Five meetings. Five to seven weeks to your signing.
You always know what comes next and what we need from you. Intake, Asset Meeting and Review happen online. Final Signing is in person with a notary, because your documents need ink signatures. Funding follows with a short video and a call with our team.
- Meeting 1
Intake
We learn about your family, your goals and what worries you. You receive your asset booklet.
- Meeting 2
Asset Meeting
We walk through what you own and how each piece should pass. Return your asset booklet at least 2 business days before this meeting.
- Meeting 3
Review
We go through your draft documents together, in plain English, and make changes.
- Meeting 4
Final Signing
In person with a notary, because your documents need ink signatures. Bring one independent adult who is not named in your plan to be present. You sign one original trust and keep it, so there is less room for dispute over which version controls. To have a copy held in your client portal, scan and upload your signed plan.
- Meeting 5
Funding
A short video and a call with our team walk you through funding your trust, so your accounts and property are held the way your plan intends.
Keep your plan on schedule: return your asset booklet at least 2 business days before your Asset Meeting. A late booklet can delay your plan by 30 days or more.
Before Intake
It starts with a strategy session. If you decide to move forward, you sign a Legal Services Agreement and pay your engagement fee. Your attorney-client relationship begins when that agreement is signed.
Payment milestones
Your fee is confirmed in writing in your Legal Services Agreement. The final 20% is due before your final plan is mailed. If planning is paused for more than three months, a $1,500 fee applies to resume. See Fees and Payment.
Why you receive one original trust
We sign one original trust, and you keep it. One original reduces disputes over which version controls. We keep the unsigned version in your client portal, so your plan can be re-signed if needed. The firm does not hold your executed original. If you would like a copy of your signed plan held in your client portal, scan your signed documents and upload them to your portal.
At signing, the notary keeps her notary journal, as California law requires, and takes the signed receipt confirming you received your originals. Your trust stays with you. Please bring one independent adult who is not named anywhere in your plan to be present for your signing.
Prepare for each meeting
The best time to plan is while everything is calm.
Two minutes of questions. Then you will know exactly where to go next.