Our Process

We have established a process designed to provide excellent service, promote the advantage of a holistic approach to estate planning as well as maintaining a long-term relationship with you.

Click here to see a graphical overview of the estate planning process.

• Step 1 Discovery
• Step 2 Design
• Step 3 Implementation
• Step 4 Maintenance

Step 1: Discovery - Calling our Firm to Discuss First Appointment Options

The purpose of your first meeting with Alex may be to spend some time getting to know our firm in order to determine not only your needs, but whether our firm is a good fit for you and you for us. When you first reach out to our firm, you will have the option to request a consultation to meet Alex, or, you may speak with our knowledgeable team members to determine if you would like to proceed straight to Step 2, the Design Meeting (see below). If you choose to set a consultation with Alex, then your first meeting with her will last approximately 30 to 60 minutes. The charge for this consultation is $175 (for one-half hour) or $350 (for one hour). However, many potential clients do not require a consultation after speaking with the members of our team during their initial call to our office, and these potential clients are able to skip the consultation step and proceed to the Design Meeting (see below).

The purpose of your initial call with our staff, or your first visit with Alex (if you proceed with a consultation) will be for you to become comfortable with us as your estate or business planning law firm and for us to determine your planning goals, wishes, desires, concerns, and to educate you on what you can expect during the process, and the range of fees. During this time, we will discuss the short and long-term goals you have for yourself, your family, and your business or other assets. This is the beginning of the planning process and the foundation from which your personal estate plan will emerge.

Step 2: Design - The Design Meeting

Alex Kincaid Law has developed an Estate Planning Questionnaire to assist our clients in gathering all pertinent information. Completing the questionnaire will allow us to review your situation and expedite the planning process. If, after speaking with our team during your initial call to our office, you know that you would like to have Alex Kincaid Law prepare your plan, you will be provided with a design meeting appointment time, a legal services agreement, and upon retaining our firm, a link to our client portal. Inside our client portal, you will be able to answer our Estate Planning Questionnaire and upload any relevant documents.

During the design meeting, Alex will discuss the options you have to meet your estate planning objectives, and you will decide which options are be best suited for you and your family. Alex will walk through essential design elements for your plan, and while you are meeting, make appropriate selections in your documents. Following your appointment, we will provide you with draft documents for you to review, along with Alex’s client videos, which explain essential elements about your plan. Watching Alex’s explanatory videos will help prepare you for your next meeting. Each of our client’s also receives a copy of Alex Kincaid’s books - Infringed and Plan Now - to further help you understand the importance of estate planning. Which documents are prepared for your review will be determined by the planning goals, wishes, desires, and concerns you expressed during your design meeting. Although there are certain basic documents everyone should have, every estate plan our firm creates is tailored to the specific needs of a particular client. These may include wills, medical directives, guardianship paperwork, trusts, or powers of attorney. They may also include documents for advanced planning, covering such matters as the care of those with special needs, charitable giving, business succession, as well as the transfer of tangible and intangible personal assets.

Step 3: Implementation - The Signing Meeting

During this visit, we will review all relevant documents with you and commemorate the event with a signing ceremony. Once signed, your documents will be presented to you in two important ways: your original documents will be provided in an attractive “safe bag,” for you to securely store in a fireproof safe or in a safe deposit box. We will discuss how to share the location of these documents as well as with whom you might share any information about these important documents. You will have a wonderful sense of security that you have looked after everything you have and everyone you love. We will also discuss trust funding (the process of titling assets to your trust) at this meeting.

Step 4: Moving Forward - Maintenance

At Alex Kincaid Law, we do not believe that our relationship with you must end after your initial documents have been completed. We recognize that circumstances will undoubtedly change as you move through the different stages of life. A single individual may have very different planning needs than a married couple just starting out. A young couple may grow into a young family and need to rethink some of their choices. A middle-aged couple with elderly parents may experience the loss of one of those parents. Empty-nesters or more senior individuals may experience an unanticipated need for appropriate long-term healthcare services.

Changes in your personal life, as well as the law, will at some point necessitate the revisiting of your estate plan.

It is important to remain aware that not only may your circumstances change, but so may state and federal laws. In that spirit, we invite our clients to keep in touch with us so that we can keep you updated on changes in the law which may affect your personal plan and offer regular tips and thoughts on how you may be able to take advantage of some of these changes.

In summary, we believe that when it comes to estate planning, a short-term relationship is shortsighted. Our goal is to provide you with ongoing, life-long counsel on how you can best meet the objectives that you have set for yourself.