Planning for the future can feel overwhelming: Where to start? Do I have the necessary information? Will the lawyer use normal words or fancy lawyerspeak? Our goal at NW Legacy Law is to make it easy for you to get a will or trust in place. We do this by making the process clear, compassionate, and tailored to your goals and your family. Whether you're just starting out or updating an existing plan, here’s what you can expect when you meet with our Camas, WA estate planning lawyer for a consultation.
Before The Meeting: Optional Intake Form
Once you schedule your consultation, we’ll send you a brief intake form.
The intake form helps us get to know the basics of your family structure, financial assets, and priorities. This helps us focus on your unique needs and objectives rather than writing down names, birthdates, and addresses.
For the intake form, don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers or information—just fill out what you can. We can do the consultation without an intake form too. You can fill it out when you arrive for your consultation, but it may mean we spend less time talking about your priorities and specific needs.
During The Consultation
Your consultation is all about you. This includes making sure we cover:
- Your goals: Do you want to avoid probate? Protect minor children? Prevent assets from going to a son-in-law or daughter-in-law? Support charitable causes?
- Education: We explain the nuts and bolts of what is involved in estate planning. We cover, at the most basic level, what estate planning can do—make sure your assets go to the right people with the right people in charge. We also go over the next level of planning about taxes, courts, and putting controls on when people receive an inheritance.
- Your concerns: complexity, costs, taxes, court procedures, debts, and the other items that you want to address.
Our commitment to you is to answer your questions plainly and without legal jargon. We also summarize our wills and trusts with flow charts and other illustrations for you and your family.
This is a judgment-free zone. Whether you’ve never made a will or you’re revisiting your trust after a major life change, we’re here to help.
After The Consultation
From the consultation, there are normally one of three outcomes:
- We sketch out an initial estate plan and get started.
- We set a second meeting to get more specifics dialed in and review potential options.
- No further work is needed because we aren’t a good fit for your needs or you already have an estate plan and just needed a consultation for a review.
If you decide to move forward, we’ll guide you through every step—from drafting documents to signing and storing them securely.
Common Questions We Hear
- “Do I need a trust or just a will?”
- “What is probate court?”
- “What happens if I become incapacitated?”
- “How do I protect my children’s inheritance?”
- “Can I include charitable giving in my plan?”
We’ll answer these and more, based on your specific situation.
Our Promise
Estate planning isn’t just about documents—it’s about peace of mind. NW Legacy Law was founded in 2013 by Thomas Hackett. Since then, we have grown to four attorneys strong plus a skilled and compassionate support staff. We’re committed to helping you create a plan that reflects your values, protects your loved ones, and leaves the legacy you want for your family. Reach out to us today or whenever you are ready.
