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'Drafted by attorneys': what the phrase on online will sites actually means

When an online will site says its documents are drafted or approved by attorneys, it almost always means the templates were written by lawyers, not that a lawyer looked at your will. The terms of the same sites say plainly that they are not law firms, that no attorney-client relationship exists, and in some cases that they do not review what you create. That is not deceptive, but it is a different thing from having a lawyer, and you should know which one you are buying.

By Nora Whitfield, consumer researcher (not an attorney). Published . Based on the providers' published pricing and terms. How we check.

Nearly every online will service mentions lawyers on its home page. “Drafted by leading estate planning attorneys.” “Templates approved by attorneys.” “Attorney-designed.” Read quickly, these suggest that a lawyer has had something to do with your will. Read the terms of service, and the picture is clearer: a lawyer had something to do with the template.

This page sets the marketing language beside the same companies’ terms and help pages, read on the date in the facts tables. It is not a criticism of templates, which work well for many people. It is about knowing what you are buying. It carries no affiliate links.

What the marketing says, and what the terms say

Company On the marketing page In its terms or help centre
GoodTrust Documents crafted by leading estate planning attorneys Not a law firm; no legal advice or attorney service
Ethos Templates approved by attorneys No attorney-client relationship; it does not review your documents
Trust & Will State-specific documents; attorney support sold separately Not a law firm; does not give legal advice
FreeWill — None built in; it points you to local attorneys, including its FreeWill Fellows

Both columns are true at once. The templates were written or approved by lawyers. And no lawyer is looking at what you do with them.

Ethos’s estate planning terms are especially direct, saying there is no attorney-client relationship and that it does not review the documents users create. That is the normal position for template services, stated more plainly than most.

The four things “attorney” can mean

  1. Attorney-drafted templates. Lawyers wrote the questionnaire and the clauses. You fill them in. Nobody looks at your answers. This is what “drafted by attorneys” almost always means.
  2. Legal information from an attorney. Written questions or short calls where a lawyer explains how the law works. Rocket Lawyer’s help centre distinguishes these from advice: its written questions and calls give legal information, while privileged advice about your situation is a separate paid session.
  3. Attorney review. A lawyer looks at the documents you made. LegalZoom’s Premium tiers include an annual plan review; Trust & Will sells attorney support as an add-on.
  4. Attorney drafting for you. A lawyer takes your facts and writes your plan. Trust & Will’s attorney-drafted plan starts From $1,499; a local estate planning attorney does the same.

Only the fourth is the same as “having a lawyer”. The marketing phrase usually refers to the first.

Why the distinction matters

A template is only as good as the answers you give it, and it cannot notice what you did not say. A lawyer earns their fee by asking the questions you did not know to ask:

  • “Are you married?” In some states your spouse has rights to part of your estate whatever your will says, and Florida restricts leaving a homestead away from a spouse or minor child.
  • “Do you have children from a previous relationship?” A standard joint trust can let a surviving spouse change everything, including cutting out your children.
  • “Does anyone you are leaving money to receive government benefits?” A direct gift can disqualify them.
  • “Do you own property anywhere else?” Real estate in another state can mean a second probate.

None of these is exotic. All of them are things a template handles only if you know to raise them.

When a template is enough

Templates are a good fit when:

  • your family is a first marriage, or you are single, with no special-needs beneficiaries;
  • you own property in one state;
  • your estate is well below estate tax levels;
  • you want straightforward gifts: everything to my spouse, then equally to my children.

For this large group of people, an attorney-drafted template, signed properly, does the job, and paying a lawyer to fill in the same clauses adds little.

When it is not

Look for a lawyer, not just “attorney-drafted” documents, if you have a blended family, a beneficiary with special needs, a business, property in several states, a large estate, or a family member likely to contest the will. Our page on blended families explains the most common case in detail.

Questions to ask any service that mentions lawyers

  1. Will a lawyer look at my documents, or only at the template?
  2. Is that included, or extra, and does it renew?
  3. Is the attorney licensed in my state?
  4. Is it legal information or legal advice?
  5. What does the terms of service say about attorney-client relationships?

If the answers are “only the template”, “not included” or “no relationship”, you are buying a well-made form. That may be exactly what you need, as long as you know it.

