Common Florida Estate-Planning Scopes
| Planning scope | Work involved | Why the scope changes |
|---|---|---|
| Will-based plan | Will, incapacity documents, and beneficiary coordination as appropriate | Family structure, assets, and existing documents affect drafting and coordination. |
| Trust-based plan | Trust drafting, related documents, and funding coordination | Funding, titling, beneficiary designations, and asset mix add work. |
| Lady Bird deed or other deed coordination | Deed review, drafting, and recording coordination as appropriate | Property ownership, homestead, title, and county requirements matter. |
| Incapacity-document update | Review and update of powers of attorney or health care documents | The extent of changes and prior-document issues determine scope. |
| Blended-family or controlled-inheritance planning | Tailored distribution and control provisions | Family relationships, beneficiary goals, and asset structure require careful drafting. |
| Business-interest coordination | Review of business interests and succession coordination | Entity documents, ownership restrictions, and successors affect work. |
| NFA or firearm planning | Planning that coordinates NFA items or firearms with estate documents | Ownership, trustees, successors, and existing planning change the analysis. |
Why There Is No Honest One-Price Answer
Document count alone does not show planning complexity. Stewart Law does not use a teaser price or sell unnecessary documents. The consultation identifies family structure, assets, goals, existing documents, and the coordination needed to recommend an appropriate written scope.
What Usually Affects the Attorney Fee
Attorney-fee scope can depend on family structure, real estate, the number and type of assets, titling, beneficiary designations, trust funding, minor or special-needs beneficiaries, business interests, multiple states, NFA firearms, and prior documents.
What Stewart Law's Flat Fee Means
The flat written fee covers the agreed work and ordinary calls, emails, and questions within scope. Consumer estate-planning work is not billed on an hourly meter. The engagement agreement defines the work; it does not promise services beyond that agreement.
Attorney Fee vs. Recording and Third-Party Costs
County recording fees, certified copies, deed-related expenses, notarial or execution logistics where applicable, and other outside costs are separate from the attorney fee. Stewart Law identifies those costs separately rather than inventing a universal amount.
Will-Based Plan vs. Trust-Based Plan Cost
A trust-based plan usually involves more drafting, coordination, and funding work upfront than a will-based plan. The right comparison includes goals, assets, administration, privacy, and funding—not a blanket probate-savings percentage or a promise that a trust always pays for itself.
What Funding a Trust Adds to the Work
Funding work may include deeds, account-retitling guidance, beneficiary coordination, assignments, and follow-through. An unfunded trust can fail to accomplish the intended probate avoidance, which is why funding coordination changes the scope.
Online Forms vs. Coordinated Legal Planning
Online forms can be a starting point, but Florida signing requirements, inconsistent beneficiary designations, homestead, blended families, incapacity documents, and funding all require coordination. Not every online document is invalid; the question is whether the documents work together for the person's actual circumstances.
Statewide Planning and Execution
Consultation and drafting can be handled statewide. Final signing, witnessing, notarization, deed recording, and document-specific formalities still must be completed correctly. Not every document can be fully executed remotely in every circumstance.
What to Bring to a Consultation
Bring information about people, family structure, goals, real estate, account types, beneficiary designations, businesses, NFA items, and existing documents. A fuller picture helps the firm quote the correct scope.