Initial Consultations and Retaining or Attorneys:  Our firm does not charge for initial consultations. We have an initial meeting with estate planning clients to get to know them. We discuss any special circumstances and objectives, and we confidentially discuss all pertinent aspects of their finances. We then provide an easy to understand explanation of the work we recommend, its cost, and the timetable for completion. When an initial understanding is reached as to the scope of work to meet the client’s goals, we provide a Retention Letter that outlines the scope of work, the fee to be charged, and the ethics and guidelines that govern our attorney-client relationship. We commence work after our attorney-client relationship is confirmed through execution of the Retention Letter, making it the agreement that governs our representation and work.

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Scope of Simple Estate Planning Legal Work:  After providing a clear, understandable explanation of the legal work to be completed and confirming our engagement, we draft power of attorney documents that designate who will manage and make decisions about financial and medical matters if our clients are unable due to illness or incapacity. Simple plans also include wills, often with trust provisions to manage inheritance for children or spouses with trusts after death. For some clients, we draft revocable trusts to avoid probate and to simplify matters at death.

 

These documents include:

 

• General Financial Power of Attorney Designating Spouse, Child, or Trusted Other to Manage Financial Affairs if Unable

• Medical Power of Attorney Authorizing Spouse, Child, or Others to Make Medical Decisions if Unable

• Living Wills in which Directions are made Regarding End of Life Medical Issues and Treatment

• Simple Wills

• Revocable “Living” Trusts

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More Complex Estate Planning Legal Work:  When the scope of our estate planning work is more complex due to our client’s high net worth or concerns regarding management and preservation of inheritance for spouses or children after death, our firm also offers:

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• Wills with Trusts for Children or Spouses

• Wills with Tax Shelter Trusts

• Estate Plans for Clients who have Children from Prior Marriages

• Irrevocable Trusts including Life Insurance Trusts

• Supplemental and Special-needs Trusts

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When appropriate our clients authorize their financial advisers and accountants to work with us to address estate plans involving retirement accounts, income tax considerations, and potential consequences of various estate planning options.

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Legal Fees:  Our attorneys want our clients to be satisfied with both the quality of our legal services and the reasonableness of the fees we charge for those services. As a result the majority of our Estate Planning work is done by our attorneys at a flat rate that is explained and agreed upon at our initial free consultation. The flat rates we charge are based upon our experience performing the work, and the time that we anticipate it will take to complete it. The majority of our clients prefer this to an hourly fee approach. It is our primary goal when determining a fee for any work we perform that it be both fair and reasonable and it is our experience in discussing fees with new clients that they are pleased with the fairness of our fees in comparison to those quoted by other attorneys and law firms. That said, some of our more complex work is performed at our an hourly attorney fee rates due to the complexity and scope of the issues involved.