Neptune vs Morgan Legal Group: Online Estate Planning in NYC, Compared
For New York couples building real assets, estate planning is the next conversation after the prenup. You have a 401(k), maybe a brownstone in Park Slope, a brokerage account, and a baby on the way. Two options keep coming up in NYC searches: Morgan Legal Group, a 20-year NYC firm with published flat fees, and Neptune, a flat-fee online concierge that pairs couples with vetted estate planning attorneys for $2,500 all-in. The price difference between the two comes from how each model uses attorney time: Neptune uses AI to handle the intake and document gathering that traditionally eats billable hours, so the attorney spends their time on drafting, review, and legal judgment. This is how they actually compare.
Key takeaways
- Neptune delivers a complete estate plan (revocable trust, wills, healthcare directives, powers of attorney, guardian designations) for $2,500 flat, with both spouses guided through the process together.
- Morgan Legal Group publishes flat fees: their Estate Planning Package is $3,995, and a separate Living Trust starts at $4,000+. A complete couple's estate plan with trust at Morgan Legal runs $7,995+ at their published rates.
- Both produce New York compliant documents, but the workflows are different. Neptune uses AI to handle the intake and document gathering that traditionally consumes attorney hours, so attorney time is focused on drafting and review. That efficiency is the reason Neptune's flat fee is lower than a traditional firm's. Morgan Legal is in-person and attorney-paced from day one.
- For NYC couples under the $7.35 million New York estate tax exemption, Neptune covers the full document set most families actually need.
- For estates over the New York "cliff," with multi-entity business succession needs, or with multi-state real estate, a traditional firm like Morgan Legal Group is the better fit.
Neptune vs Morgan Legal Group: What Sets Them Apart
1. What do they do?
Neptune: An online estate planning concierge for couples. Neptune pairs each couple with vetted estate planning attorneys, handles the back and forth, and delivers a complete estate plan package: a revocable living trust, pour-over wills, healthcare directives, durable powers of attorney, and guardian designations for minor children. Everything is built around couples planning together.
Morgan Legal Group: A New York City law firm founded by Russel Morgan, serving the five boroughs and Long Island. Estate planning is one practice area among several, alongside elder law, probate, business succession, and family law. The firm has served 5,000+ families over more than 20 years and runs a traditional client-attorney model with in-office consultations.
2. Are lawyers involved?
Neptune: Yes. Every Neptune estate plan is drafted and reviewed by a licensed New York estate planning attorney from Neptune's vetted network. Couples get direct attorney access for questions. Neptune is not a law firm itself; it acts as a concierge layer that pairs couples with attorneys and runs the process.
Morgan Legal Group: Yes. Documents are drafted by Morgan Legal Group attorneys, with paralegal support. Senior partners handle complex estates; associates handle standard work. Engagement starts with an in-person or video consultation.
3. How is the process structured?
Neptune: AI-led intake, then direct work with an attorney. Both partners use Neptune's AI to map your assets, beneficiaries, guardians, and healthcare wishes upfront, on your own time. By the time you connect with your estate planning attorney, the discovery work is done. You then work directly with the attorney to draft, review, and finalize, with platform messaging available between calls. Most couples complete the plan in two to four weeks. The timeline is compressed because the intake is, not because attorney involvement is, and the flat fee is lower for the same reason: AI does the non-attorney work that traditionally inflates legal bills.
Morgan Legal Group: Sequential and attorney-paced. Initial consultation, a follow-up to discuss strategy, a drafting period, a review meeting, and a signing meeting. Most engagements run six to twelve weeks. Document execution is typically handled in office with witnesses and a notary.
4. What does it cost?
Neptune: $2,500 flat, all-in. That covers both partners, all five core documents (revocable trust, wills, healthcare directives, powers of attorney, guardian designations), attorney drafting and review, and any back and forth during the engagement. No hourly meter. The lower price is structural: AI handles the intake, asset gathering, and beneficiary mapping that traditionally consume attorney hours, so the licensed estate planning attorney's time is focused on drafting, legal judgment, and review.