Trust & Will: what it publishes
ItemPublished valueChecked
Will, one person $199 Will plan.
Will, couple $299 Will plan.
Living trust, one person $499 Trust plan, includes a pour-over will.
Living trust, couple $599 Trust plan.
Ongoing yearly cost $49/year Essentials membership, optional: you can choose "No, thanks" at checkout. Auto-renews if you add it.
Attorney support add-on +$299 Shown on both the will and trust plans.
Attorney-drafted plan (complex needs) From $1,499 For special-needs children, estates of $15M+, businesses with 3+ employees or complex blended families.
Pro membership $299/year Only from account settings after checkout. Adds attorney support, an estate tax report and premium support.
Editing your plan after purchase Needs the Essentials membership The free tier keeps the digital download and Plan Strength score; "edit your plan at any time" is an Essentials benefit.
Refund window 30 days from purchase Help-centre "satisfaction guarantee". Part of the price may be withheld if attorney, notary, concierge or deed services were used.
Membership refunds None for an active, paid membership
Attorney add-on refund Full refund within 14 days if no appointment was used
Upgrading a will plan to a trust $300, the difference between plans
Mobile notary with 2 witnesses (Snapdocs) $170 to $210 $170 will plan, one person; $180 couple; $190 trust, one person; $200 joint trust; $210 separate trusts for a couple. Optional partner service.
Deed transfer into the trust (Bundle) $140 per deed, plus recording fees Optional partner service; deed notarization is +$100. Trust & Will says it earns a referral commission.
State limits All 50 states; no trusts in Louisiana Not available in U.S. territories.
Payment plans Available through Klarna
Disputes Mandatory arbitration and a class-action waiver Stated at the top of the terms of service (section 22).
Your plan data and AI Not used to train external AI models Applies to its own AI features; not to third-party AI agents you connect yourself.
Who owns what you enter You keep ownership of your estate plan content
Legal status Not a law firm; does not give legal advice Stated in the footer of every help-centre page. Attorney services come from independent, state-licensed attorneys under a separate agreement.
Not published before sign-up: Whether the Essentials membership is pre-selected at checkout (the help centre only says you can choose "No, thanks"); Whether the +$299 attorney support on the pricing page is a one-time charge (the refund policy calls it an "individual" purchase; the Pro membership with attorney support is $299 a year).
  • Their own pages disagree: The terms of service say all purchases are final and refunds are discretionary, case by case. The help-centre refund policy promises a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and says refund requests inside 30 days are processed automatically. (page A, page B; noted ).
Ethos: what it publishes
ItemPublished valueChecked
How it is offered Complimentary with certain Ethos life policies (Perks rider)
State limits Not available in Alaska or Louisiana The Perks rider is not available on policies issued in Washington or South Dakota. The free-will page lists Alaska, Louisiana, South Dakota and Washington together.
Sold on its own? No: "not a standalone product" The page adds it "should not be the sole reason to purchase life insurance". Not offered with TruStage policies.
Documents Tools to create a will, trust, power of attorney and more The estate planning terms list wills, trusts, powers of attorney and advance health care directives.
Existing Ethos policyholders Can add the will and estate planning tools at no additional cost
Who provides it Ethos Estate Planning, LLC, a subsidiary; not a law firm Templates are "approved by attorneys"; the terms say there is no attorney-client relationship and Ethos does not review your documents.
Updates The online tool "allows for updates as needed" Cost and duration of updates are not stated.
Signing Print and sign according to your state's requirements
Time to complete Under 20 minutes for the will, by Ethos's account
Not published before sign-up: A standalone price for a will or trust without a policy (Ethos says it is not a standalone product); What happens to access and documents if the life policy lapses or is cancelled; Whether couples can make a joint trust; Any trust funding or deed transfer help; Any online notary option.
  • Their own pages disagree: The estate planning page footer says wills and trusts are not available in Alaska and Louisiana; the free-will page says the service is not available in Alaska, Louisiana, South Dakota or Washington. (page A, page B; noted ).
GoodTrust: what it publishes
ItemPublished valueChecked
Estate plan (will, trust and directives) $149 Estate+ plan. Includes a year of unlimited updates. Per the pricing page, family members can each create their own plan at no extra fee.
Updates after the first year $39/year The help article says you are charged this after the first year "to continue making updates". It does not say whether it renews automatically.
Editing and downloading Needs an active subscription The same article says you can cancel at any time and re-subscribe when you want to make changes.
Documents in the plan Revocable living trust, will, financial power of attorney, health care directive, funeral and pet directives, digital vault
Family members Each adult family member can make their own plan at no extra cost Activated with a family plan code from your dashboard.
Couples A joint trust is possible; each spouse needs a separate pour-over will
Refunds 14 days from purchase, free-trial days included Request by support ticket; refunds take 5 to 10 business days.
After a refund or without a subscription Account drops to the Free plan; the will can no longer be downloaded
Legal advice Not a law firm; no legal advice or attorney service The home page says documents are drafted by estate planning attorneys.
Where documents are valid Says valid in all 50 states; documents valid only in the U.S.
Free trial One trial only; cancel from your billing section Trial length and whether a card is needed are not stated.
Not published before sign-up: Whether the $39 yearly update fee renews automatically; How long the free trial lasts and whether it needs a card; Whether Louisiana or any other state is excluded (pages say "valid in all 50 states"); Whether the trust must be notarised (the trust page only says to print and sign with two witnesses); Any deed transfer or trust funding service.
  • Their own pages disagree: The help-centre cost article says the plan includes "up to 4 complimentary accounts for family members"; the pricing and trust pages say it covers unlimited family members. (page A, page B; noted ).

Questions people ask next

Is an attorney-drafted template as good as a will from a lawyer?

For a straightforward situation, a well-drafted template can produce a perfectly good will. The difference is that a lawyer applies judgment to your facts: whether a gift will work as you intend, how your state treats your spouse's rights, what happens to property in another state. A template cannot notice what you did not tell it.

What is the difference between legal information and legal advice?

Legal information explains how the law generally works, such as what a pour-over will is. Legal advice applies the law to your situation and tells you what to do. Online services provide information; only a lawyer you have engaged gives advice. Rocket Lawyer's help centre draws exactly this line between its written questions and its paid advice sessions.

If a service offers attorney review, is the lawyer mine?

Usually the attorney is independent and works under a separate agreement with you, not as an employee of the service. Trust & Will says its attorney services come from independent, state-licensed attorneys under a separate agreement. Ask whether the attorney is licensed in your state.

Do I need a lawyer at all?

Many people with simple situations do not. You probably do if you have a blended family and want your spouse provided for and then your own children, a beneficiary with special needs, a business, property in several states, or an estate large enough for estate tax planning.

Sources

  1. Trust & Will terms of service
  2. Trust & Will help centre: refund policy (footer: not a law firm)
  3. Ethos estate planning page
  4. Ethos Estate Planning terms of service
  5. GoodTrust help: does GoodTrust provide legal advice?
  6. Rocket Lawyer help centre (attorneys, legal information vs advice)
  7. LegalZoom last will page

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ by state and change; talk to a licensed attorney about your situation.