Appointments and Fees

How It Works

Based on the Attorneys’ areas of practice, there are no free consultations provided.

New Estate Plan, New Client

APPOINTMENTS. To have an estate plan prepared generally takes two to three appointments.  The first appointment is an intake where the Attorney gathers information on the client’s situation and intentions, and the Client has an opportunity to ask questions. This may be an in-person, telephone, or video meeting.

After the first meeting, draft documents are prepared and sent to the Client to review. The next meeting is when the documents are explained, questions are answered, and revisions are made. Often, the documents are finalized and signed at the second meeting. Sometimes, if there are significant revisions, a third meeting may be scheduled to finalize and sign the documents.

FEES. Normally, the Attorney bills estate plan matters on a flat fee basis, depending on what the Client wants to accomplish.  The exact fee is determined by circumstances including the Client’s health, family composition, types of assets owned, whether a beneficiary needs ongoing money management due to age (young children) or disability, and whether the Client is excluding a beneficiary.  After the first meeting, the Attorney will provide a quote. One half of the fee is due at the time draft documents are to be prepared, with the other half due at signing.

Probate Court Matters

Several different types of cases are handled by the Attorneys in Probate Court.

FEES.  All Probate Court matters are billed hourly. Attorneys currently bill at $350.00 hourly, and legal assistant time is billed at $100.00 hourly.  A retainer deposit is required prior to work commencing.