Our Simple Estate Planning Process
Hi, Misha Gill here. As you prepare for your estate planning consultation, I’d like to give you a general representation overview and what to expect during the whole process.
There are 6-steps in our estate planning process, which includes (1) the initial phone call, (2) the initial consultation, (3) the summary of client information, (4) the document tour, (5) the signing ceremony, and then (6) wrapping up after the signing.
Please watch the video below before your scheduled consultation.
If you have any questions, please call my office at (703) 553-2577. We look forward to meeting with you and helping your family.
Our 6-Step Process
We’ve developed a straightforward estate planning process where we work one-on-one to build your customized, unique plan. Our goal will be to preserve your assets, minimize your costs and create a clear path for your children’s future.
1. The Initial Phone Call
I’m going to schedule an initial phone call that takes maybe ten to fifteen minutes. We’ll answer some of your initial questions during that time.
2. The Initial Consultation
After the initial phone call, we will schedule the initial consultation. The initial consultation is where we do a lot of the work involved in an estate planning representation. We will do a deep dive into your circumstances and I will learn a lot about you during the initial consultation, including financial information, and your family circumstances, and what your wishes are for your compassionate legacy for your children or for anyone else in your life. You’re going to make a lot of impactful decisions during the initial consultation.
3. The Summary of Client Information
After the initial consultation, that’s when I will prepare your documents. I’m going to send you, what I call the summary of client information within a week. The summary of client information gives you a general idea of the shape and outline of your estate plan. I like to send that to my clients first to make sure that I have all the names spelled correctly and that everyone is named in the right order. Additionally, it gives you another chance to look over your wishes.
4. The Document Tour
A week to two weeks later, we will meet and do a deep dive into your actual documents. The goal for the document tour is to make sure that you see the stuff that’s really important for you to see, make sure that you check the things that are specific to your circumstances, and as we go along I’m going to show you the features and the protections of your documents. And hopefully, by the end of the document tour, you’ll have a certain degree of comfort with your documents. A lot of clients derive a lot of value from the document tour.
5. The Signing Ceremony
After the document tour, we’re going to schedule a time for you to sign your documents. And I schedule the signing ceremony for about two to three weeks after the document tour. At the signing ceremony, we will make it as efficient as possible for you. It really only takes about thirty minutes. It’s a lot of paperwork but we flag everything and indicate where everyone is going to sign to make your time as efficient as possible.
6. Wrapping Up After the Signing
After the signing ceremony, we’re going to digitize your documents the same day or the next day. After that we will send you a link to download your documents. The original documents gets sent to you via tracked mail in an estate planning binder. The binder contains your documents in a USB drive with all of your electronic copies and then it also has what’s called the memory bank in it.
The memory bank is where you put all the information that you need for your agent to run your life in case anything ever happened to you. This information would include your health insurance information, your security passwords, your security question and answers, all that kind of stuff. This is what we give to you in the memory bank, but it’s really a gift to your agents to complete the memory bank.
There’s also a little bit of homework left after we sign your documents for you. You need to go around to your different institutions, your brokers, your banks, and your retirement plan institutions, custodians, and you need to update your beneficiary designations, your Pay-On-Death designations, your Transfer-On-Death designations. I am available to assist you with that process at no additional charge unless you engage me to actually prepare the documents, in which case, there is an administrative charge for preparing the documents. But once we get all those loose ends tied up, the representation is pretty much over.
I hope that gave you a good idea of the overview of estate planning representation and I look forward to seeing you when we meet for our initial consultation.
Those are the 6 simple steps for estate planning.
If you have any questions give my office a call at (703) 553-2577.
3 Reasons Our Clients Love Us
SIMPLE, CUSTOMIZED PLAN
We make your estate planning experience simple yet detailed. We’ll address all of your family’s unique needs. You’ll have a complete estate plan in weeks.
FAIR, FLAT FEE
We don’t charge a lavish hourly rate. We provide exceptional services at a reasonable, flat fee. No surprises. 100% transparency.
PEACE OF MIND
You deserve to stop worrying about the future and start living today. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that you and your family will be well taken care of.
What’s Included in Your Estate Plan?
WILL
Select who you want to inherit your home, money and other assets (and who to leave out).
LIVING TRUST
Ensure your family will inherit your assets without the delay and expense of probate.
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Choose someone to pay your bills and take care of your money if you need help.
