FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Non-taxable Estate Planning, Business Formation and Governance, and transactional Probate matters are generally handled on a fixed fee basis. The minimum fee for any fixed fee service will be $2,000 or more. More complex probate and estate planning matters, including independent and dependent estate administration, trust or business modifications and governance, and taxable estate planning are handled on an hourly basis with an initial deposit to cover our time and out of pocket expenses to initiate the case. The minimum initial deposit for services billed on an hourly basis is $3,500 or more.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Customers call my office, schedule an appointment, provide enough information for our staff to conduct a conflict check, and then meet with me to discuss their case. I do not offer free consultations, however, the consultation fee is considered part of the total fee whether we are working on fixed fee or hourly basis. It is important to me that clients are willing to put their money where their mouth is when making an appointment, and pay to reserve time on my calendar. I have several staff members who help me with client intake and the legal work folks hire us to perform, and a consultation fee keeps our calendar free of folks who just want free advice, who want to handle their case themselves, or who shop attorneys like you would shop for a product off the shelf. We want to work with people who need our help, who value our time, who understand that good service isn't cheap, and who recognize that paying for a service doesn't entitle the client to be rude, demanding, or unreasonable with the folks in our office. The intake questionnaires, conflict checks, consultation, and even the consultation fee are purposeful attempts to identify the clients who value our services, and who we can enthusiastically and zealously advocate for.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I graduated from law school, passed the bar, and I've been focused on probate and estate planning for more than a decade.