Practice / Estate planning
The basic package, done well.
For most families with school-age children we recommend a basic estate package: a simple will, durable power of attorney, healthcare directive, and a HIPAA release. About a third of our estate clients also need a revocable living trust. We don’t push the trust where the will package handles the family’s situation cleanly.
A typical engagement
Two meetings. Three weeks.
90 minutes, intake
Asset list, beneficiary list, guardianship preference for any minor children, and the executor/backup nominations. Mwangi runs the meeting. Worksheet sent two days prior.
Two weeks, drafted
Drafts circulated by email. Most families come back with one round of edits; some with none. We don’t add billable revision rounds we didn’t talk about at intake.
60 minutes, sign
Walk through the final drafts page by page. Sign with witnesses and notary present at our office. Originals to you; we keep encrypted copies and a deposit slip for the will.
Will vs. trust
When the trust is actually warranted.
The basic will package is right for most families. A revocable living trust is warranted when one of these is true: real estate in more than one state, an estate likely to hit federal estate tax thresholds, blended-family asset routing that the will alone can’t handle, or a preference to keep the estate out of probate for privacy reasons.
- Will packageWill + durable POA + healthcare directive + HIPAA release. $1,200–$1,800.
- Trust packageAdds revocable living trust + asset retitling guidance. $2,800–$4,500.
- Trust threshold (real estate)Property in 2+ states is the clearest trigger.
- Trust threshold (blended family)Asset routing across previous-marriage children + current spouse.
- Trust threshold (tax)Combined estate near or above the federal exemption.
Signed in the room
Originals to you. Witnesses and notary at the table.
The basic package is four documents: will, durable power of attorney, healthcare directive, HIPAA release. All four are signed at the second meeting with witnesses and a notary present in the room. We keep encrypted copies and a deposit slip for the will; the originals go home with you that day.
What we’ll need from you
The worksheet, before the first meeting.
A list of major assets with current rough values, a list of beneficiaries with relationship and contact info, your guardianship preference for any minor children with a backup, and your nominee for executor with a backup. We email the worksheet two business days before the first meeting. Most families spend an hour with it.