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Low-keyed Lawyer
updated: Sep 18, 2012, 8:42 AM

Need a referral for a low-keyed lawyer to draw up a will and health related documents. Looking for someone affable and as affordable as possible.

Places People Are Talking About:

Dana Longo

Margaret Barnes

What People Are Saying:

COMMENT 321399	2012-09-18 08:58 AM
Low-key lawyers who you decide are affordable don't stay in business very long. What do you think is a fair hourly rate and how many hours do you think you will need of their professional and licensed time to accomplish what you want. That will help you decide up front what is fair and reasonable for this type of transaction.
COMMENT 321407	2012-09-18 09:17 AM
Larry H. Parker
COMMENT 321412	2012-09-18 09:23 AM
I used Jean Alexander for a family trust and will and health related documents I thought she was very affordable
COMMENT 321416	2012-09-18 09:28 AM
Look under the referrals tab and check Estate Planners. There are a host of names. Call a few to see if you actually talk to the lawyer. Anyone who has been in practice over 15 years will likely be very expensive. Insist that the documents be readable as lawyers like to make things impossible to read. Our first estate planner refused to deal with us because we insisted that we should be able to read and understand the documents.
COMMENT 321421	2012-09-18 09:34 AM
Margaret Barnes of Barnes & Barnes. She did my Living Will, Trust, POA for Health Care and POA for Finances. Truly a gracious, caring, remarkable woman.
COMMENT 321423	2012-09-18 09:35 AM
With the number of lawyers and dentists in this town, you'd expect to see them in the labor lines down on Cacique street... Perhaps you should try there and report back to us!
COMMENT 321426P	2012-09-18 09:39 AM
We're working with Erin Parks right now on this very thing, and she's excellent. Easy to work with, really knows her stuff. Highly recommended. Her phone number is 899-7717.
COMMENT 321428	2012-09-18 09:42 AM
Christopher Jones did our wills ;he is very knowledgeable, reasonable and above all a great person to discuss these things with.
COMMENT 321432	2012-09-18 09:47 AM
I second Erin Parks, she's wonderful.
COMMENT 321443	2012-09-18 10:01 AM
Try any of the estate lawyers at Mullen & Henzell. Good people; very knowledgable.
COMMENT 321445	2012-09-18 10:03 AM
Dana Longo is who you are looking for.
COMMENT 321457	2012-09-18 10:37 AM
I am a local financial professional and refer many of my clients to Christopher Jones. He is very fair and professional. You could not find a nicer person. He is respected as an estate planning professional here in Santa Barbara.
INQUIRING MIND	2012-09-18 10:39 AM
It would be difficult to find someone more friendly, personable and knowledgeable than John Berryhill. I don't know, but I believe his fees are comparable to most.
EDHATBARBARA	2012-09-18 10:44 AM
I am an estate planning paralegal who works with Chris Jones. We have had a number of folks referred in from EdHat and if you tell us that you found us this way, Chris will even give an "EdHat discount" to you! There is another, earlier discussion thread on "family trusts" where we've been recommended before, too.
SBALAX	2012-09-18 11:06 AM
Joe Green at Mullen & Henzell. NOT the cheapest but VERY competent and easy to talk to.
COMMENT 321468	2012-09-18 11:16 AM
Paul Morrison of Morrison and Botti.
COMMENT 321470	2012-09-18 11:17 AM
Is Mr. Jones hiring? I'm an attorney and looking for a different job, possibly out of litigation. Thanks!
COMMENT 321472P	2012-09-18 11:21 AM
445, I second that, another vote Dana Longo.
COMMENT 321476P	2012-09-18 11:29 AM
O'Gorman and O'Gorman- local husband and wife team who are wonderful!! In Goleta behind Walgreens. Phone number is (805) 967-1215
COMMENT 321481	2012-09-18 11:51 AM
Most lawyers simply copy an existing document and substitute your name where appropriate. The document will include tons of stuff that is not applicable. It is easy for them because they do not need to think. There is pretense that you need to protect yourself from legal issues you have never heard about. Remember that the executor of your estate will probably need to hire an expensive lawyer to read or understand your documents.
COMMENT 321498	2012-09-18 12:25 PM
Take a look at the NOLO press self-help legal guides first so you can get the basics and see what else you might want from professional legal services. Teaches you what to ask and how to evaluate your basic needs first so you can spend your lawyer time more productively.
