Recommendation for Attorney for wills

I NEED THE SAME SERVICE!  So if any of you do this for a living or know someone who does, there's are many of us out here -- willing to pay and to be grateful to you forever!

Please think hard and give us both a hand -- we'll give you one back!       

Thanks, Juniemoon. I feel like a babe in the woods trying to figure this out. I am in my 60s and have no will because frankly looking for a lawyer intimidates me. I have no idea how much to expect to be charged, etc., and am worried about being ripped off because I have so little experience with this sort of thing.

But I am worried that either my husband or I will die and leave the other in chaos without a will. I've heard that things can happen like your bank accounts get frozen for a while, which would be devastating as everything is in joint accounts.

Nate Arnell did ours years ago and recently updated due to some new laws....

Don't recall the fee.   Good Guy!

https://www.arnell-law.com/

I recommend

Demartino James E

(908) 874-5636

https://g.co/kgs/GNY1R7V

He's in Belvidere but worth it.  He practices elder law.  I used him a few years ago and he helped me.  Actually saved me with a loophole.  I really believe he knows his stuff !

HatsOff said:

Hi all, wondering if anybody has any recent experience with local attorneys with setting up wills and basic estate planning. We're not wealthy, just a normal middle class couple with retirement accounts & our house. I searched the archives and the latest comparable discussion was 9 years ago, so I thought I'd ask for something more current.

Also, how much ballpark would be reasonable to pay for this service?

Thanks in advance!

I highly recomend Elaine Harris, Esq. 177 Valley Street, South Orange, NJ 07079  973.763.7660 tell her Yolanda Silverio recommended.  She is thorough, honest and a very nice person.

ellenlynn said:

I recommend

Demartino James E

(908) 874-5636

https://g.co/kgs/GNY1R7V

He's in Belvidere but worth it.  He practices elder law.  I used him a few years ago and he helped me.  Actually saved me with a loophole.  I really believe he knows his stuff !

I highly recommend Elaine Harris, Esq. 177 Valley Street, South Orange, NJ 07079   973.763.7660, tell her Yolanda Silverio recommended.  She is a great lawyer, very thorough and a nice person.

Thank you all! Much appreciated.

We used Bill Singer of Singer & Fedun.  They're in Belle Mead, which is a drive, but highly rated and very experienced with same sex couples.  

Bill Singer

wsinger@singerfedun.com

908-359-7873

HatsOff said:

Thanks, Juniemoon. I feel like a babe in the woods trying to figure this out. I am in my 60s and have no will because frankly looking for a lawyer intimidates me. I have no idea how much to expect to be charged, etc., and am worried about being ripped off because I have so little experience with this sort of thing.

But I am worried that either my husband or I will die and leave the other in chaos without a will. I've heard that things can happen like your bank accounts get frozen for a while, which would be devastating as everything is in joint accounts.

Hi HatsOff, I am not saying to not get a will (I am even older than you and don't have one yet even though I am a lawyer lol) but I want to calm you down about your concern about "bank accounts get[ing] frozen". You say that everything is in joint accounts. If it's the spouse who is the joint owner the surviving spouse gets control of it and it won't get frozen if it's a standard joint account. IOW it doesn't go through probate. The actual title of ownership is called joint tenants with right of survivorship. So when one of you dies, your share is conveyed entirely to you meaning the whole account. This is different from tenancy in common.

This shorthand description is accurate: "This is the main difference between these two kinds of tenancy. In tenancy in common, the death of one of the parties shall have the effect of transferring the rights of the decedent tenant in favor of his heirs. In joint tenancy, the parties enjoy the right of survivorship."

AGAIN, I am not saying to not get wills but no need to panic.

https://wmhlaw.com/professionals/ruth-kalbitzer/

Ruth Kalbitzer

She is a local resident.

ysilverio said:

ellenlynn said:

I recommend

Demartino James E

(908) 874-5636

https://g.co/kgs/GNY1R7V

He's in Belvidere but worth it.  He practices elder law.  I used him a few years ago and he helped me.  Actually saved me with a loophole.  I really believe he knows his stuff !

I highly recommend Elaine Harris, Esq. 177 Valley Street, South Orange, NJ 07079   973.763.7660, tell her Yolanda Silverio recommended.  She is a great lawyer, very thorough and a nice person.

Some people think the lawyer cited here is an impediment to progress in South Orange.

eta:  the poster recommending this lawyer has made three posts on MOL, all of which were this month. 

South Orange BOT election

Apr 26, 2019 at 12:03pm
DDF accused Village Green of being the Fox News for Sheena - Tapinto is really the equivalent of Fox News since it will publish anything supportive of DDF without checking the facts. It published Elaine Harris' opinion which was completely false. I expect more of the same before the election - most likely, one or two days before the election so that Sheena can't respond. That's the way that smear campaigns are conducted and this has been nothing but a smear campaign. btw- To complete the picture of who's who in this election, ElaineHarris has opposed Sheena in every single election and has joined with Bunny's in opposing Sheena. Elaine has OPRA'd zillions of Sheena's emails to try to find something she can smear Sheena with. DDF and her supporters have nothing but a smear campaign.

Thanks again. Wendy, good to hear. I will still follow up though as there are some accounts in just my or my husband's name. (And I don't think you suggested otherwise anyway!). 

Upthecreek, I have followed MOL a long time and while I do not know anybody personally, there are people I know by reputation and I will always give their suggestions more weight. I do check the post history of anybody I do not recognize, and assume new posters with recommendations are likely shills. This may not always be fair, but better safe than sorry.

HatsOff said:

Thanks again. Wendy, good to hear. I will still follow up though as there are some accounts in just my or my husband's name. (And I don't think you suggested otherwise anyway!). 

Upthecreek, I have followed MOL a long time and while I do not know anybody personally, there are people I know by reputation and I will always give their suggestions more weight. I do check the post history of anybody I do not recognize, and assume new posters with recommendations are likely shills. This may not always be fair, but better safe than sorry.

Yes, you should still follow up with a will (even though I still haven't done so myself lol). As to the accounts in just your name or your husband's, depending on the type of account - IRA, regular banking or a brokerage account - you can and should now make your spouse the named beneficiary and he should do the same for you. Just call the appropriate accounts' customer service number and get the detailed how to from them as each place is different even among similar type of entities.