates for wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, marketed as fast, affordable alternatives to traditional estate attorneys. For many people, especially those eager to avoid legal fees, these services sound like the perfect solution.
But what many families are now discovering is that these “simple” DIY estate documents can lead to catastrophic consequences. Across the country, courts are seeing a surge in probate disputes, inheritance delays, and costly legal battles, many of which stem from these generic online templates.
