How Much Should an Attorney Charge for an Estate Plan? It depends.
You might ask a competent estate planning attorney what a typical package will cost. The answer should be: “I don’t yet know what you need!” You could drill down further and ask about the cost for a will, power of attorney, and medical directive package. The likely answer? “It depends.”
“It depends” means the attorney needs to know what you own and how you own it. Do you have real estate, valuable collectibles, retirement accounts, insurance, annuities, or other investments? The estate planner must project potential tax issues, points of contention, and legal obligations. These questions are wide-ranging and complex.
Understanding the Fee Structure
Generally, attorneys won’t quote a fee before meeting with clients or reviewing a complete questionnaire about their background and finances. Here’s a hint: if your first or second question is “how much will it cost?”, you’re signaling that price matters more than getting documents tailored to your situation. Such clients aren’t ideal.
The Thomson Reuters Institute partners with the True Value Partnering Institute to track law firm rates. Their 2024 research showed a 6.5% surge over the prior year. The upward trend in estate planning rates accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people felt more urgency to obtain wills. Yet many Americans still lack one—25% of respondents believed they didn’t have enough assets to warrant a will, while cost was an impediment for only 15%.
Interestingly, a 2020 survey by Elissa Suh and Derek Silva found that for the 60% of people without wills, cost wasn’t the primary barrier.
What Do Attorneys Actually Charge?
Publications occasionally survey estate planning lawyers about their fees. The February 2025 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance reported that attorneys in the greater DC area charge up to $3,000 to draft simple wills, advance directives (living wills), and powers of attorney for spouses. However, these numbers don’t tell the whole story. Some estate planners charge hourly fees, while others offer package rates.
Attorney fees are undergoing major shifts. More law firms are instituting minimum prices for their services—a practice many accounting firms also follow. Anecdotally, I know of firms with $5,000 minimums for estate planning services in the DC area.
Getting Value for Your Money
Perhaps the better question is whether you’re getting value for your money. Some estate planners hold master’s degrees in taxation. Others are Certified Elder Law Attorneys. While advanced education helps, it doesn’t guarantee good results.
Like doctors, estate planning attorneys should have good bedside manners. Your attorney should take time to understand your goals and family dynamics. This requires conversation, and conversations take time. In my judgment, the most important aspect of planning is getting to know my clients, so their documents truly reflect their wishes.
The Online Alternative
Some people resort to online estate planning documents or services. Cookie-cutter wills may work for those with small estates and few concerns. However, I worry that informal computer interaction cannot measure up to heartfelt conversation, with challenging questions and perhaps a box of tissues.
While most attorneys don’t draft estate planning instruments from scratch, much thought and care goes into adapting standard documents to each client’s particular situation.
So, you may be wondering: how much do I charge for an estate plan? It depends!
Evan J. Krame
