Is LegalZoom legit for wills and trusts? Yes, with three things to watch

LegalZoom is not a scam. It has been selling self-help legal documents for a long time, it is one of the best-known names in the market, and its wills and trusts are ordinary legal documents that become valid the way any will does. The real question behind “is LegalZoom legit” is usually narrower: will a court accept the will, and what exactly am I agreeing to pay for?

This page answers both, from LegalZoom’s own product pages and its legal plan contract, read on the date in the facts table. We have not bought a LegalZoom plan.

Will a LegalZoom will hold up?

Yes, if you sign it properly. A will’s validity depends on two things: what it says being allowed by your state’s law, and how it is signed. LegalZoom’s questionnaire produces a will for your state, and LegalZoom says Says its wills and trusts are accepted in all 50 states. The signing is up to you: in most states, sign at the end in ink, in front of two adult witnesses who are not in the will, and have them sign in front of you and each other. Our signing guide walks through it.

Courts do not care which website produced a will. They care whether it was signed correctly, whether you had capacity, and whether anyone pressured you. Those are the same for a LegalZoom will as for a lawyer’s.

Thing to watch 1: the attorney plan inside Pro and Premium

LegalZoom’s will and trust tiers look like three versions of the same product. The difference that matters is that the Pro and Premium tiers include an attorney plan, and the plan renews.

Tier	Price, one person	What renews
Basic Will	$129	Nothing
Pro Will	$149	$25/month after 30 days
Premium Will	$299	$199/year attorney plan after year one
Basic Trust	$399	Nothing
Premium Trust	$549	$199/year attorney plan after year one

This is disclosed on the product pages; it is not hidden. But it is easy to miss that a “one-time” will purchase starts a subscription. LegalZoom’s own pages also disagree on the Pro renewal price: the will page says $25/month after 30 days, while the legal plan contract’s fee schedule lists the underlying plan at a lower monthly figure. Check the amount on your order confirmation.

Thing to watch 2: the refund windows

LegalZoom has two different refund rules, and the one for your documents is short:

• Estate plan documents: refundable until 7 days after your estate plan is completed. If you finish your will on day one, the window closes on day eight.
• Attorney plans: Within 30 days, unless you have had a consultation.

In practice: if you bought Pro or Premium only for the documents, cancel the attorney plan and request its refund before you book any call.

Thing to watch 3: the renewal reminder is a courtesy

LegalZoom’s legal plan contract says renewal reminders go out About a week before billing, "as a courtesy only". In other words, the contract does not promise a reminder. If you want to cancel, do not wait for one: put the date in your calendar the day you buy.

Cancelling is straightforward: Online in My Account, or by phone. Your documents stay yours and stay valid after you cancel the plan.

What you are, and are not, getting

You are getting: a questionnaire that produces state-specific documents; at the Pro tier, a health care directive and medical and financial powers of attorney; at Premium, a year of 30-minute attorney consultations, a year of revisions and an annual one-hour plan review. For trusts, the Basic Trust includes a pour-over will, powers of attorney, a certification of trust and funding documents, and a couple’s trust is One joint living trust with two pour-over wills.

You are not getting: a lawyer who drafts your plan. Even with the attorney plan, you make the documents yourself; the attorneys answer questions and review.

Is it good value?

For the Basic Trust, yes: a complete trust package with nothing renewing at $399. For the Premium tiers, yes if you will use the attorney calls. For the Pro Will, only if you cancel the plan or will use it monthly. Our full LegalZoom review adds three-year costs for each tier, and our LegalZoom alternatives page shows what to buy instead for each reason people leave.

If you buy LegalZoom, do this

1. Choose Basic if you do not want an attorney plan.
2. If you choose Pro or Premium, note the renewal date and the refund deadlines the day you buy.
3. Finish and download your documents, then sign them properly.
4. Cancel the attorney plan before renewal unless you are using it.
5. Keep the signed originals safe and tell your executor where they are.