We had a very good experience getting our living trust, will, healthcare directives, etc. etc. done in the fixed fee package. The process was very streamlined, end to end. Also I had a few questions for Alan that he answered by phone. The appeal of a high quality, fixed fee set of estate planning docs is very high. Vaksman delivered.
I’m not a lawyer, but in skimming through the agreements they appear to be extremely thorough. And when you think about it, how different are trusts for most people? Maybe 10% unique, tops? I don’t pay the premium for my clothes to be custom made from scratch on retainer; I don’t see a trust as being different.
I know, the old school lawyers hate the fixed fee model and will claim it isn’t any good, your documents will be junk. etc. Well, welcome to the new world of business models for the legal profession. I’d add too that my hunch is that for Vaksman’s business model to work, their agreements have to be even MORE bullet-proof than “bespoke” ones. I’d challenge any lawyer who says otherwise to show me the deficiencies in Vaksman’s documents, or process.
One tip is that you need to pick your trust notary/signing date to be at least 4 weeks out from when you submit your info to them. So if you need it for an upcoming real estate deal, then be proactive. Although even if you’re late, you can always just deed the property to your trust later, and that’s not a huge deal.
Also know that you have to get the documents notarized on a specific day, and not a day later or earlier, so plan ahead.
Another tip is that some banks will notarize your documents for free if you have an account with them. First Republic Bank was fantastic for us in that regard.