Jibberish

Buck · Feb 17, 2005

Last week I drafted a purchase offer for 6 acres of woods that adjoins by woods. The offer was accepted (signed) by the owners.

This morning I faxed the offer with a map to my attorneys office.

I got a call from the secretary telling me that my attorney was out of town and wouldn't be able to attend to the matter until next week. She also said that my purchase offer was unacceptable. I said why?, I put down $2000 as down payment (consideration), set a closing date and identified the property clearly in a map.

She said: "Well, I think you need to put more jibberish around it".....

She was quite serious.

AndyM · Feb 17, 2005

She said: "Well, I think you need to put more jibberish around it".....

She was quite serious. 

That must be the technical they use? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Buck · Feb 17, 2005

I think she meant: "Incomprehensible crap". Like "Know all men by these words" .....

The last purchase offer I made through an attorney was misirable, undated signatures, unfilled out areas of the contract with no explaination. I just don't feel like playing those games anymore. I am a person with my word and so is the seller. Let it be that.

Best of luck,
Buck

Phils · Feb 18, 2005

It's called "job justification". If there was nothing for your attorney's office to add or change, they probably feel you wouldn't see the value in their fees.

Duhh.

Phil

slowrev · Feb 18, 2005

I always called it legaleze.

Remember just because it's legal don't make it right.

Wingnut · Feb 18, 2005

I'd have to agree with Phil ... my translation was "at $100/hr" we wouldn't make 50 cents off this agreement ..."

Bird · Feb 18, 2005

Wait until you see what he charges for adding the jibberish. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I've called 3 attorneys' offices today to inquire about the cost of updating our wills; very simple ones, we'd each leave everything to the other if one of us dies, and equally split between our two daughters when both of us are gone. Our current wills are 28 years old; done when the girls were 8 and 11 years old, so many things there can be eliminated. I've gotten estimates of $475 to $1,000 for doing such wills. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Henro · Feb 18, 2005

Bird,

Our situation is a little different because tax laws treat non-citizen spouses differently than citizens.

So we also went to a lawyer to get wills made up, and ended up setting up trusts that will come into effect when one of us kicks off.

What amazed me the most was that it really was not rocket science. If the paperwork just had blanks to fill in with names and addresses, and was properly whitnessed and notorized, it would really work for anyone. I asked and was told that nothing need be regestered with the government or anything.

So now I wonder about the "PC Attorney" type software that is out there...it sure seems to me that a software program could, in the case of simple generic things like simple wills for those of us that are of relatively simple means, could give us about the same result as what the high priced lawyer provides, but at a fraction of the cost.

I don't remember for sure, but I think we ended up paying something between $1,500 and 2K. And I got the impression that it was simply something from the file that had our names plugged in, in place of someone elses.

Heck, Turbo Tax seems to do a pretty good job, doesn't it? Thinking out loud now... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Currmudgeon · Feb 18, 2005

( I always called it legaleze. )

She's just being honest. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Currmudgeon · Feb 18, 2005

( So now I wonder about the "PC Attorney" type software that is out there...it sure seems to me that a software program could, in the case of simple generic things like simple wills for those of us that are of relatively simple means, could give us about the same result as what the high priced lawyer provides, but at a fraction of the cost. )

According to my attorney, those things are pretty good, provided your situation mathes what it says on the form. If you have any differences in situation, then the canned form may be deficient, and may leave something critical out. Those left out bits aren't necessarily obvious to the layman, or even an attorney who hasn't experienced a problem in the left out area. This is where your attorney may be valuable. If he asks the right questions and adds the right paragraph, he's earned kis fee. If he asks the right questions, and still changes nothing on the canned form, he's still earned his fee. If he just pushes <PRINT> on the computer and says "sign here." he was less valuable than the canned form.

We write our own dog sales contracts, and have never had a problem. Then again, we haven't had to sue anyone, either. Whenever someone we know has a problem we consider whether we should add a paragraph to cover that.