Getting Started With Us

How We Work With Our Clients:

 

Let’s Have a Conversation

A 15-minute introductory call to understand your goals and needs.

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Life & Legacy Planning Session (60 - 90 minutes) 

You will learn about something really important called an "estate plan." It's like a special plan to take care of your family and everything you own in case something unexpected happens. We'll explore what could happen if, for some reason, you couldn't be there for your family anymore. We will review the state’s default plan for you, and if you do not prefer that, we will review how to get the right plan in place for you and your family.

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We'll work on ways to make sure your family feels safe and looked after. It's like creating a safety plan for your family's future. I'll need to know some information about your family (Client Homework), but don't worry; it's all confidential. With that information, we can create a personalized plan just for you and your loved ones. You will feel more organized than ever before because you will have a complete list of your assets ready for your family in case of any emergency. It's like putting all the right pieces together to make sure everything is in order before you need it.

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Note: We require a credit card to hold your appointment slot. Nothing will be charged except in cases of last-minute cancellations or no-shows.

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Plan Review & Finalize

After we have decided to work together to develop your personalized estate plan and completed the plan design during the Life & Legacy session (sometimes in 2 parts), you will receive a complete list of all the choices and decisions you made about your estate plan with my guidance. This includes a list of your key people named as guardians, executors, powers of attorney, and trustees, along with other important decisions to complete your design. You will have the opportunity to review, finalize, and approve everything before I start drafting your plan.

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Signing Ceremony

Yes, it is a ceremony! We will review all of your legal documents together and identify the personalized provisions specific to your family and decisions. This ceremony is done with the notary and witnesses to comply with the legal requirements to make sure everything is done properly.

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Funding Your Trust

If you have chosen a Trust (Revocable Living Trust) as the cornerstone of your estate plan then we will discuss the steps to funding that trust. This step is vital to make sure you have updated ownership and beneficiaries of your assets in alignment with your new estate plan. We go over exactly how this is done and we are there to either do it for you or provide the guidance needed to get it done for your existing assets as well as new assets you acquire over time. Once you fund your Living Trust, you can rest assured knowing everything will pass to your family just how you intend.

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Family Legacy Interview

This is my favorite part!! The Family Legacy Interview is one of the intrinsic values you can pass on to your family and loved ones and is a hallmark of working with a Personal Family Lawyer. I provide you with topics to consider before we meet to record a loving video for posterity, including important values and traditions for your children or loved ones, what matters most to you, words of wisdom, and anything you want your family to know about you and your desires for them now and through life.  This is truly about leaving a Legacy!

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Take Comfort In Your New Plan

Before you celebrate and take a sigh of relief, we will work together to make sure your nominated agents (fiduciaries) are notified of the trust you have placed in their roles in your estate plan.  We will even help facilitate the conversation with your agents if you would like us to.  It’s a way to make sure the key people named in your plan have exactly what they need to act in both an emergency and for any ongoing administration of your estate. We help you inform the key people with the right information at the right time so that they are not caught off guard if anything happens to you and they need to act.

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Ongoing Relationship

We work to maintain a lifelong relationship with you. Life changes, tax changes, family dynamics change, and we are right here for you through it all. Your estate plan is not a “one and done” event, its  an ongoing show of love for your family. We offer a 3-year courtesy review of your estate plan and a membership plan for more frequent reviews and updates.