Reasonable Attorney Fees to Settle an Estate - Pennsylvania

I am in charge of settling my aunt’s estate in the state of PA. She had a will and trust. I have never done this before so I met with an attorney who was recommended by two trusted neighbors (both used this attorney for the same purpose). Things are pretty straightforward - she owned her house outright, no debt, no business to sell, 2 investment accounts with a major financial firm.

During my initial meeting, we discussed a lot of the basics such as my aunt’s assets, how the process works, etc. I told the attorney there are 13 beneficiaries. I asked about the fees and asked for a ballpark figure. I was told $7,500 To settle the estate.

Well . . . . I received via e-mail a draft of the PA inheritance tax return (submitting it now to take advantage of the 5% discount for paying within 90 days of death) and nearly fell off my chair when I saw the attorney’s fee listed as $19,500!! Needless to say, I was shocked. I know the $7,500 was a ballpark. I know that was VERY unlikely to be the final cost. However, I would never have guessed the total would be $19,500. The attorney never said anything along the way to let me know the actual cost will be MUCH higher than the estimate I was given.

I will be calling the attorney first thing tomorrow morning to discuss this. Does anyone have words of wisdom or insight how the heck the attorney fee jumped to $19,500? TIA