What to Expect When You Work With Us

A Process Built Around Clarity, Not Complexity

Many people come to us having never worked with an estate planning attorney before. Others have worked with attorneys who left them uncertain about what was decided, or why. We built our process to address both.

From your first conversation to your annual review, every step is structured so that you leave each meeting with a clear understanding of your plan — not a stack of documents and a handshake.

Step 1:

The Initial Consultation

We begin with a conversation. Before any documents are drafted or strategies discussed, we take time to understand your full picture: your family, your assets, your business interests, and your intentions. We also want to understand the relationships that matter to your planning — including your CPA and financial advisor, whose work intersects directly with ours.

This meeting is not a sales presentation. It is the foundation of everything that follows.

Step 2:

The Retainer Letter

Once we have a shared understanding of your goals, we issue a retainer letter that documents the scope of our engagement, the services we will provide, and the terms of the relationship. Nothing moves forward until you have reviewed and agreed to it. There are no ambiguities about what we are doing or what you can expect from us.

Step 3:

The Plain-English Summary Letter

After each substantive meeting, we send you a written summary of what was discussed and decided — in plain English, not legal shorthand. This letter is not boilerplate. It reflects the specific decisions made in your session and gives you a clear record you can review, share with your advisors, or reference at any point.

If your spouse, your CPA, or your financial advisor needs to understand what was covered, this letter gives them exactly that.

Step 4:

Plan Drafting and Review

With your goals documented and your advisors aligned, we draft the instruments that carry out your plan — wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and any additional structures appropriate to your situation. We walk you through each document before execution, so you understand what you are signing and why.

Step 5:

Coordination With Your Other Advisors

Estate planning does not happen in isolation. Tax strategy, investment structure, and business succession all intersect with the documents we draft. We work directly with your CPA and financial advisor to make sure your plan is consistent with the broader financial picture — not a separate track running alongside it.

Step 6:

Annual Review Meetings

Your plan is not filed and forgotten. We schedule annual review meetings to assess whether your documents remain aligned with your circumstances, your family, and the current legal and tax environment. When the law changes — and it does — we evaluate the impact on your plan and reach out proactively.

A plan that is never revisited is a plan that can fail quietly over time. Ours are designed to stay current.