How Our Fees Work

Fees Agreed Up Front

We believe you should never have to guess what your legal work will cost. After a free initial consultation — where we learn about your situation and explain your options — we put the fee, or a clear estimate, in writing before any work begins. You decide whether to move forward knowing what it involves and what to expect on cost.

This is different from how many firms operate. When fees are open-ended or billed purely by the hour, clients are left watching the clock, hesitant to ask a question because every call adds to the bill. We don't think that's the right way to serve families and business owners, so we structure most of our work as flat fees that are settled before we start.

Why We Use Flat Fees

For most estate planning, real estate, and business formation matters, we can look at what needs to be done and quote a flat fee with confidence. Flat fees give you three things hourly billing can't:

• Certainty. You know the total cost before you decide, and it doesn't change because a matter took an extra phone call.
• Freedom to ask. You can call with questions without worrying that every conversation increases your bill.
• Alignment. Our incentive is to do the work well and efficiently, not to run up hours.

And some matters — contested estates, litigation, or administration that unfolds over a long period — are genuinely unpredictable. We won't lock you (or ourselves) into a flat fee that doesn't fit. When a matter is hard to predict, we tell you so up front, give you our best estimate, explain how hourly billing works, and keep you informed at every step so the cost never gets away from you.

What Affects the Cost

There is no single price for "an estate plan" or "a closing," because no two situations are the same. The fee for your matter depends on factors like:

• The documents and structure you need — a will-based plan is simpler than a revocable living trust; a single-property closing is simpler than a multi-parcel commercial transaction.
• The complexity of your assets and family — blended families, business interests, out-of-state property, special-needs beneficiaries, and tax planning all add work.
• Whether you're planning ahead or responding to a crisis — proactive planning is almost always less expensive than fixing a problem after the fact.
• The scope of the engagement — a focused document review costs less than a comprehensive plan with coordinated beneficiary designations and funding.

Because these factors vary so widely, the most honest thing we can do is review your specific situation and give you a real number — not a generic price that may not apply to you.

Estate Planning, Probate, Real Estate & Business

The same principle applies across everything we do. Whether you're creating a will or trust, settling a loved one's estate through probate, closing on a property, or forming a business, we explain how the fee works and agree on it before we begin. For probate in particular, we review the estate up front and look for ways to keep costs down — including simplified procedures like Pennsylvania's small estate process when an estate qualifies.

What's Included

When we quote a flat fee, we tell you what it covers so there are no gray areas. For most estate plans, that includes the consultation, drafting your documents, a meeting to review and sign them, and guidance on the practical steps that make the plan actually work. If something falls outside the agreed scope, we discuss it with you before doing the work — never after.