Blog Post by: Melissa Christensen Platt, Esq.
This is by far the most frequently asked question we get, and I cringe every time I hear it (or variations of it) because I know the answer will be unsatisfactory to the person who has just asked the question and to me as well.
The biggest problem with this question is that it is impossible to answer directly. Why can’t a respectable estate planning attorney just quote you a fee right off the bat? Because estate planning is not “one size fits all” or even “one size fits most,” so estate planning fees can’t be one size fits all either. The question assumes that a will (or a trust) is right for everyone.
It’s kind of like walking onto a car dealer’s lot and asking, “How much for a car?” The answer will depend on whether you want an SUV, truck, van, or sedan, whether you want to buy used or new or lease, whether you want all the options or a stripped down model, and so on.
Many of my clients have heard me quip about how Bill Gates and Warren Buffett should be worried beginning New Year’s Day, 2010 because of the large target that Congress has placed squarely upon their backs. Now, to be honest, there is most likely no actual, physical threat to their lives because they have probably done appropriate estate planning. But this quip helps me to illustrate a point about Estate Taxes. On New Year’s Day 2010 – unless something happens within the next few weeks over in Washington D.C. – the Estate Tax or “Death Tax” will go away in a puff of smoke. In other words, as the laws currently stand, any one individual who dies in 2010 owning over $3.5 million worth of property will not have to pay Uncle Sam 1 red cent in estate taxes. 
The Ohio Supreme Court 
I am frequently asked by friends and neighbors the following question: "Do I really need an estate plan? I'm not a Rockefeller, after all." My typical response is: "You already have an estate plan. You just need to study it and decide if you're comfortable with it."
I often have clients ask me to include some language in a Will or Trust instrument that threatens their kids with disinheritance if any of them start a fight over the Will or Trust. Such language is commonly known as "penalty," "no-contest," or "in terrorem" clauses. I'm always willing to do so as long as my clients understand the probable outcome of any attempt to enforce such a provision.
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