Q: The attorney I contacts wants a $4k retainer, and frankly I don’t really want to lay out that kind of money if I can take matters into my own hands to settle the estate. (Carnegie, PA)

A: It sounds like since there is real estate in your father’s estate, it is necessary to open an estate. Without knowing more about the estate, it is impossible to opine whether the fee that was quoted is fair or not. You need to call several lawyers and get prices. You do not need to hire the lawyer who wrote the will. Estate work, if done the right way, is very tedious and time consuming. the more heirs and the more assets, the more time is involved for the attorney. It is not a form filling practice like many lay people think. I recommend that you hire a lawyer but interview several before you do.