Create an Enduring Power of Attorney from $120 @ Spilt Milk Law (Wellington Only)

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AssociatedSpiltMilk on 12/03/2024 - 11:40 app.spiltmilk.nz (459 clicks)
Last edited 12/03/2024 - 11:41 by 1 other user

CHEAPIES

If you're located in Wellington (or passing through), I've got a pretty sweet deal on enduring powers of attorney.

An enduring power of attorney is a legal document that gives someone you trust the power to make decisions about either your health and welfare or your property if you become unable to. An EPA has to be witnessed by a lawyer, legal executive or trustee company (e.g. Public Trust). It's a little perplexing to me how lawyers and even Public Trust charge so much for EPAs.

I'm offering EPAs from $150. Simply fill out the standard EPA forms as best you can, upload them at spiltmilk.nz, and schedule a time to meet in person to sign the EPAs.

Product	Document review fee	Witnessing and verbal advice fee	Total fee
Personal care and welfare EPA only - 1 Person	$140	$10	$150
Property EPA only - 1 Person	$140	$10	$150
Both EPAs - 1 Person	$210	$10	$220
Personal care and welfare EPA only - 2 People mutually appointing each other, 1 Appointment	$250	$10	$260
Property EPA only - 2 People mutually appointing each other, 1 Appointment	$250	$10	$260
Both EPAs - 2 People mutually appointing each other, 1 Appointment	$390	$10	$400

Cheapies users have been some of the biggest supporters of the work I'm doing to make legal services more affordable, and so I'm offering a further $30 off using promo code CHEAPIES. That takes the personal care and welfare EPA for 1 person down to $120, and both EPAs for two people down to $370.

Unfortunately this deal is Wellington-only for now, as I need to see each client in person in my office for the witnessing. While the COVID-19 'epidemic preparedness notice' was in force, lawyers could witness EPAs by video call, but this temporary law change has sadly come to an end. If there's good demand for cheap EPAs then I might consider holding clinics in some other places from time-to-time too.

Is this a deal? I think so. I'm not aware of anyone doing these cheaper, although seemingly not many firms publish fixed fees for EPAs online so it's hard to compare.

Product	Spilt Milk Law	Public Trust	Another lawyer	Another lawyer
Personal care and welfare EPA only - 1 Person	$150	$219	$-	$400 - $500
Property EPA only - 1 Person	$150	$219	$-	$400 - $500
Both EPAs - 1 Person	$220	$438	$350	$-
Personal care and welfare EPA only - 2 People mutually appointing each other	$260	$329	$-	$800 - $1000
Property EPA only - 2 People mutually appointing each other	$260	$329	$-	$800 - $1000
Both EPAs - 2 People mutually appointing each other	$400	$658	$600	$-

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  Foodie on 12/03/2024 - 11:44

  You only require to see the person setting up the epa and not the person who is being set as the epa?

  • 

    AssociatedSpiltMilk @ Split Milk Law on 12/03/2024 - 11:46

    Correct. I need to see the donor (the person whose property and/or personal care and welfare is the subject of the EPA) but not the donee (the person who is being given the authority to act under the EPA).

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  Jaxson on 12/03/2024 - 14:25

  How does this relate to a will, and can you offer a Full Monty offering that covers both for two people in a married relationship?

  Also, what format does the final product come in?
  In terms of where does the form live etc so it can be produced in the event of a death or significant decline etc that would trigger the EPA?
  Ie Is there a standardised place for these to be lodged somewhere online or is it hardcopy/other?

  • 

    AssociatedSpiltMilk @ Split Milk Law on 12/03/2024 - 17:09

    +5

    A will sets out how your assets should be distributed when you die. It also allows you to appoint a testamentary guardian of any children you might have and can be a way of expressing some wishes about how your body is dealt with, although these two uses of a will are not strictly legally binding.

    In contrast, an EPA gives someone power to look after your property or make decisions about your personal care while you are still alive but lack the ability to make your own decisions. It prevents your spouse, partner, or family having to apply to the Family Court for a personal order and/or a property order (which can be a stressful process, and which also only gives an order that lasts for a few years before needing renewal).

    Final product is a hard-copy signed document. Some (but not all) lawyers do agree to keep documents in a safe for clients, but with my low-fee limited-retainer approach this isn't an option. Instead, I'd recommend scanning a copy of the document for safe keeping online and keeping the original in a document safe (pretty cheap at Bunnings) or another safe place at home.

    For a will, you really need the original hard copy (for now - hopefully in the future the law can evolve). I presume the position is similar with EPAs, but if there was some reason you didn't want to retain a hard copy then I could look into this for you.

    Re preparing wills for you and your spouse, happy to help. I haven't come up with a fixed price for this yet for the website (still a work in progress as I'm building it all myself, somewhat iteratively!), but until then I'd be happy to do a will for an additional $200 for a single person or $325 for two married/de facto partners. This pricing is for a will that would be customised to your wishes (i.e. more flexible than an online will generator), but don't hold me to that pricing if you've got some really unusual circumstances or some really complex business assets to deal with - I presume not, but if it looks more like that then I'll give you an estimate instead and you could see whether any other firms offer a better deal.

    If you're keen for that +$325 for the EPA and wills deal, PM me on here or email [email protected] and we can go from there.

    Also, I should let you know that there are some free last will generators out there. If the counterfactual is that you don't make a will at all, then I wholeheartedly recommend using a good one (e.g. https://www.cheapies.nz/node/45456). However, they're not very customisable and if you've got much in the way of assets at all then I think you're usually better to put something in place that's specific to your circumstances.

    • 

      Jaxson on 12/03/2024 - 18:36

      Excellent reply. Appreciate effort to outline that.

      Will give this some consideration now. Thank you.

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  Surreal on 12/03/2024 - 21:05

  Are the EPOA documents/templates you produce "nice" ? My parents ones are excessively long and stupidly formatted - e.g. tick boxes where the tick gets drawn next to the box. and 40 pages for one of them. Very annoying to handle.

  Those EPOAs with backup attorneys included, cost for 2 sets of the 2 EPAs was 800+GST in 2020. But then again my parents aren't as time-efficient as the approach you will be taking.

  • 

    AssociatedSpiltMilk @ Split Milk Law on 12/03/2024 - 22:24

    +1

    There is a standard-form template published by the Government and almost all lawyers (perhaps all lawyers?) will use that. I can see how it looks ugly, but changing things adds unnecessary risk and just makes it all a bit more difficult when you go to rely on the EPA… if someone's seen hundreds of standard form EPAs, then I presume that something that looks different is going to at best slow things down a smidgen.

    Unless you're coming up with any particularly unusual conditions to put in the EPA, most of the work is providing the mandatory advice and checking that all the right boxes have been ticked (etc).

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  backfire on 17/03/2024 - 20:52

  +1

  Looks like you've linked the welfare forms instead of the property ones on your site.