Is it neccessary to see a lawyer to have a will written, or can you just see a notary public?

i live in louisiana and was told i should see a lawyer.
Most states will let you do it yourself, they even have will kits. If La. doesn't permit this, you could probably go to a law clinic and get it done for next to nothing. Also, make sure you do a living will. This will speak for you if you are unable to speak for yourself. Living wills give direction on what to do if you lapse into a coma, where your papers are, etc. Alot of the things you see in the papers about relatives fighting over stuff, whether or not to keep them on life support, etc. could of been resolved with a living will. A living will takes effect immediately where as a regular will could take awhile. You should do both.
It depends on how complicated your estate is. If you don't have anything more than a house, a savings account, and other personal items, and you are leaving it all to either a husband or birth children, it is usually possible to do what is called a holographic will, which is simply a handwritten will. You should date it and if possible get witnesses to sign it(people who are not named in the will) and then mail it to yourself for a postmark date. Now, I'm not going to tell you this positively since this is the custom most everywhere but may not be in Louisiana, but you should be able to call the local probate court and ask if they accept holographic wills.

There are also a couple of websites that will let you do a fill in the blank will that they can then print out and either fax or mail to you for a small fee. Legalzoom.com comes to mind, but there may be others. Just google legal forms.

But if you have a more complicated estate than that or there are ex-husbands, stepchildren, etc., involved, you'll save everybody a lot of trouble if you have it drawn up by a lawyer.
Only a lawyer can prepare a Will for you. Writing a will, like any other form of practicing law, is strictly regulated. Anyone who drafts a Will for someone else is practicing law without a license. A notary public (unless he/she is also a lawyer) cannot do it for you.

You can also write it yourself, but unless it is a very simple Will (such as 'I leave all my property to my wife.'), you run the risk of it not saying what you think it will say. If that happens, you would only be creating headaches for the loved ones you leave behind.

Most Wills are not that expensive. If you need help finding a lawyer, try calling you local county (or parish) bar association to see if they have any kind of lawyer referral service. Do yourself a favor and see a lawyer.

ADDED INFO:

Do NOT have a notary public write your Will. In some states notaries may assist in the execution of a Will, but in no state can they draft, prepare or in any way help the testator write the Will. That would be illegal.

Another poster wants you to see a notary and talks about holographic wills (self-written), but also quotes Louisiana statutes as saying 'any deviation from the formalities would deem this type of will invalid.' Note that it says ANY deviation from the formalities. Do you know what those formailities are? If not, you'd better see a lawyer. Only a lawyer can legally answer your detailed questions.
There are 'do-it-yourself' will-kits available. Ive seen them for sale at Staples...its best to get it notarized after you complete it, however.
If you will is specific on who gets what, without any possible dispute, a notary would be fine...if not, you will be dead so your heirs can fight over what you meant to say vs. how they interpreted it.

People get ugly over who gets what! My husband's ex-wife got 25% of a house purchased by her grandmother - willed to her mother and her mother's brother. Mom died and she thinks the UNCLE shouldnt get 'her' share! MOM and UNCLE were willed the house...she is an heir of an heir and has a problem with it! She also took money and assets from the home - lived there for months for free and still thinks she should have been able to have the house - even though she has no job, money, etc...she does have a sense of entitlement.too bad she cant spend that!

Like I said, you'll be dead...
You can do your own will in the presence of a notary and at least 2 witnesses who will sign it too, BUT it is always best to have a lawyer do it. This is just because there are always going to be things you haven't thought of. Lawyers deal with them every day though, and their assistance with this can head off any potential problems after you're gone. If you don't have a whole lot of assets, you just need a simple will and they are not really expensive to have done.
First of all, an attorney is NOT required to create a will in Louisiana, so anyone who answer yes to this question and claims to be an attorney needs to go back to law school

FURTHERMORE, Holographic Wills are allowed in Louisiana A holographic will is one entirely written, dated, and signed in the handwriting of the testator. Louisiana laws have specific requirements regarding handwritten wills, and any deviation from the formalities would deem this type of will invalid. Louisiana CC 1575.