MEDICAL DIRECTIVE
Choose someone to make medical decisions and take care of you if you need help.
We can also help you with Special Needs Planning and Pet Trusts.
WHY OUR CLIENTS CHOOSE US
"From the moment we first video-chatted with Misha to when we stepped into their office, we felt reassured and supported throughout the entire process of setting up our trust and will.
Misha, in particular, was a standout professional. His approachability and personable demeanor immediately put us at ease. He took the time to thoroughly explain every aspect of the process, ensuring we fully understood all the terms and implications. His knowledge and expertise were evident, yet he communicated in a way that was easy to grasp, making the entire experience stress-free.
Scheduling appointments with Misha was effortless. The day of the signing ceremony was nothing short of impressive. Misha, along with Adriane and Jerome, orchestrated the ceremony seamlessly, making it feel like a breeze. Their attention to detail and organization made the entire process feel simple and straightforward.
Overall, we cannot thank Misha, Adriane and Jerome enough for their outstanding service. They gave us peace of mind and the comfort that our affairs were in capable hands. We wholeheartedly recommend their services to anyone in need of trust and will legal assistance."
Amy C.
"The Speedwell Team did an outstanding job in updating our legal documents and adding a trust. Alex guided us throughout the process. As seniors we truly appreciated her patience in answering our endless questions. She was a delight to work with. Misha and Adriane rounded out the team and provided valuable input to the final documents. Additionally, the summary document and other instructions were very helpful. In fact, our Financial Advisor was very impressed with them! We highly recommend Speedwell, and we would not hesitate to use them again in the future."
Robert
“We can’t say enough good things about Michael “Misha” Gill. His service in preparing our living trust and other estate planning documents was superb. My wife and I presented an unusual, complex situation but it didn’t throw Misha for a second. He was extremely helpful, clarified many questions, gave excellent advice, and delivered answers in a clear and straightforward manner. He is calm and efficient. He is thorough and methodical. He kept in touch throughout the process. He made a thing like this as easy as can possibly be. Plus he’s a really nice guy. I could go on and on but I’ll finish by saying that if you need a lawyer for estate planning purposes, don’t look any further. Misha is your man.”
David C.
What Happens If You Don’t Have An Estate Plan?
NO CONTROL
Suddenly “other people” will decide your fate if you become disabled or lose your mental faculties. You’ll lose control of your assets and your medical care decisions.
COSTLY PROBATE
Your children might suffer the emotional distress of probate court: the endless delays; the expensive costs; only to be dragged into court and have their lives become public record.
NO INHERITANCE
Your children might be left with pennies on the dollar because of expensive probate costs and litigation with family members who want a piece of your money.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT WORKING WITH US?
FULL SERVICE
Other attorneys offer instructions and ask you to do the work. We handle everything for you from start to finish.
FAIR, FLAT FEE
Other attorneys charge a lavish hourly rate. We have a reasonable, flat fee so there are no surprises.
FAST & SIMPLE
Other attorneys make the process drawn out and complicated. We’ve created a process that makes it simple and painless.
MEET OUR ATTORNEYS
Hello, I’m Misha Gill. I’m an estate planning attorney in Alexandria, Virginia. Every day, I have the privilege of helping families plan for a better future. My motto is, “If you’re focused on the wellbeing of others, good things will happen to you and those around you.”
I prefer to use the phrase “personal legal affairs” to describe my practice because estate planning often brings up issues that could be variously categorized as family law, contracts, business, and real estate law, among others. My background in business, finance, and entrepreneurship serve me well in advising my clients on all matters related to their personal legal affairs.
I look forward to meeting you and discuss how we can help your family.
Guy Bowe is an associate at Speedwell Law, a Virginia law firm. Guy concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and estate administration. He helps his clients develop an estate plan that preserves their family legacy.
Guy developed his practical approach to solving client problems while working for PwC and Deloitte, where he advised multinational corporations on M&A structuring and tax planning in various international jurisdictions.
Guy is admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar, and he is sitting for the Virginia Bar Exam in February 2019. He received his law degree from Penn State Dickinson School of Law where he received the CALI “Excellence for the Future Awards” for highest grades in: Estate Planning, Corporations, and Strategic Legal Research, among others. In Law School, Guy clerked for the Honorable John E. Jones III of the United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania. Guy graduated Summa Cum Laude from Susquehanna University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics.