We recognize that our online tools aren't suitable for everyone. That's why we actively encourage users with complex estates to seek experienced Trusts & Estates counsel, while providing documented wishes to help facilitate the process.
Looking for help? View our FreeWill Fellows
FreeWill was created to help solve the crisis of estate planning in America. Despite the best efforts of many, studies reveal that the vast majority of Americans do not have an up-to-date estate plan. In fact, according to Gallup, the percentage of Americans with wills has decreased dramatically in the last 10 years.
Empirical research indicates that many Americans have not made a will because they perceive estate planning to be scary, complicated, and expensive, and are therefore unwilling to engage. By providing user-friendly, simple and free self-help software, FreeWill hopes to overcome these perceptions and expand Americans’ access to law.
We also seek to encourage and make it easier to incorporate charitable giving in the estate planning process.
Estate planning can be overwhelming, so the ability to easily get started in the comfort of one’s own home leads to many more people actually making plans.
While FreeWill’s free online tools can provide estate planning solutions appropriate for many Americans, we recognize that they are no substitute for experienced local counsel, and are less suitable for people with more complex situations, such as blended families or particularly large estates. That’s why we actively encourage these users to seek counsel, and provide them with the option of printing a set of “documented wishes” summarizing their basic estate plan desires, which they can bring with them to their attorney. If one of your clients brings a printout of their documented wishes, it’s because they used FreeWill to get their affairs in order in the comfort of their own home before working with you to establish the legal documents.
Selecting an attorney can be a daunting process. This is why we also provide users with links to several attorney-finding resources, including the directory of the ACTEC fellows and the American Bar Association’s “Hire a Lawyer” page.
We also know that even for Americans who have experienced counsel, figuring out the most efficient way to update beneficiary designations for their non-probate assets can be a challenge. That’s why we launched our Beneficiaries product. This product asks a series of questions that helps users document those assets and figure out how to name or update their beneficiaries. These instructions are regularly updated to reflect any changes to the forms or processes made by the assets’ financial custodians. This Beneficiaries product is free for anyone to use, regardless whether they use the rest of our free estate planning suite.
Our advisory board consists of noted national experts in trusts and estates who have made themselves available to us for consultation about evolving practices and other developments in the trusts and estates field. They serve pro bono in their individual capacities. Such participation does not represent an endorsement of FreeWill's services.
Professor LaPiana has been active with the trusts and estates sections of both the New York State and the American Bar Associations, and is an academic fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, serving on its Committees on State Laws and Legal Education. He is a member of the American Law Institute and served on the Members Consultative Groups for the Restatements (Third) of Trusts and of Property (Donative Transfers). Since 2009 he has been a member of the Office of Court Administration Surrogates Court Committee and has served on the New York City Bar Associations Surrogates Court and Trusts and Estate Committee since 2011.
FreeWill is fortunate to have the ongoing support and expertise of legal scholars and practicing attorneys from around the country. We are continuing to expand this support network through our FreeWill Fellows Program.
The FreeWill Fellows are a group of attorneys with expertise in estate planning, committed to expanding Americans’ access to law, fostering innovation in legal services, and increasing charitable giving. They help support our mission by providing insights and updates regarding developments in the T&E laws of their jurisdiction, and may publish blog-length articles on our website to help raise public awareness of important estate planning considerations.
If you are an estate planning attorney interested in being a FreeWill Fellow and would like to learn more, please contact us at fellows@freewill.com.
