Estate Administration Fees and Costs
How Fees and Costs are Determined
Estate administration fees and costs depend on the composition and value of the decedent’s assets and the documents governing the disposition of the assets. Arizona Estate & Trust Law’s fees are determined by the time required to be spent on a client’s behalf, the skill level required to provide the services, and the responsibilities assumed in providing the services. For most legal services, Arizona Estate & Trust Law’s fees are either a flat fee or a minimum-maximum fee. If the nature of the work makes a flat fee or a minimum-maximum fee difficult to determine in advance, the work is done on a quoted hourly basis. A written confirmation of the fee arrangement and work to be done is furnished to the client before any work is begun on a client’s behalf.
Arizona Estate & Trust believes clients should know in advance what a probate administration for a decedent’s Last Will and Testament or the post-death administration of a decedent’s Trust will cost. Accordingly, Arizona Estate & Trust Law is able to provide fee quotes only after an extensive initial office consultation with those persons designated to carry out the decedent’s final wishes. This initial conference is necessary to determine what steps will have to be undertaken to ensure the decedent’s assets are distributed to the beneficiaries as promptly as possible and in a tax-efficient manner. It is also vital that the prospective client knows exactly what services will be provided for the quoted fee.
An initial consultation with Arizona Estate & Trust Law concerning the administration of a decedent’s estate typically lasts several hours and costs $300. At the end of the consultation period, a fee can usually be quoted to the client. The only time a flat fee cannot be quoted is when it is immediately apparent that the administrative proceedings may be contested or involve potential litigation. In that situation, an appropriate hourly fee is quoted along with an estimated range of costs. If the client chooses to hire Arizona Estate & Trust Law, the initial consultation fee is deducted from the quoted fee.
