A will-preparation quotation should tell you whether you are buying a drafting task, a broader planning consultation or both. Comparing only a document price can conceal differences in review, revisions and signing assistance. Use the same family information and existing-document history when obtaining proposals, then ask each lawyer to identify the work that remains outside the assignment.
Describe the requested service accurately
Tell the firm whether this is a first will, a review of an existing document or a replacement following changed circumstances. Ask what information it needs before quoting and whether the fee includes advice on related planning needs. Do not decide that a situation is legally simple because it involves few possessions. The professional must determine the work required from the facts you provide.
Check the drafting-to-signing process
Ask how many drafts or meetings are included, how corrections are handled and what arrangements the firm makes for signing. Request a clear explanation of your responsibilities for appointments, identity documents and originals. This page intentionally gives no execution instructions: the Bar’s will resource and your lawyer are the appropriate starting points for understanding the document and the formal steps applicable to it.
Keep maintenance and related documents separate
Clarify whether later amendments, replacement originals, storage or periodic reviews create further charges. If the quote also includes other planning documents, ask for the package scope in writing so it can be compared fairly with a will-only proposal. Ask whether advice about property ownership, beneficiary designations or a trust would be a separate task. A drafting fee is not a lifetime planning subscription unless the agreement says so.
Your written-proposal checklist
| Item | Question or evidence to record |
|---|---|
| Assignment | New will, existing-document review or replacement |
| Revisions | Included meetings, drafts and correction process |
| Completion | Signing assistance and handling of original documents |
| Later changes | Separate update, storage and broader-planning charges |
Record the firm, document version, quotation date, assignment and unresolved questions in your own private notes. Do not upload confidential legal documents to this website.
Next step for this decision
Use the estate-planning guide when proposals include more than a will. Save the document list and quotation date in your own records. Do not choose a provider solely by the lowest document price, and do not use this budget worksheet to decide whether an unsigned or existing document is legally effective.