Becoming a Client of our
Elder Law & Estate Planning Law Firm
Family Estate and Legacy Program
For estate planning clients, our highly skilled and qualified Team follows a unique process called the “Family Estate and Legacy Program”. This process consists of seven (7) steps designed to provide comfort and clarity about the planning process and guide the client on the starting and ending points of the process and every step along the way.
Here is a visual of the 7-step “Family Estate and Legacy Program”:
It all starts with the Organizer that you complete online or manually. This gives us a starting point to analyze your current situation. It also provides us the facts to ask you the right questions. The Organizer should be completed as thoroughly as possible. The information that you provide is important for us to provide the best legal advice during our initial conference. Of course, everything is confidential.
As we begin our initial conference, we will have a Goals Conversation where we will ask you what your goals are and what concerns or obstacles may currently stand in the way of achieving those goals. This will form the basis of the estate planning solutions we recommend and give us a valuable insight into your mindset.
We charge a $250 initial consultation fee which will demonstrate your seriousness of purpose about the planning process and our time together. This fee will be applied toward an eligible estate plan if you retain our services at the end of the consultation. You will be asked at the end of the meeting to make a decision whether you want to move forward or not. Once making a commitment, you will sign our Terms of Service and pay one-half of the agreed fee in advance. We will also schedule the Signing Ceremony which typically is set 5-6 weeks out.
Step 3 is the Design and Responsibility Conversation which we will have if you decide to move forward with us. As part of the Design Conversation, we will work together to design a will or trust plan that meets your needs based on your goals and concerns and given your family and financial situation. There is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” estate plan. We quote a flat price so that you know the amount of your planning investment at the front end.
We also will have the all-important Responsibility Conversation with you. We will review who should help you manage your affairs and carry out your final wishes if you can’t anymore. Appointing trusted people to important decision-making roles is an often neglected but vital element of any good estate plan.
Next, we move to Step 4, the Document Builder. We will prepare your legal documents based upon the particular needs and specifications you share with us during the Design and Responsibility Conversation. We will send you easy to read summaries and a flowchart. You will have plenty of time to ask questions and make changes. Once your questions are answered and any changes are made, we will be ready to go at the Signing Ceremony.
The Advisor Coordinator is Step 5. We here at Team Legacy are big believers in this step. You may have a trusted financial advisor or CPA that you would like involved in the planning process. We are more than happy to plug them in. Just let us know and we will coordinate an invitation to your conferences with us. If they are not local, they can participate remotely. We strongly recommend involving your trusted advisors in the process because we believe clients are best served by a team approach where multiple people bring different viewpoints and skill sets. And if you are not working with an advisor, we can refer you to someone.
Then we move to Step 6 called the Alignment Process. This is a critical step to an effective and workable estate plan, especially a trust. Think of it as the second phase after the legal documents are signed. Although your trust is legally in effect, your assets still need to be properly aligned with the trust. Unlike other law firms who leave it up to you and hand you a sheet of instructions explaining how to “fund” your assets into your trust, we help you with this process so that it actually gets done and done correctly.
Whether it is best to retitle an asset into your trust or keep an asset outside the trust but use a beneficiary designation to have the asset payable to a trust, our Asset Alignment Coordinator will guide you on the best approach for each asset. This is another way that our unique “Family Estate and Legacy Program” gives you comfort and clarity and the confidence knowing your estate plan will be complete and buttoned up.
Finally, we get to Step 7 called the Client Care Program. This is a unique program intended for clients who want to stay in relationship with us so their estate plan can adapt as life circumstances change. Your estate plan needs to work at that unknown time in the future when you die or become incapacitated. Between now and then, things may change such as your family situation, the law, and even your assets that need to be continuously aligned with your trust. Having an estate plan that can account for these unknowns can be difficult. The solution is for us to stay close so your plan can change if it needs to. The Client Care Program is our platform for that solution. You can learn more about the Client Care Program at https://www.legacyplanninglawgroup.com/client-care-program/
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU
Our estate planning law firm knows that estate planning is a long-term relationship. Click the button below to learn more about our Client Care Program
START PROTECTING YOUR LEGACY TODAY
Book Your Call
If you are committed to solving your planning needs and want to work with our skilled and experienced team, the first step to get started is booking your 15 minute phone call.
Explore Your Planning Needs
During the call, we will find out what your planning needs are so we can see if we can help you. We will also figure out if we would be a good fit for each other.
Schedule Your In-Person Consultation
At the end of the call, we will set up a time to meet with the team and create a plan that will protect your family and preserve your legacy.