Morgan Legal Group: Published flat fees for standard packages, with hourly billing for matters that fall outside them. Their Estate Planning Package is priced at $3,995 and covers the core document set. A Living Trust (the standard probate-avoidance instrument for NYC couples with appreciable assets) is priced separately starting at $4,000+. A complete couple's estate plan with trust at Morgan Legal therefore runs $7,995+ at their published rates. Hourly rates for senior NYC estate attorneys generally run $400 to $600+ per hour for matters that fall outside the flat-fee packages.
5. Who is it built for?
Neptune: Dual-career couples at top companies who have real assets to plan around together. Engineers, physicians, consultants, lawyers, finance professionals, founders. Often with complex finances, vesting equity, or an inheritance in the picture. Most are in their late 20s through 40s, somewhere on the arc from pre-marriage to first kids. Neptune is built to be the long-term partner across the legal and financial admin that comes with partnership: prenup before the wedding, estate plan after the wedding, joint taxes, and updates as life changes. One place that handles it as your situation grows.
Morgan Legal Group: A traditional NYC firm with a broader practice mix. Especially well-suited to estates with multi-entity business succession, multi-state real estate, blended families with complex succession, or assets near or above the New York estate tax exemption. Also the right call when elder law, Medicaid asset protection planning, or probate administration are central to the work, areas Neptune does not handle.
Feature Comparison
Pricing model
- Neptune: $2,500 flat, includes both spouses and the full document set with trust
- Morgan Legal: flat fees per package, $3,995 Estate Planning Package plus $4,000+ Living Trust priced separately, $7,995+ for a comparable couple's plan with trust
Documents included
- Neptune: revocable trust, wills, healthcare directives, powers of attorney, guardian designations
- Morgan Legal: same core set when both packages are bundled, plus add-on options like irrevocable trusts, business succession plans, and Medicaid asset protection trusts
Couple-first design
- Neptune: built for two partners planning together inside one workflow
- Morgan Legal: traditional one-client engagement model; couples are often handled as parallel matters
Time to complete
- Neptune: 2 to 4 weeks
- Morgan Legal: 6 to 12 weeks
Where you do the work
- Neptune: online intake on your schedule, then direct calls and platform messaging with your attorney for drafting and review
- Morgan Legal: NYC offices, in-person meetings preferred
Best for complex estates
- Neptune: not the right fit for estates above the NY exemption or with complex multi-entity business succession needs
- Morgan Legal: yes, including taxable estates and business succession
Weighing the Pros and Cons
Neptune
Pros:
- Flat $2,500 covers both partners and the full core document set with trust
- Lower price than a traditional firm because AI handles intake and document gathering that traditionally eats attorney hours, not because attorney involvement is reduced
- Built for couples, not individuals
- Tech-enabled for couples who want fast, efficient document gathering and direct messaging with their estate planning attorney
- Vetted estate planning attorneys handle drafting and review
- Two to four week turnaround
- Designed as a long-term partner across the legal and financial admin of partnership, including prenup, estate plan, joint taxes, and ongoing updates
Cons:
- Currently designed for standard estate plans; very large estates or complex multi-entity business succession are routed to traditional firms
- New York couples on the waitlist as Neptune ramps state coverage post-launch
Morgan Legal Group
Pros:
- Two-decade NYC track record across estate planning, probate, and elder law
- Published flat fees for standard packages bring transparency to a market that often does not
- Deep bench for taxable estates, business succession, and Medicaid planning
- In-person engagement model for clients who prefer it
- Right specialist for elder law, Medicaid asset protection, and probate administration, which are areas Neptune does not currently handle
Cons:
- A complete couple's estate plan with trust requires bundling the Estate Planning Package ($3,995) with a separately priced Living Trust ($4,000+), bringing the all-in cost to $7,995+ before any hourly add-ons
- Six to twelve week timeline is standard
- Couples are typically handled as parallel engagements rather than one joint workflow
- Most accessible for clients comfortable with traditional law firm pace and process
Bottom line: Which fits your situation?
