Online Will Services: Pros & Cons
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Benefits and drawbacks of making a Will with online services.
Before you proceed to read this blog post, I must disclose that I have a conflict. I am a Lawyer Licensed by the Law Society of Ontario and this means that I have a bias. Legal advise from a professional cannot be substituted. Lawyers go through rigorous education and training and that is why there is no match for the legal advise that a lawyer can provide. When you pay for an online Will service, you will notice that it comes with a disclaimer or a requirement to agree to a term that mentions that:
the online Will service is either not a substitute for legal advise; or
the online Will service is not providing legal advise.
Making your own Will using online services seems cost effective, but most online Will services do not consider your unique situation. I do not recommend using an online Will service if:
You own a variety of assets within or outside Canada.
You have a common-law spouse or are planning to commence a common-law relationship.
You have children who are under the age of 18 years.
You are planning to enter into a common-law relationship or planning to get married soon.
You have a medical history or you were hospitalized recently.
You own a property other than your matrimonial home, such as: a cottage, an investment condominium, etc.
You currently own assets outside of Ontario and/or Canada.
You will be inheriting assets outside of Canada.
There is no way to know whether the online Will takes your unique situation into consideration. You have no idea if the Will is missing any important details regarding your personal and financial situation. Lastly, you have no way of knowing if the Will will stand the test of being a valid Will in courts. The only way of knowing that would be to get legal advise from a qualified professional. So, the best investment to
Contact Us > to work with us and draft your Will.