Those are valid points, but they don't justify what happened next. Under pressure from the Florida Bar and Florida Bankers Association, legislators last year handed estate professionals a license to steal. The executor cleans up, too. Don't think a living trust will necessarily avoid this penalty. Lawyers can now take a 1 percent cut of assets that bypass probate in large trusts.
Heirs can save money by negotiating a lower fee or challenging an excessive one in court.
While decent lawyers are not abusing the new law, unscrupulous ones are.