Estate Planning Prices
Flat fees, published, with no hourly billing on the packages below. Every document is drafted for Alabama law — which matters more than people expect, because Alabama requires two witnesses on a will (§ 43-8-131) and does not recognise holographic wills — a handwritten will that nobody witnessed does nothing here. If you buy a lower package and want to move up, you get 100% credit toward the higher one for 60 days.
Packages
| Package | Single | Married | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power of Attorney Package | $450 | $700 | Durable power of attorney under the Alabama Uniform Power of Attorney Act (§ 26-1A-101 et seq.), advance directive with health care proxy (§ 22-8A-4), and a HIPAA release. This is the incapacity half of a plan — it does not include a will. |
| Simple Will | $650 | $950 | Last will and testament with a self-proving affidavit (§ 43-8-132), executed in our office with the two witnesses Alabama requires. Documents only — no powers of attorney. |
| Complete Will Plan | $1,200 | $1,800 | Everything in the Simple Will plus everything in the Power of Attorney Package, and a trust for minor children if you need one. This is the package most families should be looking at. |
| Revocable Living Trust | $2,400 | $3,400 | Revocable living trust, pour-over wills, the Power of Attorney Package, one Alabama deed transferring property into the trust, and a written funding checklist. |
| Irrevocable Trust | $5,500 | $6,500 | Irrevocable trust for asset protection or Medicaid planning, the Power of Attorney Package, and one deed or assignment. Priced after a consultation because these vary widely. |
Not “do I want a trust.” It is: what do you own, and how does it currently pass? A house held jointly, a 401(k) with a named beneficiary and a bank account with a payable-on-death designation may already pass outside probate without any trust at all. We would rather tell you that in the first meeting than sell you a trust you do not need.
Add-ons
| Service | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trust funding — per asset | $250 | Deed into the trust, retitling an account, assigning an LLC interest. A trust that is never funded does not work, and this is the step most people skip. |
| Trust funding — full service | $950 | We handle all of it: every deed, the letters to each institution, and the beneficiary designation updates. |
| Additional deed inside a trust package | $200 | One deed is included. Most people with a trust own more than one parcel. |
| Codicil or trust amendment | $400 | Changing an existing document rather than starting over. |
| Review of an existing plan | $300 | We read what you already have and tell you what it does. Credited in full toward any package within 60 days. |
| Mobile or after-hours signing | $150 | We come to you, or we sign outside office hours. |
| Rush — completed within 3 business days | +25% | Where the timeline is genuinely urgent. |
What is not included
- Court costs and probate filing fees.
- County recording fees and the Alabama deed tax under § 40-22-1, which is $0.50 per $500 of value — $1.00 per $1,000.
- Title insurance premiums and title searches.
- Tax returns, tax advice and CPA work. Entity choice and tax elections are decisions for your accountant.
- Transfers of complex business interests, which we quote separately.
Payment and terms
- Flat fee, quoted before we startYou know the number before any work begins. No hourly billing on the packages above.
- Payment plans on trust packagesTrust packages can be split into three payments.
- 100% upgrade credit for 60 daysBuy a lower package, decide you want more, and the full amount you paid is credited toward the higher one within 60 days.
- Prices honoured for 90 daysA price published here is honoured for at least 90 days from the date you saw it, consistent with the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct.
A note about the deed work
Most firms that sell living trusts stop at the documents. We prepare deeds every week, so the deed that moves your house into the trust is drafted here rather than sent out — and it is included in the trust package. If you own more than one parcel, each additional deed is $200 inside a package.
One caution that applies to every deed we prepare: we do not record deeds. We prepare it and you record it at the probate office, with full written instructions from us. That matters here because an unrecorded deed does not move the property into the trust, and a trust that does not hold the property does not avoid probate on it.
Limestone, Madison, Morgan, Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin and Lawrence Counties. Filing fees and local practice differ from one circuit clerk to the next.
What estate planning clients say
Start with a conversation, not a package.
The first meeting is about what you own and who you want to have it. The package follows from that — and sometimes the answer is that you need less than you thought.
Questions about pricing
What is included in each package?
Power of Attorney Package: durable POA, advance directive with health care proxy, HIPAA release. Simple Will: the will itself with a self-proving affidavit. Complete Will Plan: both of those, plus a minor’s trust if needed. Revocable Living Trust: the trust, pour-over wills, the POA package, one Alabama deed into the trust, and a funding checklist. Irrevocable Trust: asset protection or Medicaid planning with one deed or assignment.
Are court costs and recording fees included?
No. Court costs, county recording fees, the Alabama deed tax, title premiums, CPA tax returns and complex business transfers are all separate and paid by you.
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes. Trust packages can be split into three payments.
Can I upgrade later?
Yes. You get 100% credit from a lower package toward a higher one within 60 days.
Do I actually need a trust?
Often not. If your house is held jointly and your retirement accounts and life insurance have named beneficiaries, a good deal may already pass outside probate. We will tell you that rather than sell you a trust. Trusts earn their cost where there is property in more than one state, a blended family, a beneficiary who should not receive money outright, or a real desire for privacy.
Why is a married package not simply double?
Because much of the work is shared — one meeting, one set of decisions, one drafting session. The second person is genuine additional work but not a second full engagement, and the pricing reflects that.
What happens if I never fund the trust?
The trust does not control anything you did not put into it. Assets left outside pass under your pour-over will, which means they go through probate — the exact thing the trust was meant to avoid. This is the most common way living trusts fail, which is why funding is priced and offered rather than left to you.
Do you record the deed that moves my house into the trust?
No. We prepare it; you record it at the probate office with our written instructions. This matters for a trust: an unrecorded deed does not move the property, and property outside the trust is not protected by it.
Questions about pricing or an invoice? Email billing@dsp.law or call 256-434-1678.
Daniel S. Pickens Law · 300 West Green Street, Athens, Alabama 35611
Book a consultation
Bring a rough list of what you own and who you want to have it. That is enough to have a useful first conversation, and it is usually enough for us to tell you which package fits.
Daniel Shawn Pickens
Daniel S. Pickens Law · 300 West Green Street, Athens, Alabama 35611 · 256-434-1678. Office hours Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; phones answered 24/7.