I remember as a kid when I liked a song on the radio and I had to wait for it to come on if I didn’t own the record or cassette. Or, waiting for holiday movies and shows to air because there were no streaming options to watch them anytime I liked.

I remember looking in a dictionary if I didn’t know how to spell a word and pulling information from encyclopedias to complete my school reports.

Now, the ease of doing mostly everything online is very apparent. And yes, it has its perks. Online shopping, googling how many quarts are in a cup when you are in the middle of cooking or listening to your favorite music with one click.

While there are many options to get legal services online (and sometimes that can be the right option depending on the situation), I strongly encourage people to meet with an attorney. There is nothing like meeting with a client face-to-face to understand the nuances of their plan. A person may have an idea what they want, but until they discuss their wishes with an attorney, there may be unintended consequences that person should try to avoid.  

For example, a client came in and their family member had done a will online but there was no affidavit of attesting witness included. My firm helped locate the witnesses, but it did add a lot of time, and stress, to the family of the deceased. 

Another example was a will that was written by an individual at home, again with no affidavit of attesting witness included. Not to mention, it had been damaged due to Hurricane Sandy and had been unstapled and restapled, which could have actually invalidated the will. Once again, we had to track down the two witnesses and we were lucky to find them.  

It’s the worst thing to have to tell a family that their loved one’s final wishes might become null and void due to preventable mistakes. 

When you work with an attorney, you receive personalized attention. In New York state, two witnesses are required when you do a will, but I always have clients secure three, just to be safe. It’s often these little details that can make a huge difference down the road. 

At Sugarman Law, we work to be on top of the latest news, regulations and guidelines to ensure we are doing the best job we can to represent your needs. We are people and we understand emotions and family issues. We are also constantly learning and working on ourselves. 

Please contact the firm for a consultation if you need assistance with estate planning or are planning to buy or sell your home.