I'll add this.
There was a recent death in the family.
No will.
I am not going into details here in a public forum.
Lawyer bill as of 7/22/2010: $6700.00
Total billable hours of work to date by the lawyer: about 24
Progress made since day one, a few months ago: It's really hard to tell. To be honest, the lawer would have to show me, and I bet that time would be billed at $275 an hour.
If you lawyer up, that toolbox will easily cost $20,000.00 before you get a new one, you will be out of a job, AND possibly blackballed to other owners that your boss knows.
Think long and hard about this.
This isn't a multimillion dollar deal here. It's $10,000.00.
Hell, even multibillion dollar class action suits result in tens of dollar settlements for the plaintiffs. Who was wronged, and who made the money?
There isn't a single professional lawyer that will take your case on a contingency basis.
You will be paying for a retainer, and then by the hour.
Every phone call, email, piece of paper, court filing and office visit will cost you an hour.
My deal is in the mid six figure range of value, and I am questioning the value of a lawyer. By the time it is settled, there will be nothing left. A lifetime of work, vaporized.*
Man up and move on.
* As a side note, those of you that either don't have wills, don't tell people about the existence of a will, or don't keep things up to date are doing NO ONE a favor. The only 2 winners will be the State and the Lawyer.
** And if your State allows the widow to opt out of a will, and the next of kin can't come up with a copy of the will, 1/2 of the estate goes to the widow. The numbers change if a copy of the will exists, in another place where she can't "lose" it. I would assume this works both ways (wife/husband), but I am not sure.
