You can expect a comfortable, friendly, conversational style meeting either in person or over a Zoom call. The planning meeting usually takes 1-1.5 hours and will include a discussion of how your assets are owned, beneficiary designations, and what people and organizations you’d like to receive your estate. As you make your most important decisions, Amy will listen to your concerns and your wishes, discuss sensitive issues such as family dynamics, and answer your questions to devise an estate plan that efficiently accomplishes your objectives for your loved ones and your assets.

Give your loved ones the gift of your forethought and care instead of leaving a mess that oftentimes ends up in conflict. It is critical to get organized with your wishes and back them up with the appropriate legal documents reflecting those wishes. Even if you do not own real property, creating an estate plan will eliminate complications in transferring other assets and safeguard that your children are cared for by someone that YOU want, not someone chosen by a court.

Colorado is generally a probate-friendly state, which means that the time for estate administration is typically 6-12 months instead of years and the associated court costs are much lower than in other states. For some, a will-based estate plan works well, particularly because when you complete your estate plan with Danneil Law, time is spent to advise you on appropriate ownership and beneficiary designations on your assets. However, a revocable living trust-based plan has some notable advantages over a will-based plan such as the privacy of administration, and the fluidity of handling assets during lifetime., and can help avoid probate in states outside of Colorado. Deciding which type of planning will depend on everything about you – your family, your assets, your philosophies and your needs. To assist in weighing your options, you may want to review this chart.

Danneil Law operates on a flat-fee basis and because each plan is tailored to your goals and the options you select, the costs associated with each plan vary. Regardless of what type of planning you choose, you will know the cost of the plans up front, so there won’t be any surprises.

Updates and changes to plans are necessary both from the legal perspective and from the changes in clients’ lives. Danneil Law offers complimentary 3-year reviews for all clients because it is hard to encourage phone calls and emails about your life changes if you think you are going to be charged a fee for simply reaching out. Any needed changes will be discussed and evaluated, and you will know the associated costs for changes ahead of time, so there are never any surprises. In general, the costs are dependent upon the scope of the needed changes. 

Online services absolutely can’t offer the guidance, wisdom and evaluation of decision-making provided by a personal attorney. Danneil Law will prepare the plans that you need to address your specific needs, but these documents are merely the byproduct of an ongoing relationship with a trusted advisor who will guide you through the process and after. If you are considering creating an estate plan, it’s likely because you want to ensure that if you become disabled or when you die, your family is taken care of with an organized plan that will work the way you intend. When you work with Danneil Law, you are not paying for forms, you are paying for the certainty of the outcome, at a fraction of the cost of paying for an unintended mess at the end.