Though you didn't have any written agreement with the attorney, it seemed that you have had the “express contract” with him, which means the contract can be oral agreement… Or it could be an “implied” contract… (I shouldn’t make further comments, for I didn't pay much attention on my business law class.)

Charging $650 for a complicated tax return is reasonable here (). BUT you need to be well aware of several issues:

• He is the paid preparer who is required by law to sign your 1040 ( the very bottom area).
• Although he signs the return, YOU are responsible for the accuracy of every single item on your own return…
• The law did say that it is a felony crime which can throw the paid preparer in prison and fine him, but it rarely works out in such “small scale”…
• When your return gets challenge by IRS, only Enrolled Agent, CPA and Tax attorney can represent you before IRS for appeals. (other paid prepares only can represent in audits.) Make sure your attorney’s credentials.

Regarding the will, I believe you have had heard of Anna Nicole Smith’s case…You should be cautious if your attorney’s knowledge, attitude and ethics meet your needs… Sometimes “有些专业人士简直是业余人士”. (Yesterday I met with a couple. Their attorney told them to change the primary beneficiary of their IRAs to their family trust… This guy has absolutely no idea about IRA’s inheritance rule…)  

As long as there isn’t very complex, you can do it yourself… I recommend you get some legal books (NOLO --- www.nolo.com ) from your local bookstore.  If you have to work with your attorney under the contract, you should at least have some self-education…

Disclaimer ---

Any specific questions should be directed to your tax professional.

以上意见纯属个人观点, 贪玩而已. 话一出口, 概不负责.

如果你对我的回答有质疑, 请到下列网站找正确答案---

税 --->IRS , 一切以publication为准,

投资常识 ---> SEC , NASD,

投资数据 --> Morningstar,

保险 ---> 各州insurance department,

Financial planning ---> CFP

 
我不推荐投资公司的出版物. 此外, 每家公司有不同的compliance标准, 过往的经验不代表现在的经历. 在patriot act实行以后, 有些表格和条款是必须的…

是这个律师不地道。

如果按律师的小时费算， $650 不能算贵。可是这件事，这个律师好像并不是以律师的身份来报税的，因为

1）他没有和你们签任何书面合同 （Attorney Retainer Agreement），仅就这一点，你就不用付这笔钱。 因为 In many states, written fee agreements are required for the attorney to enforce the terms of the attorney-client agreement. 查查你的state law.

2）他开始口头上的报价和最终报价不符。

不过实际操作和道理上是两回事，看你愿不愿意折腾了！

We asked HR block to do our tax return report first,They told me the price range is 150-300.Then after one weekend,they told us it'd be 500 dollars...!!We said " No Way!"

So we found a Chinese CPA.She charged us 200 which is acceptable.

我们找H&R block的人报的。也涉及跨州，最后作了一份joint federal tax, 三份seperate的州税。没有房产的问题。一共185刀吧（大概这个数）

说实话你找一个美国人cpa报确实要这么多。不过找中国人的话可能就便宜多了