ESTATE PLANNING PROCESS

Every new client begins their relationship with a Family Plan Session.  Due to the importance of this session we schedule you to meet with an attorney for 2 hours to focus on your family.  During this productive meeting, the family identifies their hopes, fears, and values in order to prioritize their goals and objectives.  We counsel you as to how your current plan would work (or not work as is usually the case), what types of plans are available, and how you and your family would be protected and provided for once you implement your new plan.

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Next, we schedule a Confirmation Session about 1-2 weeks after the Family Plan Session for your benefit.  It allows you a just right amount of time to think about the choices you made at your Family Plan Session, speak to some of the trusted family and friends you’ve chosen to help you when need be, and gives you time to gather information like contract information and account statements that will be indexed in your Family Affairs Legal Manual.

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The Signing Session takes place approximately 1-2 weeks after your Confirmation Session.  It is the culmination of your efforts to put a wonderful and comprehensive plan in place for your family; you walk out with a great sense of accomplishment and peace of mind that you have protected your family from life’s inevitable progression.  While the Signing Session may have you signing as many documents as a real estate closing, the distinction is that you have taken control of your life and put protections in place for your family that you can update whenever you like; you have created rights for your family, not signed away them away to a creditor.

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Once you have a plan in place, you will have time to review it in detail over the next 90 days before meeting for your first Trusted Advisor Session.  If you change your mind with respect the your fiduciaries or the succession order, notice a typo, found some more asset statements, or simply have some questions, this is a great time to make corrections or finish organizing your Family Affairs Legal Manual.  If you have a trust-based plan, this is also the time to confirm that your assets have been funded to the trust.

The initial Trusted Advisor Session is the beginning of your In-House Counsel Plan.  We don’t end our relationship with you once you sign your plan, but rather look at this as a lifetime commitment to ensure your plan will work as intended despite the inevitable changes that will take place in your life.  You will meet with us every three years thereafter or more via our In-House Counsel Plan.

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