How Lawyers Charge for Estate and Probate Administration
(You’ll Likely Lose One Way or Another if You Pay a Flat Fee)
Traditionally, in Pennsylvania, attorneys commonly charged a percentage of the value of an estate as the attorney fee for estate administration. For example, if your estate was worth $800,000, the attorney would charge . . . let’s say, 5 percent. That’s a $40,000 dollar fee. I never got that. Why wouldn’t the attorney just charge for the amount of time it took to do the job? That seems fairer. What’s the point of a flat fee?
From the attorney’s perspective, the attorney is hoping the flat fee will exceed what the attorney would’ve earned if the attorney had just charged for the amount of time it took do the job. But you know, that’s not how the attorney sells it to the client. It’ll go something like this: “Hey, no surprises, a flat fee with no open-ended billing.” What that implies is that no matter how complicated your case gets, you locked the attorney into a flat fee. Therefore, if the attorney’s time on the case exceeds the flat fee, that’s the attorney’s problem. Not yours. The attorney eats it and makes less money.
Therefore, when it comes to paying a flat fee, there’s a winner and a loser. But you gotta ask yourself, how likely is it that the attorney, with years of experience doing this type of stuff, will be the loser, and not you? Come on. You know. Not only that. If, on the odd chance the attorney miscalculated, and the attorney, instead of you, is on the losing end, there’s a pressure on the attorney not to do what needs to be done because the attorney will end up working for free. After all, who wants to work and not get paid.
You get the picture. Generally, if you’re paying a flat fee for estate administration, you’ll likely lose one way or another. That’s why the fairest way to pay an attorney for estate administration is an hourly rate for the time spent on the case. That way you’re not likely to lose by either paying the attorney for time not spent on the case or the attorney not doing all that needs to be done because the flat fee does not cover the extensive work.
Want Peace of Mind and a Complete Evaluation of Your Case?
Call (610) 365-4579 NOW or Click HERE to schedule a consultation with Chester County Pennsylvania Estate & Probate Administration Attorney, Michaelangelo L. Dippolito. Click HERE to see the attorney’s background.
Not Ready to Speak to an Attorney Yet? No Problem.
Get this FREE Book and Consumer Protection Guide, Estate & Probate Administration in Pennsylvania, A Consumer Protection Guide on What You Need to Know to Protect Your Legal Rights. Here’s some of what’s in the FREE Book and Consumer Protection Guide:
- Executor’s “check-the-box” List of What Needs to Be Done
- Executor Could be Personally Liable if it’s Not Done Right
- How Lawyers Charge for Estate & Probate Administration
- How Long it Takes to Complete Estate & Probate Administration
- 5 Step Process to Estate & Probate Administration Done Right
- Arming Yourself with Knowledge is the First Step to a New Beginning
Still Not Ready and Want to Learn More Before You Move Forward? No problem.
Click HERE for more information on Estate & Probate Administration in Pennsylvania, and remember, we’re just a phone call away at (610) 365-4579.
Chester County Pennsylvania Estate & Probate Administration Attorney with ThePeoplesLawFirm.com
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