Estate Planning Service
All-Inclusive Flat Fee
Your initial price quote covers all communication, document creation & processing, and document recording - never incurring incremental charges throughout the process.
Personalized Process
Multiple meeting options with an attorney allows for a personal & efficient process from start until completion.
Estate Planning
Many people think that only large estates warrant the creation of an estate plan. In fact, everyone - married and single - needs a plan regardless of an estate’s size.
A thoughtfully crafted plan allows individuals and families to retain control over their financial and medical affairs during their lifetime - and ensures that their estate is distributed according to their desires after death.
Hanley Law takes pride in crafting bespoke estate plans tailored to individuals’ facts, needs and goals. Informed by over 49 years of experience in legal fields such as tax, real estate and business law, our process has been refined to offer you an efficient and comprehensive solution for your estate planning needs.
“ We use a sensible approach that focuses on personalized, responsive service to help our clients and their families. “
- Sean Hanley, Attorney
Estate Plans
An estate plan is a legal strategy that employs a collection of legal documents which ensure your wishes are carried out through instructions on who administers your estate and who receives your estate, what they receive, and how and when they receive it upon your death.
An effective estate plan helps individuals and families retain control over their financial and medical affairs during life by including your wishes about financial and medical care should you become incapacitated.
An effective plan also helps to protect you and your assets during your life and properly manages your estate upon death to ensure it is distributed properly and quickly without the cost and stress of probate court intervention.
Estate Plan Package
Our comprehensive Estate Plan Package contains a collection of the necessary documents needed to effectively protect you during life and properly manage your estate upon death. Estate planning is a process and our package price encompasses guiding you through available options, deciding which of those options you wish to employ and are best suited for you, and then drafting and processing the documents needed to accomplish your wishes.
SUITE OF DOCUMENTS
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A revocable living trust is a legal document whereby you nominate a trusted individual(s) to administer your estate if you become incapacitated during life and to distribute all your assets and legacy to loved ones after you pass, all the while avoiding the unnecessary costs, delay and stress associated with probate court intervention.
Learn More: Living Trust Declaration and Agreement
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A pour-over works in conjunction with the living trust. A pour-over will acts like a “vacuum” to suck up all the assets owned by you at death (either intentionally or unintentionally) and to transfer them to the living trust at death. This arrangement offers several advantages, including simplicity, completeness, and privacy
Learn More: Pour Over Will
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A financial durable power of attorney is a legal document that allows you to give a trusted individual(s) the authority to handle financial transactions on your behalf in the event that you become ill or injured or otherwise incapacitated during your lifetime.
Learn More: Durable Power of Attorney
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An advance healthcare directive is a legal document that allows you to give a trusted individual(s) the authority to handle your medical affairs in the event that you become ill or injured or otherwise incapacitated during your lifetime. Your health care agent is legally bound to work with doctors and other health care providers to make sure you get the kind of medical care you wish to receive.
Learn More: Advanced Health Care Directive
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A certified abstract of trust is a “mini-version” of your trust that is used to formally transfer assets to the name of the trust with banks, title company, or other third parties. This document gives institutions the information they need, but lets you keep some key provisions private; notably, you don't have to disclose the names of the beneficiaries to whom you're leaving trust property. A certification is almost universally accepted in place of an entire trust document.
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Re-titling assets, like stock and bonds, from one’s name into one’s living trust is necessary to avoiding an unnecessary probate of such assets if held outside of the trust. Sometimes people fail to transfer some or all of their intended trust assets into their trust. A general assignment of assets to one’s living trust provides an important safeguard to fund the trust and avoid probate.
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A trust transfer deed is the instrument that effectuates the transfer of ownership of your real estate from you, as an individual(s), to your trust. The process of creating and then recording a trust transfer deed is how your property becomes a trust asset (thereby avoiding probate, among other benefits)
The Preliminary Change of Ownership Report is filed w/County Tax Assessor to avoid property transfer taxes
PRICING
Hanley Law offers an All-Inclusive Flat Fee, providing confidence that all of your desires are met without concern of being incrementally charged during the process.
