64 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com MAY | JUNE 2018 We all love stories about the do-it-yourselfer. They pro- vide the punch lines in TV sitcoms, Darwin awards, jokes and so on. My favorite involved a conversation I had with a den- tist—his patient tried to extract his own tooth with a power drill. People buy “will-in-a-box” packages and follow the instruc- tions. They may work, but they may not. You won’t know if they work until you try to use them. Having said that, I have never had a client bring in estate planning documents drafted by a non-law- yer that were done correctly or thor- oughly enough. A man brought in a will he had written himself. He asked me how much I would charge to review the document to ensure it was correct. I quoted a price. He looked sur- prised, then asked how much it was to write one from scratch. I quoted the same price. There are two reasons: (1) it takes me the same amount of time, and (2) my liability is the same. Liability is key. If lawyers screw up, you may have grounds to sue them (it’s called legal malpractice.) If the do-it-yourselfer gets it wrong, he discovers that the document doesn’t work after it’s too late to have another one done. (Incapacity or death preclude you from sign- ing documents with binding legal effect.) I give the man credit: his gut told him that he needed legal help, but his will would not have held up. A will-in-a-box handles standard situations, but life throws cur- veballs. A lawyer versed in probate and estate planning knows the law in that area, and therefore can recommend which legal tools to use to best achieve a desired result. The lawyer tailors the content of a given document to suit your needs. Contested guardianship and probate mat- ters can consume six figures in legal expenses, not to mention the time, stress and heartache involved. A full estate plan for a family, in contrast, can be done for as little as $1,500. Can you afford to screw this up? Editor’s Note: Colin Smith is an at- torney specializing in helping fami- lies plan for their future, including estate planning and living trusts.  For more information or to schedule a confidential legal consultation, contact him at 972.773.9095 or colinsmithlaw.com. When NOT to Do It Yourself By Colin Smith | Contributor Why you need a lawyer’s help with estate planning I have never had a client bring in estate planning documents drafted by a non-lawyer that were done correctly or thoroughly enough.