Ward Law, PLLC

Estate plans are billed as flat fees, while probate and business law matters are billed hourly.

I have potential clients fill out a few forms so I have some basic information before our first meeting. At that first meeting we'll talk through the information gathered and what the client's estate planning goals are. Once I know the client's goals, it's my job to draft a plan that meets those goals given the assets, people, and any charities involved.

B.S. from University of Minnesota and a J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law (formerly, William Mitchell School of Law).

I have a background in medical device development. Later, when I started law school, I knew I would be making a career change. I looked at all of the areas of law that interested me and I gravitated toward estate and probate fairly quickly. I prefer helping people with their needs over helping large corporations. My medical device background was in planning and I found those skills translated well to estate planning.

I work a lot with couples with minor children. They have unique estate planning concerns. However, I work with people in various stages of life.

I was contacted by the family of a woman entering hospice (at home), and she wasn't expected to live for more than a week. I went to her home first thing that morning (a Saturday), gathered all of the estate planning information I could, and talked to her about her estate planning goals. After two hours of talking, we had everything conceptually figured out. I raced to my office and drafted all of the documents, printed them off and raced back to her home for signatures. We completed the entire process from initial phone call to signed documents in less than 5 hours on the same day. She passed away two days later.

Find an attorney you are comfortable working with. Your estate planning needs may evolve over time, so having an attorney you like working with will make revising your plan easier for everyone involved.

In preparation for meeting with me regarding an estate plan, think about who will play certain roles in your plan. For instance, who will be guardian of your minor children, should you need one? Also, who will be the backup choice if the person you recommend is unable or unwilling to be guardian at that time? Other roles in your estate plan will include: Who will manage your finances if you are alive but unable to do so yourself? Who will direct medical staff regarding your healthcare if you are alive but unable to do so yourself? For a will, who will administer the estate with the county courts in Minnesota? For a trust, who will be the trustee of that trust if you are unable to be trustee? For each of these roles, try to identify at least one backup. One person may fulfill many roles, but each role has a different skill set needed. These roles are a large part of what we will be talking about at our first meeting.