How we work

Four conversations.
A plan that holds together.

Most firms hand you a stack of forms and disappear after the signing. We've built a four-stage process — discovery, design, signing & funding, and a three-year review — that's more like a relationship than a transaction. Here's what to expect.

01 · Listen

Life and Legacy
Planning Session

A two-hour structured discovery. We map your family, your assets, and what you want.

02 · Design

Three plans,
side-by-side

You see your options with flat-fee pricing and pick the one that fits. We draft from there.

03 · Sign & Fund

Signing day,
then funding

We sign, we re-title the assets, and we hand off plain-English summaries to your family.

04 · Review

Every three years,
included

We call you back. Laws, families, and assets shift. The plan stays current at no cost.

01
image · two people at a table, papers, coffee
Two hours
Planning session · in person or video
Stage 01 — Discovery

We listen, before we draft.

Most firms start by asking what document you want. We start somewhere else entirely — by understanding your family, your assets, and the worries that actually keep you up at night.

What happens in the session

  • Family map. Who's in your life — spouse, kids, parents, the people you'd trust with everything.
  • Asset inventory. What you have, how it's titled, where it lives, what's beneficiary-designated and what isn't.
  • What-ifs that matter. Not legalese horror stories — the specific scenarios you've actually worried about.
  • Your goals, ranked. Avoid court? Protect a child? Care for a parent? Most plans serve two or three; we name them out loud.
Two hours Charged session · quoted in writing In office or by video Prep packet in advance
02
image · plan tiers on a desk, hand pointing
3 options
Side-by-side · flat fees
Stage 02 — Design

You see your options before you choose.

At the end of the discovery, we don't recommend a single document. We present three complete plans — basic, intermediate, and comprehensive — each with the exact same flat fee in writing. You pick.

What you see

  • Three plan tiers, side-by-side. Each plan, all-in. No upsells. No hourly footnotes.
  • What each plan handles — and doesn't. If a more affordable plan would still meet your goals, we'll say so out loud.
  • Flat fees, in writing. The number you see is the number you pay. Includes drafting, signing, funding, and the 3-year review.
  • Time to decide. You take the summary home. We don't ask for a signature in the room.
3 tiers Flat fee · in writing Decide in your time Engagement letter before drafting
03
image · pen on signature page, warm light
Signed & funded
Most plans · 4 to 6 weeks total
Stage 03 — Sign & Fund

The part most firms quietly skip.

An unfunded trust is a binder on a shelf. After signing, we re-title assets into your trust, update beneficiary designations, and walk through the final plan with anyone you want present — adult children, a CPA, a financial advisor.

What we deliver

  • Signing ceremony. Notary, witnesses, the works — at the office or your kitchen table.
  • Trust funding. Deeds, account re-titling, beneficiary updates. We do them with you, not just write you a memo.
  • Plain-English summaries. A one-page overview per document, written for your family — not for other lawyers.
  • Digital + physical binder. Encrypted vault, plus a binder you can hand a trustee in twenty years.
4–6 weeks typical Funding included Family handoff session Encrypted digital vault
04
image · calendar, coffee, two people checking in
Every 3 years
Included · no additional charge
Stage 04 — The 3-year review

The plan that keeps up with your life.

An estate plan signed in 2026 will sit in a drawer until something happens. By 2029, the tax code has shifted, you've changed jobs, the kids are older, and one of your trustees has moved out of state. We call you. Every three years. Included.

What we look at

  • Law and tax changes. Federal and Virginia updates since your last review. We flag what affects you.
  • Family changes. Births, deaths, marriages, divorces, kids who've turned 18. Trustees who've moved or changed jobs.
  • Asset changes. New properties, new accounts, a business sold. We re-confirm funding.
  • Document refresh. If anything needs updating, we do it. Most reviews take 60 minutes and zero re-drafts.
Every 3 years Included in original fee 60 minutes typical Document updates included
Inside Stage 02 · Estate Planning

Three estate-planning options, side-by-side.

At the end of your Life and Legacy Planning Session®, you'll see three complete estate-planning options — the Family Plan, the Trust Plan, and the Wealth Plan. All quoted with flat fees, in writing, before any drafting begins. (Probate, guardianship, and business-advisor work are scoped separately.)

Family Plan

A will-based plan with the powers and directives that keep your family out of court.

  • Last will & testament
  • Durable financial power of attorney
  • Healthcare directive
  • HIPAA authorization
  • Personal property memorandum
  • Plain-English summaries
  • Digital vault & binder
  • 3-year review · included
Talk through the Family Plan →

Trust Plan

A revocable trust-based plan with the trust actually funded — most family clients land here.

  • Revocable living trust
  • Pour-over wills
  • Powers of attorney & directives
  • Guardian nominations
  • Kids Protection Plan®
  • Trust funding included
  • Family handoff session
  • 3-year review · included
Talk through the Trust Plan →

Wealth Plan

Advanced planning that integrates estate, tax, business succession, and asset protection.

  • Everything in the Trust Plan, plus:
  • Irrevocable trust strategies
  • Tax-aware structuring
  • Business succession integration
  • Asset protection planning
  • Coordination with CPA & advisors
  • 3-year review · included
Talk through the Wealth Plan →
Every fee is quoted in writing, after your Life and Legacy Planning Session®, before any drafting begins.
Why we work this way

What's different about working with us.

Most estate-planning experiences fall short — a fast online template that breaks under pressure, or a slow hourly relationship that ends at the signing. We built something better: affordable, white-glove estate planning for every client.
Pricing
Hourly billing, surprise invoices
Flat fees — agreed before drafting
Quoted at signing
Quoted at the design meeting, in writing
"Review" is billable
3-year review included
The work
Generic template documents
Designed for your family
Signing is the finish line
Funding is the finish line
Legalese-only summaries
Plain-English summaries for your family
The relationship
Disappears after signing
Calls you back every 3 years
Phone calls billed
No clock on calls, ever
Sells you a document
Builds a long-term relationship
"
We recently worked with John and his team to create an estate plan. The other reviews did not miss the mark. They are passionate about what they do and they engage with their clients very thoroughly and professionally.
— Scott T. · ★★★★★ on Google
Ready to start with Stage 01?

Book the 15-minute call. We'll take it from there.

Book a discovery call → 571·56·TRUST571·568·7878
Free discovery call · 15 minutes · By appointment