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137 articles, sorted into the buckets people actually search. Tap a tile to jump to that section of the FAQ.

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Getting started
Account setup, first document, signing and notarizing.
14 ARTICLES→
📜
Wills
Beneficiaries, guardians, executors, the works.
22 ARTICLES→
🖊️
Power of Attorney
Financial POAs, durable vs. springing, scope.
11 ARTICLES→
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Trusts
Revocable, irrevocable, funding, trustees.
16 ARTICLES→
🩺
Healthcare
Living wills, medical POA, HIPAA releases.
8 ARTICLES→
💳
Billing and refunds
Pricing, subscriptions, refunds, receipts.
9 ARTICLES→
🔒
Account and security
Sign in, 2FA, data, family sharing.
7 ARTICLES→
🗺️
State-specific
Notarization, witnesses, filing rules by state.
50 ARTICLES→
Can't find it? Scroll, or just shout.
Getting started

Getting started
questions.

Account setup, first document, signing and notarizing.

Ask us directly →
Most people finish in about 20 minutes. Our guided flow asks plain-language questions, builds the document as you go, and shows a real-time preview. If you save and come back later, your progress is held for 90 days.
Yes. A will is only legally valid once signed. After your attorney review, we send a "signing kit" with a printable PDF, witness instructions, and a state-specific notarization guide. About 30 states require notarization, and we tell you exactly what yours needs.
Yes, in two ways. Pay $29 for a one-off revision, or subscribe to the $29/year updates plan for unlimited changes. Either way, an attorney re-reviews the new version and you re-sign the new copy (the old one becomes void on the new signing).
Yes, every U.S. state and D.C. We have at least one licensed attorney in every state, and every document is reviewed by an attorney admitted in the state where you live.
Wills

Wills
questions.

Beneficiaries, guardians, executors, the works.

Ask us directly →
A will distributes your assets after you die. It goes through probate, which is a court process that can take 6 to 18 months. A trust holds your assets while you are alive and distributes them privately (no probate). Most people start with a will. Trusts make sense for estates over about $500K, blended families, or anyone who owns property in multiple states.
Pick someone responsible, organized, and likely to outlive you, often a spouse, sibling, or adult child. They do not need legal expertise (we provide a free executor guide). Avoid naming anyone who lives outside the U.S., as some states restrict this.
Absolutely. You can leave a fixed dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, a specific asset, or what is left after other gifts ("residuary"). We have a charity-lookup tool that prefills the legal name and EIN.
You can name a caregiver and leave them money earmarked for the pet's care. For complex situations (exotic animals, large bequests), we recommend a "pet trust", which is part of our Living Trust product.
Power of Attorney

Power of Attorney
questions.

Financial POAs, durable vs. springing, scope.

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It depends on the type. A "durable" POA takes effect immediately and stays valid even if you become incapacitated. A "springing" POA only takes effect once a doctor certifies that you are incapacitated. Most people choose durable for simplicity.
Yes, anytime you are mentally competent. You sign a revocation form and notify your bank, hospital, etc. We include the revocation template free with every POA.
Trusts

Trusts
questions.

Revocable, irrevocable, funding, trustees.

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Most people want revocable: you can change it anytime, you keep control of the assets, and it avoids probate. Irrevocable trusts are mainly for estate-tax avoidance, Medicaid planning, or asset protection, much more specialized.
Only if you want it to skip probate. Funding the trust (re-titling assets into it) is the step most DIY trusts get wrong, so we include a step-by-step funding checklist and a real attorney walks you through it.
Healthcare

Healthcare
questions.

Living wills, medical POA, HIPAA releases.

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A living will is your written instructions ("don't put me on a ventilator if there's no chance of recovery"). A medical POA names a person to make decisions for you. You want both, and our Healthcare Directive product is them packaged together.
Billing and refunds

Billing and refunds
questions.

Pricing, subscriptions, refunds, receipts.

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No. The price on the product card is the total. The only "extra" is the optional $29/year updates plan, and you have to explicitly opt in.
30 days, no questions. Click a button in your dashboard. The money is back in your account in 2 to 3 days. We do not ask why or try to talk you out of it.
We have bundle discounts (Couple saves $19, Family saves $47, Estate Essentials saves $155) and a fee waiver for low-income applicants. Just email hello@legalfriend.com with proof of public assistance and we will comp the will fee.
Account and security

Account and security
questions.

Sign in, 2FA, data, family sharing.

Ask us directly →
Encrypted at rest (AES-256), encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3), and stored in SOC-2-certified data centers. Only you and your reviewing attorney can see your document. We never sell or share data, period.
Yes, via Family Vault. You can grant view-only access to specific documents or your whole vault. They will need to verify their identity to view anything.
State-specific

State-specific
questions.

Notarization, witnesses, filing rules by state.

Ask us directly →
Two witnesses, in every state. Both must be present when you sign, both must sign in your presence, and neither can be a beneficiary. Vermont is the holdout that requires three.
About 30 do, for a "self-proving" affidavit (which lets your will skip a step in probate). Louisiana has the strictest rules. We route Louisiana customers to a specialist attorney included in the price.
Most-read articles

Long-form,
when you want it.

Longer pieces our team has written when a one-paragraph answer just doesn't cut it.

👨‍👩‍👧
GUIDES

How to talk to your kids about your will

7 min readRead →
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WILLS

The complete guide to choosing an executor

11 min readRead →
🖋️
HOW-TO

Notarization, demystified by state

9 min readRead →
🤔
WILLS

What happens if you die without a will?

6 min readRead →
🏛️
TRUSTS

Trust funding: the step everyone messes up

14 min readRead →
🌳
GUIDES

Estate planning for blended families

10 min readRead →
Speak human

The plain-English
glossary.

Every weird legal term, explained the way your favorite lawyer-friend would explain it at brunch.

See all 84 terms →
Beneficiary
A person or org named in your will to receive something.
Codicil
A formal amendment to an existing will.
Executor
The person you name to carry out your will.
Intestate
Dying without a valid will. The state decides everything.
Probate
The court process of validating a will and distributing assets.
Residuary
Whatever is left after specific gifts and debts are paid.
Self-proving aff.
A notarized witness statement that helps your will skip a probate step.
Testator
The person making the will. That's you.
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