Low Cost Legal Aid
(Page 2 of 3)
September/October 1970
By the Mother Earth News editors
In most states, when a man dies intestate (without a will), his widow gets only a third of his property; the rest is tied up in rigid guardianships for the children. This can mean expensive administration costs and will certainly make it difficult for the widow to support her family. Hence, every husband and wife should have a'will. The LRS can help you with this, as well as with any other legal matters.
RELATED CONTENT
DON'T LET STONES GET YOUR GOAT December/January 1998 Protect your goat and sheep from deadly urinar...
ENERGY FLASHES March/April 1984 ADVICE COMES FREE: If you have questions about conservation or rene...
A new direction in health care, communications and health and amateur radio register....
We’d like to think we’ve mastered home repair, but there comes a time in every homeowners life when...
The nearest LRS office should be listed in the Yellow Pages of your telephone directory under "Lawyer Referral Service" or "Legal (or Attorney's) Referral Service." The organization is active in all but six states—Alaska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. If you need legal help but no LRS office is located near you, call your local bar association, which is also listed in your telephone book. Ask for the names of lawyers that you might use, and for the approximate charge for a legal consultation.
If you are in legal difficulty and lack funds, call the nearest Legal Aid Society—it does not charge at all for legal services. There are about 500 such public legal-aid groups in the country.
What lawyers charge for typical legal services: Following is the range of minimum fees charged by lawyers for typical legal services. It is based largely on a recent survey by the American Bar Association. Minimum fee means the lowest charge recommended by the local bar association for a particular service. The price will seldom be less than the minimum in your area, but it can be more, especially if your needs require more specialized professional attention.
Generally, legal fees tend to be on the low side in small towns and rural areas, particularly in the South, and highest in big cities, particularly in large industrial states. Many local bar associations have a schedule of recommended minimum fees for a particular service.
•Drafting a simple will: $10 to $50, and 50% more for a second will done at the same time for a husband or wife. A com plex will involving estate taxes, trusts, etc., can run as high as $250 to $500; a really elaborate estate plan can cost about $1,000.
• Administering an estate: $35 to $400, except in Florida, where it can go as high as $500. This fee range is, naturally, for the smallest estates; minimum fees increase with the size and complexity of the estate.
•Consultation and office work: $10 to $50 an hour; highest in the states of California, Ohio, and New York; lowest in Mississippi.
•Contract (involving a simple agreement, bill of sale, power of attorney, etc.): $25 to $100.
