Congratulations on taking the first step toward protecting your loved ones and your assets. As a boutique estate planning law firm, our emphasis is on tailoring plans that meet your specific and unique needs. We serve everyone from singles to young families to empty nesters to seniors by helping you plan for inevitable life changes, not just what happens when you pass away.
Our proven and streamlined estate planning process relieves common pain points through education, collaborative design, and ongoing maintenance so that you can choose guardians for your children, establish protection for your assets, appoint decision makers, and preserve your legacy for your loved ones.
What Happens Next?
Setting up an estate plan can feel daunting and overwhelming, which is why we’ve set up a smooth process that walks you through each step. Our team has made every effort to create a comfortable, low-pressure atmosphere so that you feel supported and informed from start to finish.
Step 1: Education
If you’re new to estate planning, or it’s been a while since you last updated your plan, we offer free in-person educational talks as well as on-demand videos that explain all the basics in a light and entertaining way. Choose the format that works best for your schedule.
Step 2: Complimentary Intro Meeting
Once you have a basic understanding of what an estate plan entails, it’s time to set up a complimentary 30-minute introductory meeting (either in person or video call) so we can learn more about your specific needs. We can talk more about our firm and how we work, go over our process, packages, and pricing, and mutually decide if we’re a good fit for each other. We can give advice on whether a Will or a Trust is better for your specific estate planning needs.
Step 3: Design Your Plan
Once you’ve decided to work with us, it’s time to schedule your Design Meeting to discuss your preferences and options, so we can customize a plan that truly works for you. Since estate planning isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor, this is a crucial strategy session during which our experienced attorneys will ask detailed questions (some of which you may not have even considered) to ensure every scenario is covered. Prior to your session, we will gather some basic information to ensure our Design Meeting is as productive as possible.
During your session, our attorneys will talk with you about a variety of potential “what-if” scenarios including guardianship and assets, explaining how you can be best protected (as well as what happens when they are left “exposed”).
Step 4: Signing Ceremony
After the Design Meeting, our attorneys will send a customized, comprehensive summary of the estate plan design selections that we discussed. Keep in mind that nothing is permanently set yet, as you’ll be able to consider those selections and discuss them with your family and loved ones. These are important decisions and we want you to feel confident in them.
Once you approve your plan selections, our attorneys will formally draft the legal documents and prepare them for signing. We then schedule your Signing Ceremony (typically three weeks after the Design meeting), where our team will walk you through each document and answer any questions. If everything is to your satisfaction, you’ll sign the documents and walk away with valuable peace of mind. We retain a digital copy of your documents in our secure storage system, to which you can always request access.
Step 5: Make Asset Updates
Once you’ve signed your plan documents, our team will give you detailed action items for updating things like real estate and vehicle titles, and financial account beneficiaries, so that your assets line up with the instructions in your estate plan. This is important business to take care of quickly, as an outdated beneficiary on a financial asset may not align with your wishes.
Step 6: Legacy Meeting and Video
The Legacy meeting is where you’ll receive your formal binder with your original estate planning documents for you to place in safekeeping. We’ll also provide a Legacy Suite of letters and legal guides that offer additional tools for you to document insights, stories, etc. and outline your personal preferences regarding your loved ones. Consider this a road map for the people you’ve named in your plan to follow.
Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to record a Legacy Video.
Step 7: Client Membership and Maintenance
Estate plans are living documents, meaning they can and should change as you go through life phases. Children grow up and no longer need guardians, or people remarry and their beneficiaries may change.
We hold our client relationships in the highest regard, and we want to make sure your plan is always holding true to your situation. Our client membership program is an easy way to ensure that your plan stays up to date. At your Legacy meeting, we’ll explain program details such as complimentary or reduced fees on future updates, secure online storage of your plan, client member only events, and more.