If you and your partner are a dual-career NYC couple with real assets, no multi-entity business interests, and an estate well under the New York estate tax cliff, Neptune is built for you. That includes professionals with vesting equity, founders earlier in the journey, and couples with an inheritance in the picture. You get a complete plan with the trust included in the flat fee, AI handling the intake and document gathering that traditionally consumes attorney hours, and direct work with your estate planning attorney for drafting and review. The flat fee is structurally lower than a traditional firm's because AI does the non-attorney work, not because attorney involvement is cut.
If your estate is approaching the $7.35 million New York exemption, if you have multi-entity business succession needs, or if you need elder law, Medicaid asset protection planning, or probate administration as part of the work, Morgan Legal Group is the more natural choice. Their published flat fees make them a reasonable comparison on price, and their broader practice mix covers the specialized estate-adjacent work that Neptune does not currently handle.
Plenty of NYC couples use Neptune as their long-term partner for the legal and financial admin of partnership, from prenup through estate plan through ongoing updates, and engage a traditional firm only when their situation eventually calls for elder law, Medicaid planning, or other work outside Neptune's scope.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Neptune's estate plan valid in New York?
Yes. Every Neptune estate plan is drafted by a licensed New York estate planning attorney from Neptune's vetted network. The documents are New York compliant and executed under New York Estates, Powers & Trusts Law (EPTL) Article 7 for trusts and the corresponding will execution rules under EPTL Section 3-2.1.
How does Neptune handle the New York estate tax cliff?
Under New York Tax Law Section 952, the state estate tax kicks in once an estate exceeds the $7.35 million exemption, and the cliff means estates more than 5% above the exemption owe tax on the entire estate. Neptune's standard plan includes a revocable living trust and the core documents most NY couples need under the state exemption. For estates approaching or above the cliff, Neptune's attorneys will tell you upfront if you need more specialized planning, like a credit shelter trust or QTIP structure, and can refer out to a traditional firm if needed.
How does Morgan Legal Group's pricing actually work?
Morgan Legal Group publishes flat fees for their standard packages. Their Estate Planning Package is $3,995. A Living Trust is priced separately starting at $4,000+. Two Will Packages for a married couple (wills only, no trust) is $2,500. Matters that fall outside the flat-fee packages, including complex tax planning, business succession across multiple entities, or contested probate, are billed hourly.
Why is Neptune's $2,500 fee lower than Morgan Legal's $7,995+ for a comparable estate plan?
The price difference reflects how each model uses attorney time. At a traditional firm, the attorney spends meaningful hours on intake, asset gathering, beneficiary mapping, and document organization, all of which are billable. At Neptune, AI handles that work upfront, so the attorney's time is concentrated on the parts that require legal judgment: drafting, customization, review, and finalization. The flat fee is lower because the attorney is more efficient, not because attorney involvement is reduced. Every Neptune estate plan is still drafted and reviewed by a licensed New York estate planning attorney from the vetted network.
Can I use Neptune if I have startup equity or own a business?
Often, yes. Neptune's attorneys are used to working with couples whose finances include startup equity, vesting cap-table positions, professional services LLCs, or inheritances. The situations they route out are multi-entity business succession (where succession itself is the central planning question), businesses with significant outside investors needing tailored arrangements, or estates above the NY exemption that need taxable-estate planning. A Neptune attorney will tell you upfront if your situation falls into one of those categories.
Can I use Neptune if I already have a will or trust?
Yes. Many couples come to Neptune with outdated wills from a prior decade or a trust from before they had children. Neptune attorneys review what you have, identify gaps, and rebuild the plan around your current life.
What happens after the plan is signed?
Neptune's plans are revocable and can be updated as your life changes. Major changes (a new child, a property purchase, a move out of state) are good reasons to update. Neptune supports updates as part of the ongoing relationship. Morgan Legal handles updates on a per-engagement basis.
Does Neptune handle probate if something happens?
Neptune focuses on planning, not probate administration. If your trust is properly funded, most of your estate avoids probate entirely. For estates that still need probate, Neptune can refer you to firms that handle that specific work.