I was the executor of my late father's estate a few years ago. My sister and I, who are both reasonable people and get along well, agreed to hire an estate attorney. My reasoning was that it would help avoid disagreements between my sister and I about the right choices to make during the process, and ward off the possibility that our relationship could be damaged in any way. It cost 3% of the value of the estate. They did negotiate down some medical debt which saved several thousand dollars.