What to Expect at Your Estate Planning Consultation

People schedule estate planning consultations for many different reasons. Some want to make sure their children are protected. Others are concerned about aging parents, probate, or what would happen if they became incapacitated. Since every client has different goals, no two consultations are exactly alike.

Estate planning firms will each have their own style for consultations. However, the attorney’s goal is typically the same: determine the client’s goals and recommend the best path to achieve them. While I cannot speak to the consulting experience for other firms, this article will give you an overview of what to expect if you decide to meet with me.

Preparing for the Meeting

Whether you’d like to discuss estate planning generally or have a specific set of questions or situation to discuss, there are some basic pieces of information that I’ll want to know before making any recommendations. This information generally falls into two categories:

• Your family: I want to get a sense of who is in your family, how they interact with each other, and whether any specific concerns exist regarding family members (such as a relative who’s not great with money, or one that has health issues or special needs).

• Your assets and finances: Even if you’re coming to me to discuss a specific issue, I’ll usually want to have a high level view of your financial situation, as that may guide any recommendation that I make for you. At this early stage in the process I won’t need account numbers or exact balances, but it would be very helpful if you come to the meeting with a list of your assets by category (real estate, financial accounts, insurance policies, etc.) and provide an estimated balance for each asset.

It’s not necessary to enter our consultation with a binder laying out every single detail of your life, but spending a little time putting together some information regarding these two topics prior to our meeting will ensure that we can use our time together productively, rather than trying to remember these details in the moment.

What about my old will?

Many clients will come to our first meeting with a stack of estate planning documents prepared many years ago that they’d like to update. First of all: that’s great! Older plans should be revisited and updated when appropriate.

While it’s great to be prepared and have those documents ready, they typically won’t be necessary for our initial meeting, or really throughout the process at all. In most cases, I recommend starting with fresh documents rather than trying to revise older plans prepared years ago. The time it would take to carefully review and edit these documents is always longer and thus more costly than starting fresh with documents that are formatted in a structure that the attorney is familiar with and can easily customize for a specific client’s needs.

Thus, we really don’t need to review old documents unless you have a specific question regarding one of these documents. That being said, it’s always helpful to know how a previous estate plan was structured in terms of asset distribution and your choices for roles such as executor or power of attorney, as this may guide our future conversations.

The Meeting – What actually happens?

So you’ve booked your meeting, prepared the relevant information and now we’re sitting down together for the first time. Now what?

I start every estate planning consultation the same way, by asking: “What’s got you thinking about estate planning today?”

Your answer helps shape the rest of our conversation. Whether it’s a recent health scare, an issue with a relative, a new milestone achieved or something else, your reasons for meeting with me will guide the rest of our conversation.

Once you answer that question, I’ll open the floor for any specific estate planning questions you have. Some common ones:

-       Do I need a trust?

-       Can I provide for X while saving some inheritance for Y?

-       How does probate work?

-       What happens if family member X loses capacity to handle their affairs?

Some of these questions I can answer directly, others will require that we dig into your circumstances further. As we continue to speak, I’ll be taking notes and reviewing your situation from a high level so that I can make a recommendation on next steps.

Am I going to be sold something?

No. I can’t speak for every law firm, but I don’t treat estate planning consultations as sales meetings. My goals are as follows:

1. Understand your situation and goals: this is the only way I can make an appropriate recommendation. Not everyone needs a trust or a complicated estate plan, and until I understand what you’re looking to achieve, I won’t be able to make the best recommendation on how to proceed.

2. Determine whether we’re a fit to work together: I don’t work with every client I meet with. Some clients have issues that are outside the scope of my services. Some people simply aren’t ready yet, and that’s okay. If we’re not a good fit, I’ll tell you during the meeting and, when possible, refer you to someone who is better suited to help.

3. If we are a fit, make a recommendation: Once I determine that your situation is something I can assist with, I’ll make a recommendation. Most of my estate planning services are bundled plans offered for a flat fee. The fee is determined in the consultation once I understand the scope of the work required.

4. I give you time to digest: These meetings are 30-45 minutes long, and we tend to cover a lot of information, some of which can be technical or jargony the first time you encounter it. Thus I don’t expect anyone to make a decision before they’ve had time to think things through. If you’re ready to get started, great! If not, please know that I will follow our meeting with a detailed email laying out my recommendation, and then I’ll give you some time to do your own research and follow up with any questions that arise as you work through everything.

If, after taking some time to think things over, you decide to move forward, I’ll guide you through the process step-by-step.

Conclusion

Estate planning doesn’t have to be intimidating. My goal is to make the process straightforward, transparent, and tailored to your family’s unique circumstances. Whether you ultimately decide to work with me or not, I want you to leave our consultation with a better understanding of your options and the confidence to make informed decisions about your future.

If you’re ready to take the first step, I’d be happy to meet with you.

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