This will formalize the agreement by which you are retaining me to act as your estate planning attorney.
For a fee of $2,800.00, I have agreed to review and analyze your present estate plan, make recommendations relating to your plan and, following your instructions, prepare a new estate plan, including the documents highlighted in Exhibit A which is attached.
This fee covers my time spent on your initial meetings, up to three (3) hours of additional meeting time, preparing the draft documents, preparing an explanation of the key provisions of your principal instruments, making changes and additions to your instruments, answering questions regarding your instruments before execution, and providing guidance on the execution of your instruments. Unless additional time is requested and agreed upon in writing, all documents must be finalized within sixty (60) days after final drafts are returned to you. In the unlikely event that additional time is required to make changes and additions or to answer your questions, you may be charged a new flat-fee or at the then-prevailing hourly rate. Currently, this rate is $350.00.
Please note that this fee does not cover any work in connection with the federal Corporate Transparency Act (the "Act"), including, but not limited to, the filing of reports required by the Act, even if we create entities as part of your plan that are subject to reporting under the Act. In addition, this fee does not include any review or analysis of your current assets and holdings, powers over or interests in trusts to determine whether you have any interests in existing entities that may require reporting under the Act. We will be happy to discuss the Corporate Transparency Act in general with you to determine whether you should investigate its application to you in detail, but we are not taking on this type of compliance work at this time.
For your convenience, C. Flowers Law, PLLC may use a 3rd party mobile notary signing service (such as Admin Mobile LLC) for the execution of your confidential estate documents. The 3rd party notary company and C. Flowers Law, PLLC may share your information with each other through a secure GLBA, GDPR, and HIPAA complaint platform. The 3rd party notary company may share your information such as address and phone number with other commissioned notaries and/or witnesses to thoroughly carry out the signing services. Your information will never be sold or shared with unauthorized individuals. The 3rd party notary company is a mobile and online notary partner only and is prohibited from giving legal advice. All legal questions should be directed to C. Flowers Law, PLLC.
You may also be billed for photocopying, postage, long-distance telephone charges, courier fees, overnight express delivery charges and any other reasonable and necessary miscellaneous expenses.
I will require $2,400.00 upfront, payable upon receipt of the invoice. This will be applied against your total fee. The balance of the fees ($1,150.00) will be billed to you and will be due and payable when I have sent you draft documents. Unless special arrangements for deferred payment are made with me in advance, no estate planning documents may be executed until all fees and miscellaneous expenses are paid in full.
All lawyers in Texas have an obligation to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct toward their clients and others. To enforce this standard, the State Bar of Texas investigates and prosecutes complaints of professional misconduct against attorneys licensed in Texas. If you feel that misconduct may have occurred or if you have questions regarding the disciplinary process, you may call or write the State Bar of Texas, P.O. Box 12487, Austin, Texas 78711, (512) 463-1381 or 1-800-932-1900 (Toll Free).
Whenever I plan the estate of a married couple, I represent the interests of both of you. Although the interests of both spouses are usually compatible, conflicts can arise. If conflicts arise, I cannot advocate the interests of one of you over those of the other.
Each of you are my client and matters that you tell me in confidence are not protected by the attorney-client privilege from disclosure to the other of you. If both of you do not share the same objectives or you wish to speak in confidence to your lawyer, you should have separate counsel and I should represent only one of you. At this time, however, with a full understanding of each of your rights to an independent counsel, you request that I represent both of you in all of the matters in this agreement.
In closing, please let me assure you that it is my goal to provide legal services to you on the most cost-efficient basis possible. I hope you will feel free to call at any time with questions you may have with respect to any of my billing policies and procedures or any other matter.
I look forward to working with you.
