Estate Planning
OUR PROCESS
Our firm has nearly a century of experience providing high-caliber and thoughtful estate planning guidance to our clients, many of whom we have advised across multiple generations. Our attorneys practice predominantly in Massachusetts, but through strong relationships with local attorneys across the country we are able to assist clients in many different states. We also regularly provide local estate planning counsel for clients living abroad who have U.S.-based assets.
We regularly adivse clients regarding sophisticated estate planning objectives, including the drafting of complex trust instruments, corporate succession planning, and the establishment of charitable foundations. With the benefit of our in-house tax practice, we're able to anticipate and mitigate tax consequences throughout the estate planning process.
With each new client we work hard to build a strong and lasting relationship. After getting to know you and your goals, our attorneys work closely with you to identify appropriate estate planning options and recommend strategies to accomplish your goals.
Though every client’s individual process will vary depending on complexity, we typically proceed along the following path:
1. Initial Consultation
We provide a complimentary consultation to prospective clients where we can get to know you, and, more importantly, you can get to know us and evaluate whether we meet your criteria for serving as your attorneys. We will discuss your goals, any prior estate planning you’ve completed, and answer your questions about our firm, our attorneys, and our process. It’s important to note that an initial consultation does not create an attorney-client relationship.
2. Engagement
Within one week of our initial consultation, we will provide you with an engagement letter that outlines the services we can provide for you, our anticipated fees, along with general information about our firm’s policies and the attorney-client relationship. If you choose to work with us, you will sign and return our engagement letter, at which time you will become a client of our firm and the attorney-client relationship begins.
3. Information Gathering
An effective estate plan begins with understanding the stage you’re at in life today. We’ll provide you with a detailed questionnaire that helps us get to know you better, including information about your family, your current assets, and your profession. Obtaining a complete and accurate summary allows our attorneys to provide you the best advice.
Once you complete our estate planning questionnaire, our attorneys will review your answers and will schedule a call with you to discuss any follow-up questions and make sure that we understand your goals and objectives prior to having our first plan-design meeting.
4. Plan-Design Meeting
After reviewing your questionnaire and speaking with you about your goals, we will meet with you to present our preliminary recommendations. During this meeting we will outline the estate planning tools we believe will be the most effective for accomplishing your goals. We provide ample time for discussion and questions in order to make sure that we move forward in a way that reflects your objectives. This meeting typically lasts between one and two hours.
5. Document Drafting
Based on the feedback from our plan-design meeting, our firm’s attorneys will draft your estate planning documents. We strive to complete your draft documents within three weeks of the plan-design meeting, though complex instruments may take longer to prepare. We will always provide you with an estimate of drafting time following the plan-design meeting.
6. Plan Review
We will provide you with your draft documents so that you may have time to review them at your convenience. As some estate planning documents can be complex and include dense language, we will work with you during the document review process so that you are comfortable that you understand how your estate plan works and so that you are confident it accomplishes your goals.
7. Final Document Signing
Upon your approval of your draft documents, we will prepare final copies and arrange for you to sign them. We provide all necessary services for document signing, including required witnessing and notarization. We will then scan your final documents, bind them, and provide you with original and digital copies. If you so desire, we can also arrange for long-term secure storage of your original documents.