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Listen

We begin by understanding the family, the assets, and the concerns — before we draft anything.

Every client arrives with a story. Sometimes it is a story about a business they built. Sometimes it is a story about a parent who has grown ill, or a child who needs protection, or a marriage that has changed. The documents we eventually draft are downstream of that story — and they are only as good as our understanding of it.

So we start by listening. Not by handing over a checklist, not by presuming we know what is needed, but by asking questions and paying attention to the answers.

What this phase involves

• A conversation about family, assets, and goals
• Review of existing documents and prior plans
• Identification of tax, family, and practical considerations
• Discussion of trade-offs and possible structures
• Agreement on what we are trying to accomplish

This phase is not billable in the usual sense of billable hours. It is the foundation of everything that follows.