Good questions deserve plain answers.

Most plans take five to seven weeks from your first meeting to final signing. The process has four meetings: Intake, Asset Meeting, Review and Final Signing. Returning your asset booklet on time is the biggest thing that keeps your plan on schedule.

We prepare estate plans for families in California and Maryland. Probate, trust administration and conservatorships are handled in California only. If you live somewhere else, our free webinars and The Legacy Letter are open to everyone.

It is your first meeting with the firm. We learn about your family and goals, explain your options in plain English and recommend a next step. Session length and fee are listed on each session page.

No. Wood Legal Group is a virtual firm. Your meetings happen online, and our Pasadena address is for mail only.

We sign one original trust and you keep it. One original means no one can later dispute which version controls. We keep unsigned versions in your client portal so the plan can be re-signed at any time if needed.

Your strategy session is with the firm, and your plan is overseen by Portia M. Wood, Esq. Day-to-day questions are handled by our client care team so you get answers quickly.

We can only advise on matters in California and Maryland. Find an estate planning attorney in your state. Our free webinars, guides and newsletter are open to everyone.

Usually a revocable living trust, pour-over will, durable financial power of attorney, advance health care directive and HIPAA authorization. See estate planning.

For 2026, $15 million per person under federal law. Maryland's own estate tax applies above $5 million. California has no state estate tax. Estate tax planning.

Yes. A pour-over will names guardians for minor children and catches anything left outside the trust.

In California, probate is generally needed when assets were in the person's own name, with no beneficiary or joint owner, and the total exceeds the small estate limit. See probate.

Secure the assets, gather the trust and death certificate, and note the 60-day deadline to notify beneficiaries and heirs. Our free Successor Trustee School walks you through it.

Wills have fixed fees, and trusts begin at a starting figure that we confirm at your design meeting. Because the plans differ so much, we share plan pricing at the end of our free Wills, Trusts and Generational Wealth webinar, once you know what each one does. Fees and payment.

No payment is taken when you book. We send you a LawPay invoice, or you can pay by Zelle to Portia@woodlegalgroup.com.

Yes. A 3% processing fee applies to all credit card payments.