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Tag: local attorney

Why You Should Use a Lawyer Instead of an Online Site for Your Will

Written by kwmlaw on . Posted in Kelly & West News.

We know you’ve seen or heard about websites that offer do-it-yourself legal services. Maybe willyou’ve met someone who can set you up with a Will for a low cost. You’ve weighed your options: pay for a lawyer or complete a much cheaper online template? We’ll admit it can be tempting, but with those savings comes a bit of a headache. Here’s why we suggest choosing a lawyer over an online service for your North Carolina Will.

False Sense of Security

You often don’t know if there are errors in your legal documents until too late. Errors in a Will are often only revealed after death. Similarly, problems in a contract are not normally identified until the parties are already engaged in a fight and looking at the contract to provide legal backing for their side.

One of the biggest issues that people have encountered when using do-it-yourself document preparation sites is that consumers are left with a false sense of security after completing these documents by themselves. Online legal documents can be out of date, inaccurate, or just flat out wrong, which may get your documents thrown out of court. Some of these websites do not use the standard state forms, which means a county clerk may reject it. Also, fill-in-the-blank Will forms are not always valid under North Carolina laws.

Small errors can have significant consequences. When the stakes are high, the last thing you want is errors in your legal documents. In one recent case, a missing comma cost a company millions of dollars.

May Not Provide the Counsel You Need

Planning for the future of your family or estate rarely is as simple as an online template would lead you to believe. Every situation is unique and should be treated as such as such.

Unfortunately, the disclaimer of online legal sites that their services are clearly not a substitute for the advice of an attorney, a lot of people use these websites with the mindset that by purchasing these services they can completely dodge hiring a lawyer, and therefore do not double check that their documents are executable.

Even with their guarantee of legal professionals on-hand to help, an online service is not a law firm. When you’re filling out these forms online, the company is not permitted to review any of your answers for legal sufficiency, draw legal conclusions, provide legal advice or apply the law to the facts of your particular situation.

If you are thinking of drafting up legal documents whether that be a Will, contract, or power of attorney, please contact Kelly & West Attorneys. We will walk you through the process of setting up these documents with excellent customer service and over 30 years of experience. Let us help you prepare for the future.

Top 5 Reasons to Practice Law In a Small Town

Written by kwmlaw on . Posted in Kelly & West News.

At Kelly & West we are proud to serve the small town of Lillington, NC and surrounding areas. We believe there are many advantages to practicing law in a small town, the best being that we really get to know the people and the local community. Here are some other big reasons we love to practice in our local community:

1. We get to see the people we represent in the community and not just at the office. We often see our clients at the grocery store, at church, and at other places; this allows us to get to know them on a personal as well as a professional level, which adds value to our representation.

2. Practicing in a small town also offers opportunities to maintain a smaller, friendlier staff than often found in firms who practice in larger cities. Each employee at Kelly & West knows a little bit about the job of every other employee and can therefore fill in for each other during the busy times, allowing our clients to get the answers they need when they need them. Having a smaller firm means we maintain a family-like atmosphere built on effective communication and trust throughout the practice.

3. We love the small town practice because it makes us easy to find. Google maps hardly ever leads clients astray and the client doesn’t have to pay to park. Plus, since we serve lots of injured and elderly clients, it’s great that our clients don’t have to park in a large parking deck and then walk a long ways to get into the building and meet with the attorney.

4. Small town means big networking! Becoming established has provided us opportunity to build relationships with judges who we see often in court, the clerks and courthouse staff who help us do our job well, police officers and local first-responders, and many others.

5. Most importantly, practicing in a small town and having a smaller staff allows us to best meet the needs of the clients we serve. Each attorney can spend time getting to know the client and his or her individual needs. We are so thankful for our clients who have supported us through the years and we are proud to be part of such a great community. We look forward to continuing to help our clients and serve them the best we can for many years to come.