Getting Started

The first step is to schedule a 15-minute introductory phone call to learn more about us or, if you’re ready to start your plan, schedule your consultation.

You may schedule online or call our office at 858-432-3923 to schedule your appointment. We see clients Tuesday through Thursday. We also offer limited evening and weekend sessions if needed to make planning as convenient for you as possible. 

Before Your Appointment

Upon scheduling your appointment, you will receive a Life & Legacy Inventory and Assessment and other important information that you should review and complete to prepare for it. Please submit your completed assessment at least two days before your meeting. 

If you have an existing estate plan, please submit those documents to our office at least two days before your appointment so they can be reviewed in advance.  During our time together, we’ll look at what would happen with your assets and how your loved ones would be impacted if something were to happen to you under the current plan you have, which is either the estate plan you currently have in place or the plan the State has for you.

We will then design a roadmap to implement a plan that reflects your goals. We are always delighted when clients share that if they had known how easy the process would be, they would have done it years ago.

Day of Your Appointment

If we are meeting for your estate planning, please allow two hours for the planning session. The purpose of the meeting is twofold:

1. To identify whether there is a good fit between us; and

2. To educate you about the law and what would happen in the event of your incapacity and when you die if you had your current plan or no plan in place.

When you understand what would happen under your current plan, you can determine what you want to be different. We will help you make the necessary decisions to give you peace of mind.

If you decide you need a new plan, we can start designing it immediately.

What is the Next Step?

Once we have completed the design of your plan, you will schedule a convenient time to sign your documents, generally about four weeks from the initial meeting.

We are dedicated to ensuring that you easily understand your plan. This comforts you that things will happen how you want them to when something happens to you. You’ll know that your loved ones will be in excellent hands with us. As we will discuss during your design meeting, once you sign your planning documents, your assets and loved ones are protected.

In addition to providing you high-quality estate planning documents that you will understand, we verify that your assets are being transferred into your Trust properly so that your plan will actually work as intended.  During our time together we review your asset spreadsheet and we ensure that all of your questions are answered. 

What Happens After I Sign My Estate Plan?

You will see that the smooth process of preparing your estate plan is only the beginning of our relationship.  Plus, you may revise your planning documents at no charge for up to three months after signing them.

Additionally, our office will send letters to all of the important people you have named in your plan, letting them know what to do if something happens to you. This helps ensure that your plan will work as you intend it to.

After documents are signed, the planning phase is complete, and the maintenance phase will commence. To ensure that your plan stays up to date, we offer a no-cost review meeting every three years. Additionally, we will inform you about law changes and other issues affecting your family and wealth through my valuable e-newsletter and client communications.

If you elect to participate in our membership program, you will receive additional benefits, such as annual no-cost reviews, discounts on future legal services, and other valuable services.

Please remember that we are always here for you. We want to hear from you and won’t charge you for phone calls, emails or other communications to answer questions about your estate plan.

We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how easy and painless the entire planning process is. To get started, click here. We look forward to serving you and your family!