FLAT FEE GUARANTEE :
Your initial, all-inclusive price quote remains unchanged throughout your planning process.
Single Person $2,500
Married Couple $3,500
Standard pricing applies to the vast majority of clients who create an estate plan. Few will have needs that require a more involved strategy. These special estate planning considerations are discussed during the initial consultation and, if needed, are included in the initial quote for service.
“Making plans for your estate, financial, and medical affairs now, while you still can, is not only smart - it’s essential to preserving your memory.”
3 STEP
ESTATE PLANNING PROCESS
At Hanley Law, we custom-tailor each plan based on a client’s needs and personal wishes. Over 50 years in business have allowed us to create a very streamlined estate planning process.
Our Process
Meet In-Person, Phone, or Zoom Video
Discuss All Factors & Address Specific Needs
Receive A Fixed, All-Inclusive Quote
No Obligation to Pay or Engage Services
1. Initial Consultation
During the initial consultation, we’ll advise you about the estate planning process as we obtain the information needed to prepare the plan best suited for you. We’ll explain the documents included in the plan, then answer any concerns or questions. In some cases, we may need to review existing documents as part of this process.
Once we’ve found a plan to suit your needs, you will receive an all-inclusive price to create your estate plan. You are under no obligation to pay anything for the initial consultation.
If it’s decided to move forward, we will enter into an attorney-client agreement at the end of the initial meeting, so you can be confident about the fixed project price that you’ll pay for the complete estate plan package.
2. Prepare & Review Documents
Attorney Tailors & Delivers Draft of Estate Planning Documents
Client Reviews & Advises of Final Changes
Attorney Incorporates Final Changes & Answers Outstanding Questions
After we gather the facts about your estate planning wishes, we prepare a draft of your estate plan package and deliver them to you for review.
You will then have a chance to ask questions and make any changes or corrections at no additional charge.
3. Signing & Document Finalization
Confirm Revisions
Sign & Deliver Original Documents
Witnesses & Notary Provided
The final step is to sign the finished documents.
We provide a witness for your will and a Notary Public for all other documents.
Once signed, we then process the documents, transferring any real property into your Living Trust to avoid probate. You’ll receive the original documents for your records at this meeting, and we will keep hard copies and e-file copies for our records.
Of course, if you ever have a question about your documents, we’re here to answer them.
Updates & Amendments
Not only does the law change, so does life. Children leave the nest and go to college. Properties are purchased and sold. Keeping your trust up to date ensures that any significant changes in the law and/or your life are reflected, preserving your assets and personal wishes.
PLAN UPDATES
When Should an Existing Plan Be Updated?
For those who have already created an estate plan, it’s critical to have your documents periodically reviewed. We encourage our clients to keep their plans as current as possible and we offer existing clients discounts for keeping their plans up to date.
PRICING
Our fees charged are based only on the documents that need updating in your plan
Hanley Law will work with you to determine the most reasonable approach to keeping your estate plan up to date.
Note: The amount of time involved in amending existing documents is impossible to predict. It is often less expensive and provides a better result to “restate” your estate planning documents rather than amending existing estate planning documents.
The Benefits of an Estate Plan
Preserves You & Your Legacy
Ensures Continuation of your business operations upon personal incapacity and/or death
Answers Difficult Questions concerning medical care and end of life decisions
Allows for Charitable Giving
Protects You & Your Loved Ones
Protects Your Assets in the case of personal incapacity during your life
Avoids Probate Court Intervention lengthy, costly, and often stressful court process
Avoids Conflicts and potential disputes between beneficiaries by providing clear instruction on how assets are to be distributed
Saves Time & Money
Minimizes Taxation through advantageous tax strategies
Reduces Expenses via a streamlined Trust Administration process
Reduces Time for heirs to receive their portion of the estate. (In contrast, Probate could take a year or more)
What Our Clients Are Saying
