Our Planning Process

We know, beginning your estate plan is a big step.  So our process is designed to ensure your confidence in the planning process each step of the way.  Every decision is carefully reviewed with you and yet the entire process doesn't stretch out beyond 8 weeks, so you know that within a single month after meeting with Peacock Law’s Family Business Lawyer™, your family could be totally protected.

It's the perfect combination of efficiency and warmth.

The planning process itself begins with an initial meeting that is an opportunity for you to meet with us, so we can each determine whether there is a good fit between you and our firm.

During this initial meeting, we will walk you through exactly what your loved ones would have to do and where your assets would go if something happened to you.

You will then be able to determine if there was anything about your current plan (or the state's plan for you) that you wouldn't like and you'll get clear on what you would want to happen if something happened to you.

Assuming there is a good fit between you and us, we will help you to choose the planning level and fee that is right for your family (we have three different planning levels to accommodate your needs - our fees begin at $2,000 and they are all-inclusive, so there are no surprises) and you and Ryan will then design a plan that will give you the peace of mind of knowing your family will be taken care of in the event the unthinkable happens.

Sometimes, depending on the level of planning you choose and the complexity of your situation, a second design meeting is needed or a Whole Family Wealth Audit meeting is offered to review your more complex financial matters.

Once your plan has been designed to your satisfaction, you will return to our office about 4-6 weeks later to sign your planning documents.  At this point, your family and your assets will be totally protected in the case of your death or incapacity.

In most law firms, the relationship ends there.

But we see the signing of these documents as the beginning of our relationship with your family. This is where our law firm is very different.

After you sign your legal documents, we don’t just send you on your way and wish you luck for the future.  Instead, we create an electronic record of all of your legal documents so you can easily access them anytime you need to in the future and then schedule a legacy meeting with you.  This is one of the most important meetings of our process because it’s where we:

1)  ensure your assets are all owned in the right way (you can have the best set of legal documents, but if your assets are not owned in the right way, it’s all been a waste);

2)  make sure everyone you’ve named to take care of your kids, the money you are leaving behind or you - if you cannot care of yourself, knows just what to do, if and when something happens;

3)  capture and plan for your intangible assets – the values, insights, stories, and experiences – you would never want lost.

And this is where we make sure you understand everything we’ve put in place for you and your family.

Then, we still aren’t done!

We meet with you at least every three years to review your plan and make sure it stays up to date.  If that’s not included in the planning you are doing, the set of documents you get are very unlikely to work when your family needs them.

For Business Owners

Before Hiring a Business Lawyer Understand the Difference 

Many business lawyers take a "one-size fits all" approach with their clients; they do this so they can work with as many people as possible in a short period of time.  One problem is you receive an impersonal experience; but even worse than that, this type of planning can lead to unintended results in the long run for your business.

When lawyers do not take the time to inquire, listen, understand and truly consider your business’s individual circumstances, the result is that your business documents and model does not end up reflecting what’s very best for the structure and, ultimately, growth of your business.

So even though you may pay less up front to get a standard set of documents or corporate set up, you lose money in the long run.

Peacock Law is right for you if you want a trusted advisor to turn to for the life of your business

✔  to help you with ensuring you have the right business model in place and can navigate to a new one, if you don’t,

✔  to help you with getting the right agreements in place with vendors, team members, investors, partners and others,

✔  to help you explore potential opportunities,

✔  to evaluate insurance buying decisions, asset protection planning choices, and tax saving strategies,

✔  to keep you out of trouble and respond when you get too close to the edge.

If that’s what you want, we just might be the right law practice for you.

Here are some of the ways we are different from most traditional business planning lawyers:

1.    All of our fees are fixed fees agreed to in advance, so there are no surprises. At our initial meeting you will choose the level of planning and fee that works best for your business, so there will never be any surprises.

2.    We are proactive advisors who check in with you and your business on a regular basis so we can put our legal minds to work to help you grow your business, helping you take the best-calculated risks so you can receive the biggest rewards.  We don’t just prepare a set of legal documents for you and send you on your way until something happens.

3.    We meet with you at least quarterly via our Business Growth Membership program. We foster a lifetime, ongoing relationship with you so we can guide you through all of your business’ stages – preparing your business for succession or sale and always focused on helping you get to the next level.  Throughout the life of your business, things change.  You change; your assets change; your business changes; the law will definitely change.  We are here to help you navigate those changes.

4.    We have a whole team in place to answer your quick questions and make the legal process incredibly easy and painless for you and your business. You never have to worry about unreturned phone calls or endless games of phone tag.

5.    We help you get your legal and financial house in order by helping you make smart choices about things like buying insurance, selling your business, retirement planning so you never spend more than you have to or get taken advantage of by unscrupulous sales people who see your business as a cash cow for them.

6.    Legacy Planning.  We believe that your business is here to last and we want to help make sure that’s the case.   Your work is meaningful and we will work with you to keep it that way.