IV. Services & Fees

Flat fees, stated in advance.

You will know what your plan costs before any work begins.

I publish my fees because estate planning is a defined body of work with a knowable scope, and you are entitled to know the number before you decide.

Two packages cover the majority of what families need. Neither is billed hourly. If your circumstances call for something outside these structures, we will discuss it before any work is undertaken.

01. The Family Trust

The Family Trust

For families with a home and people who depend on them.

$4,000 — plan prepared, funding instructions provided
$5,500 — plan prepared and funded by the firm

Both options include:

Revocable living trust
Pour-over wills, including guardian nominations for minor children
Durable powers of attorney for financial matters
Patient advocate designations and HIPAA authorizations
Deed preparation and recording for your Michigan residence, including the property transfer affidavit
Beneficiary designation letters prepared for your retirement accounts and life insurance

At $4,000, you receive written funding instructions for each account, retirement plan, and policy, and you submit them yourself.

At $5,500, the firm does the funding. We prepare and submit the retitling paperwork to up to four financial institutions, follow each one to completion, and send you written confirmation when every asset identified in your engagement is titled correctly. Funding assistance runs for ninety days from your signing date. Additional Michigan real property is $850 per parcel, additional financial institutions beyond four are $300 each, and real property outside Michigan is quoted separately.

Planning meetings are conducted by video at a time that suits your household. Execution takes place in person, at your home or at a meeting location we arrange. Travel beyond sixty miles from my office is available at an additional fee, quoted before your engagement begins. Your completed plan is delivered bound in a leather portfolio within thirty days of the completion of your intake.

Request a private consultation

02. Legacy & Succession Planning

Legacy & Succession Planning

For business owners and families whose planning extends beyond a residence and a retirement account.

Engagements typically range from $9,500 to $18,000.

Your fee is set in writing after a scoping conversation and does not change thereafter.

Trust structures matched to the composition of your assets, including distribution terms drafted to your intent rather than to a form
A written succession memorandum identifying the transfer restrictions, consent requirements, and valuation or funding gaps in your operating or shareholder agreements, and every place those documents conflict with your trust
Assignment of your ownership interests into trust, with conforming amendments where your agreements require them
Funding performed by the firm — deeds, entity assignments, and institutional retitling paperwork prepared, submitted, and followed to written confirmation
Beneficiary designation and titling review across the holdings identified in your written scope
Coordination with your accountant and financial advisor
Incapacity planning for you and your spouse

Trust structures matched to the composition of your assets, including distribution terms drafted to your intent rather than to a form
A written succession memorandum identifying the transfer restrictions, consent requirements, and valuation or funding gaps in your operating or shareholder agreements, and every place those documents conflict with your trust
Assignment of your ownership interests into trust, with conforming amendments where your agreements require them
Funding performed by the firm — deeds, entity assignments, and institutional retitling paperwork prepared, submitted, and followed to written confirmation
Beneficiary designation and titling review across the holdings identified in your written scope
Coordination with your accountant and financial advisor
Incapacity planning for you and your spouse

Trust structures matched to the composition of your assets, including distribution terms drafted to your intent rather than to a form
A written succession memorandum identifying the transfer restrictions, consent requirements, and valuation or funding gaps in your operating or shareholder agreements, and every place those documents conflict with your trust
Assignment of your ownership interests into trust, with conforming amendments where your agreements require them
Funding performed by the firm — deeds, entity assignments, and institutional retitling paperwork prepared, submitted, and followed to written confirmation
Beneficiary designation and titling review across the holdings identified in your written scope
Coordination with your accountant and financial advisor
Incapacity planning for you and your spouse

Scope

Every engagement specifies the assets it covers. As a baseline, that is one Michigan real property deed, up to two entity interests, and up to five financial institutions. Additional properties, entities, or institutions are priced in your written scope before any work begins, as is any entity assignment requiring an amendment, member consent, or conforming changes to a buy-sell agreement. Real property outside Michigan is handled separately, with local counsel where required.

Advisor coordination includes two joint calls with your accountant or financial advisor. Funding assistance runs for ninety days from your signing date and may be extended by agreement.

Engagements begin with a conversation about your holdings, your business, and what you intend to happen. From there we prepare a written scope and fee for your approval before any drafting begins. Funding is where most plans fail. We handle the paperwork with your banks, brokerages, and transfer agents rather than handing you a checklist. Third-party processing times vary, and we will tell you what to expect for each institution.

Before practicing law I co-founded and scaled a nationwide chemical distribution company. That experience informs how I read an operating agreement and how I approach succession for a closely held business.

Meetings are conducted by video or in person as you prefer. Your completed plan is delivered bound in a leather portfolio within the timeframe confirmed in your written scope.

Request a private consultation

The Family Trust fees are firm. Legacy and succession fees are quoted in writing before an engagement begins and do not change thereafter. If circumstances arise mid-engagement that would alter the scope of work, they are raised with you and agreed in writing before anything proceeds.