FURTHERMORE, there is no stautory requirment as to age a person must have reached to make a will.

The notarial testament shall be prepared in writing and dated and shall be executed in the following manner. If the testator knows how to sign his name and to read and is physically able to do both, then:
(1) In the presence of a notary and two competent witnesses, the testator shall declare or signify to them that the instrument is his testament and shall sign his name at the end of the testament and on each other separate page.
(2) In the presence of the testator and each other, the notary and the witnesses shall sign the following declaration, or one substantially similar: 'In our presence the testator has declared or signified that this instrument is his testament and has signed it at the end and on each other separate page, and in the presence of the testator and each other we have hereunto subscribed our names this ____day of _________, ____.'
Louisiana CC 1577.
A will is your last testament as to what you want done with your belongings, (estate) and your remains. Depending on how large your 'estate' is, and how complicated your financial holdings are, you could write your own will, and have it notarized. The problem is, different states treat 'estates' differently, and a probate judge may disallow any, or all of your will that does not run in accordance with that state's law. Only an attorney can tell you what is, and is not allowed in the state you live. It is best to have a will drawn up by an attorney, and filed in the county courthouse of the county and state you live in. You could avoid months or even years of your estate being tied up in probate court, and thousands of dollars of legal fees, building up against your estate. Name someone whom you trust completely, as the 'executor' of your will. That would be someone who will 'execute' the terms of your last wishes to the letter.
Attorney fees vary greatly, but you should be able to have a will drawn up and filed, for less than $500.00. Make sure you read it very carefully to make sure it says exactly what you want it to say. Remember, it is the very LAST thing you'll ever say on this earth! The attorney's fee would be money well spent.
These answers must be confusing. I am no lawyer but for the most part in my extended family all over the US I am the executer, set up finances for the older ones and have dealt with over 20 estates. So I have gotten pretty schooled at this sort of thing and have seen it all.

Yes you can 'do it yourself'. But often they are constestable for various minor reasons. A lawyer would be able to point out all sorts of things that you may have never thought of making sure your heirs do not have to deal with potential problems.

Example.... say you own a home, have some savings, insurance or whatnot and are worth a total of say $300,000. You do it yourself and name an executor. The government will take its big slice... say $30,000. What happens often is that someone leaves a house to a person. The person dies and then the person who inherited the house owes $20,000 in taxes which usually they can not afford so they are forced to sell the house way below market value and end up with nothing much.

A lawyer can advise in all sorts of things. Number one is a limited power of attorney that goes in effect if you die which will make things easier for the executor. Say before that you are sick or incapacitated.... the executor can acsess funds, deal with health insurance and such. Or what I have seen often is that one person in a family is not deemed the ultimate person to make medical decisions. Otherwise sane families suddenly start fighting about stuff while the doctors are saying 'decide now'.

A lawyer can set things up like living trusts and such so that instead of the government taking a huge amount of money you can instead leave it to someone else.

Now if you do some research you can tell the lawyer what you are interested in. $400 or whatnot to tighten it all up will be paid back tenfold should anything happen.
I live in Lousiana to, it's better to go to a lawyer, because there could be succession issues lingering after you die. It's more professional, and will cause less problems for your family after you pass.


Answer:
No. I agree with Hexeliebe. In fact you can go on line and do your own will for free. Here is a good site, that cost you 3.95 to do a will right on line.

http://www.doyourownwill.com/

Here are a couple free ones.

www.ilrg.com/forms/lastwill.ht...
www.ilrg.com/forms/lastwill-ma... -

What I don't understand is why would the Lawyers claim you need a lawyer. ummmmmmmmm
in louisiana there is no such thing as a 'holographic' will. It is called an oliographic will. Louisiana does not recognize pre-printed will forms as oliographic wills. Anything not in your handwriting will be ignored by the court. Because we still have forced heirship to a limited extent and because it is easy to screw up I think you should see a lawyer.