Services We Provide and What It Costs
Legal Fees
We at Zinnanti Law Firm, P.C. believe in transparency when it comes to fees and the scope of services. In the legal profession, all too often, clients are amiss as to what services fees cover, how extensive fees can get and accountability for charges.
The great majority of our work is handled on a flat fee basis. This means that the quoted fee is the extent of the fees charged to the client. For settling an estate plan, we try to keep the entire cost near $3,000.00, including notary and recording fees. More complex trusts, however, entail higher fees.
Reviews of trusts, updates and amendments, and trust administrations are handled on a retainer basis with an estimate of time, based on our experience, multiplied by an agreed hourly rate. Probate fees are collected from the estate at the end of the probate. In the case of an hourly retainer, the quoted amount will usually cover the entirety of the services. Where it does not, we communicate with the client about the scope of the work and anticipated fees.
Services and Terms
The great majority of our estate planning work consists of settlement of revocable trusts (which also go by the names "living trust," and "inter vivos trust") along with the accompanying documents, Powers of Attorney, Advanced Health Care Directives, HIPAA Waivers, Final Disposition Instructions and, where there are minor children, Guardianship Directives, Powers of Attorney for Minors and Health Care Directives for Minors. This package includes two transfer deeds for properties to be retitled in name of the trust (which is a critical aspect of settling a trust). Additional deeds are a supplemental fee.
We handle the recording of the deeds and the Preliminary Change of Ownership Reports (to avoid reassessment of properties transferred into a revocable trust). As well, we assist with the re-titling of accounts. This package includes a Schedule of Funding, outlining all of the assets held by the trust estate.
We give our clients one year to make changes to their estate plan after settlement free of charge. Because there is a lot to think about in the settlement of an estate plan, it is entirely possible that something may need to be updated after finalization. Therefore, we afford our clients the opportunity to do so without additional cost.
Estate planning that does not entail the settlement of an estate plan is done on a case-by-case basis as to fees and scope of work. We will work with you to find an agreeable fee.
Errors & Omissions Coverage
For the protection of our clients, our office maintains errors and omissions (malpractice) coverage.
