Traditional legal services – a full representation relationship between you (the client) and us (the lawyer). This process involves communicating directly about your needs and goals (either by phone or in person) before deciding on a plan to accomplish your goals.This process may involve visiting our law office directly or coordinating services directly with our staff and attorneys over the phone OR can even begin with virtual services that are modified into a full representation agreement. Traditional legal services are a full service option that involves a few important steps as follows:
Step 1: an in depth discussion with the team will be scheduled prior to beginning your estate planning process. This session is both educational and effective to make sure that your planning goals are clearly defined. A plan is typically agreed upon during this process and a deposit payment is made toward the services with the total agreed balance to be due upon signing all documents.
Step 2: a time to review your package of customized documents and make any changes needed to finalize.
Step 3: executing your complete estate planning documents (either in our office or another agreed location before a Florida notary public and witnesses. Final payment is made.
Step 4: a final estate planning binder is received by client and remaining questions, such as trust funding, are answered.
Traditional legal services are more comprehensive for all types of estates and issues and are generally more expensive because you will receive guidance, training and legal oversite during each step of the planning process.
Virtual legal services – a limited representation relationship between you (the client) and us (the lawyer) for the purposes of executing your specific on line instructions. Virtual legal services can involve an initial consultation upon your request. However, the limited scope of discussions and simple nature of the on line planning process means that virtual services are a limited scope of representation. Virtual legal services involve a few important steps as follows:
Step 1: you select your desired estate plan or document objectives and pay for documents on line at time of selection. You also set up secure client login portal and may elect to complete your on line questionnaire at this time. If an initial consultation with an attorney is desired, this option may also be selected and paid for at this time.
Step 2: when you complete your questionnaire, your desired plan or documents is created and sent to us for review and final approval. If a consultation has been requested, then this step three will not occur until after the consultation and our review of any documents.
Step 3: your final estate planning package or documents will be made available in your secure portal with complete instructions to coordinate signing and witnesses in your location. If you wish to have your documents signed in our Fort Myers office, you can select and pay for this option at this time and we will contact you to schedule the signing.
Virtual legal services may not be appropriate for larger estates with more complex legal matters (without adding a traditional component). However, all virtual services can be modified to add traditional services at a later time so there is no risk in starting out with a virtual plan. ual services..process cost etc.
