Living will & POA for low-income parent
Can anyone recommend an estate planning attorney who can help me prepare health care documents for a parent who’s low income? She doesn’t have a trust or any significant assets. We just need to get the basics together (living will, POA, etc.). I’m hoping to find someone who’s skilled and can offer this service for a modest fee.
Thank you!
Aug 6, 2025
Parent Replies
I did my estate paperwork with trust and will (https://trustandwill.com/) for a flat fee. Guides you questions and fills in the blanks to generate the paperwork you want. Will send you a paper copy and then you'll need to take it to someone to be witnessed and notarized. No lawyer review (I think you can pay for this) but gets something into place that you can revise later. Better than having nothing in place and can always revise. There are also legal forms sites where you can buy the docs to do yourself, but this worked really well for me to at least get something in place, semi handheld for a more reasonable price than even a flat fee with a lawyer.
Also, if you need something urgently for health decision reasons (not financial/legal reasons), I was able to do living will and health proxy at the hospital once when I was admitted for something and wanted to have in place in case things went sideways. Those are more formulaic instructions to formalize with a form.
I used Doris Mitchell for estate planning and was very happy with where we ended up! My situation was different from yours, but could still potentially be a good place to start: https://mitchellprobate.com/
I used Mama Bear Legal Forms (online) for my young adult kids' paperwork, and it was quick and easy. I know they have forms for Seniors, too. Looks like about $80 for Power of Attorney and $160-$250 for a will.
I drafted a POA for a family member and used Nolo's "WillMaker" software. In ten years, the document has passed scrutiny by all of the corporate legal departments that reviewed it. I have also worked with Doris Mitchell in the past and would not recommend her. There were a number of issues with follow ups, completion, and attention to detail.