A common question we get when people contact us about starting the process of drafting their Will or estate planning is “What do I have to do before I come in?”  The short answer is nothing.  At our firm, when we help people with their estate planning we don’t require any sort of forms to be filled out in advance, nor do you have to compile a laundry list of bank account numbers or balances.

Will Intake Meeting: Answer Questions & Give instructions

The first step is the intake appointment. At that meeting you will review the contents of your estate in a general way and discuss who your legal beneficiaries are. It is during this meeting that you will instruct the lawyer as to what you want in your Will. The only preparation you should do before the meeting is to loosely decide where you want your assets to go when you die and who you would like to be in charge of following your instructions in your Will. There are lots of opportunity to ask questions and get guidance on your options. That first meeting generally lasts about an hour and pricing is discussed right up front to ensure everyone is on the same page (You can read about our estate planning pricing on our website. We don’t think it should be a mystery before you decide whether or not to come in)

Execution Meeting: Review & sign Will

The second meeting is approximately two weeks after that first meeting. That gives you time to reflect on the discussions you had and decisions you’ve made.  If you change your mind you can contact us and we’ll revise the documents accordingly.  The second meeting also takes about an hour. At this meeting you review the details of the Will. If it is to your liking you execute the document right then and it becomes legally binding. You go home with the original documents and pay your bill in full on your way out. If there are small edits, we’ll do them on the spot and you’ll still go home with your documents that day. If you’ve completely changed your mind and want the documents redrafted then you’d come back another day (and there would be an additional fee which would be discussed).  As at the first meeting, questions are welcomed and we go out of our way to make sure you understand and are comfortable with the document you are signing.

If you have questions about your estate planning you can call us at (902) 826-3070 or email us at info@highlanderlaw.ca to set up a meeting with one of our lawyers at our Tantallon law firm. You can also schedule a no commitment Issue Review Consult for $250+HST where you have the opportunity to explain your situation to a lawyer and get basic advice before deciding whether or not you'd like to retain us.  

Author: Dianna M. Rievaj, Founding Lawyer LLB, MBA

The information and materials on this blog are provided for general informational purposes only and are not intended to be legal advice. Nothing contained on this blog is legal advice or constitutes a legal opinion. While it is our goal to provide information which is current, legislative changes and court decisions, among other matters, may result in some information no longer being current or accurate. You should consult a lawyer before relying on any information. The views expressed herein by individual contributing lawyers posting entries to the blog are solely those of the authors and should not necessarily be attributed to or considered representative of the firm of Highlander Law Group Lawyers.