FANGIRL	2012-09-18 12:31 PM
Deborah Boswell at Mullen & Henzell.
COMMENT 321528P	2012-09-18 01:18 PM
I agree with 498; educate yourself and design your plan, at least the health directives, first. Anther vote for Longo here.
COMMENT 321530P	2012-09-18 01:21 PM
Second Margaret Barnes.
COMMENT 321532	2012-09-18 01:25 PM
481 -- has it right. Too many lawyers convince you by the pound they are worth their fees. Most estate planning for low-net worth is regurgitated boiler plate that you can DIY. And if you were a high-worth client needing more sophisticated held you would not be coming to edhat asking for this to be done on the cheap. However, often clients who claim they just have a simple estate and don't want anything fancy can slip you for a loop with some weird detour from the normal, like an illegitimate child their spouse does not know about, hidden accounts, mislabled property titles, a hidden inheritance off shore, illegal income, sibling chicanery, pending bankruptcy and creditor avoidance, yada, yada, yada ......
COMMENT 321533P	2012-09-18 01:27 PM
Sansum clinic has free health care directive forms at all clinics, and also available online. You don't have to be a Sansum patient to use them. A will is easy to create with Nolo software, but if you have more serious money, it's more complicated.
EDHATBARBARA	2012-09-18 01:30 PM
Not every lawyer uses mere boilerplate form -- but I'm not here to argue the point. As for the lawyer looking to get out of litigation, please communicate with me directly: barbara@eatonjones.com Thanks!
FIRST DISTRICT	2012-09-18 02:17 PM
Here's the deal. . . Ask yourself if you want things done properly. . . If you are a risk-taker you can revert to drawing up your own papers or linking up with some thing on line. My family and I wanted to do things properly and the person we hired we consider to be the best. . . Joe Green of Mullen & Henzell. Not only top of the line, but also totally professional and courteous.
COMMENT 321578	2012-09-18 03:27 PM
Sean Mason specializes in this.
COMMENT 321580	2012-09-18 03:39 PM
We The People would sell you a boiler plate package of the documents for about $600. Think about how many hours you want to talk to the lawyer about what this sort of document package will do for you, at $175 and hour. Add it up and then you can see what price range you think is reasonable for a ball park estimate. We are still talking a "simple" estate. Minimum 4-5 hours to interview, discuss and execute a boilerplate package of documents at $175 an hour is about $875, so you are in for about $1500 bare minimum as a start for this set of simple estate planning documents. Or the $49.95 to use the NOLO product on your own. Most likely you will not get out for under $3,500 for any sort of serious private legal work and consultation.
SBBEEBOY	2012-09-18 04:10 PM
I second the NOLO guide approach, and Quicken has a Will Maker Plus program that is very easy to use on your computer.
COMMENT 321623P	2012-09-18 05:19 PM
legalzoom . com is good too. But, get yourself educated by reading some NoLo Press books.
COMMENT 321635	2012-09-18 06:20 PM
You get what you pay for, so if you want "cheap"; you're going to get "cheap" work/results... Just letting you know.
COMMENT 321653P	2012-09-18 07:18 PM
I checked out getting a living trust done a couple of years ago and mine is not complicated. I am a single woman with a house and a few investments. The average quote for a S.B. atty was $2000.00. My dad passed away a couple of years ago in Mendocino County and he had a living trust done by a local lawyer up there and everything was done properly. I called him for a quote and he said to set it up would be $600.00-$1000.00 big difference. If it is not too complicated you might look elsewhere in S.B. County or another County in California. Good Luck!
COMMENT 321686P	2012-09-19 06:40 AM
Quicken Will Maker is not an adequate program for any but the simplest estates. I am an inactive lawyer but without experience in this area. I tried to use it for my self and found it does not accommodate issues I want addressed. If you try to force it to include what you want you may mess the whole point up. Caveat.
PADRON	2012-09-19 06:45 AM
Sean Mason
COMMENT 321693	2012-09-19 07:01 AM
I would call the Santa Barbara Bar Association. They have an attorney referral service that is very helpful. They refer to attorneys that suit your needs. I needed help with a criminal matter. My daughter had an MIP and they referred me to an excellent lawyer who was affordable too. I'm sure they have lawyers who do wills.
COMMENT 321696	2012-09-19 07:09 AM
Read the thread. Good Info. Dorothea Amezaga on Carrillo did fine for me (us). Didn't waste time.
KATYDID	2012-09-19 08:06 AM
Harold Kono
RDH	2012-09-19 08:11 AM
I can highly recommend Harold Kono as well, a true gentleman and very fine attorney.
COMMENT 321752	2012-09-19 09:18 AM
I am proud to say Harold was a student of mine when I taught law school years ago and he was always a gentleman and a good student. I suspect his rates are fair as well.
COMMENT 321760	2012-09-19 09:32 AM
When I worked at a cemetery, we had a booklet that was free. You could fill in all your information that needs to be known.
COMMENT 321773	2012-09-19 10:06 AM
Dana F Longo, 805-963-6551 sounds like a great match. He is low key yet very knowledgeable and unlike many, has experience defending cases in court.
COMMENT 321781	2012-09-19 10:39 AM
Are you single? Do you own property? Do you have minor children? Do you have a second marriage? Do you need estate tax planning? Are you close to the end of your life? Are you starting out your life and property acquisition? can you transfer your assets merely by title? Do you want to avoid a trip to probate court? Do you have obvious heirs? Do you want to cut someone out of a legal intestacy inheritance? Do you know what intestate means in your situation? Do you want to benefit a charity? Do you want clean transfers at your death or do you want to control things from the grave? WHAT: what do you own WHO: who do you want to get it HOW: what is the best way to carry this out WHY: do you want to save taxes, avoid probate, preserve peace WHEN: do you want to control from the grave or end when you end
COMMENT 321782P	2012-09-19 10:44 AM
Definitely, Dana Longo! I've known him for years!
OLDFOGEY	2012-09-19 12:23 PM
Steven Barnes of Barnes & Barnes. Very nice and efficient. We thought the cost was reasonable. It helped that we had thought out what we wanted to do. Reading a Nolo Press book is useful and their books are available at the public library.
COMMENT 321858P	2012-09-19 01:12 PM
Affable and Affordable Attorney? Affable depends greatly on the human chemistry between you and the particular attorney. Affordable is best when there's lots of ProPer. :-) The most economical way is the most educational: Go online and do your own researching and writing. And then print out your own best-effort version of what you need. At some point, Google or check your library for the latest do it yourself advisory books. Nolo Press generally has an excellent reputation. Books are free at the SB Library. Some may have CDs you can use to create your own documents. All free. Read up. Become informed yourself. Do the preparation yourself. Consider checking with trusted friends, Ask around for specific advice. All of this is free so far, and you are learning. Then call and ask your chosen attorney(s) how much he'd(they'd) charge to read and advise about your work if you bring in a copy of your clear work-product totaling xx pages. That's checking Affability first by a simple phone call and then, if it seem wise, a well-prepared personal meeting.
COMMENT 321988	2012-09-19 05:40 PM
The woman who runs We The People is great!!! Our living trust, health directive, & will were very reasonable and legal. There is another new (Distenfields) company that I wouldn't recommend (Distenfields). But the woman at We The People has been there for years, owns it and is great. No need to give an SB lawyer your hard earned cash for something so simple to complete. The hospice up on APS behind the Riviera Theatre has a great form for your health directive and it is free!
COMMENT 322018P	2012-09-19 08:54 PM
Margaret Barnes made the process comfortable and the cost was reasonable. Margaret is thoughtful, discreet, provided excellent input, and is recommended highly.
COMMENT 322035P	2012-09-20 06:55 AM
How about asking at local law school (SB School of Law) about recent graduates who have passed the bar? They are probably looking for work.
COMMENT 322082	2012-09-20 08:38 AM
I have used Dana Longo before. He is very knowledgeable and explains things well. I highly recommend him.