Firm Overview
We believe The Golden Rule is more valuable than a fee.Most estate planning attorneys provide valuable counsel regarding the transfer of assets and tax reduction. At The Law Office of Antoinette Bone however, we view the “estate plan” as not just about financial matters, but also about the life objectives you hold for yourself and your family. We take a holistic, comprehensive approach that recognizes the many areas of your life and the many stages we all go through.
This means digging a little deeper to learn what truly matters to you. And it means doing so in an environment where the most effective ideas can be generated.
We believe that the best results occur when we work together as a team with you and your other trusted advisors. Because we understand you want access to our advice and counsel, we are committed to responding to all of your inquiries within 24 hours. We also realize that you want to know upfront what you can expect your fees to be. As such, all costs are clearly outlined in our easily understandable fee structure documents. Moreover, we will always adhere to those costs. Should the parameters of the planning process change, you will always be advised beforehand of any additional fees involved.
Our commitment to you and your family extends further still — to ensuring that the firm’s staff and thereby you as well, are always kept up to date on the latest statutes, trends and ideas in estate planning.
Our relationship does not end with the signing of estate planning documents. It is our hope that our relationship will extend for many years. We look forward to working with you to evolve and alter your estate plan as you move through the various stages of life and as your needs change.
Rates and Fees
The Law Office of Antoinette Bone, PLLC recognizes that the greatest fear for those seeking the assistance of an attorney is how attorneys charge for their services and how much can they expect to pay for those services. To alleviate some of those concerns, we are providing the following information regarding or fees. Fees will vary depending on the case. However, the following should provide you with some understanding of how we charge clients depending on the type of case the firm is handling for them.
Estate Planning Clients:
When assisting clients with their estate planning needs (i.e. drafting Wills, Trusts, powers of attorney, and the like), the firm charges flat fee. After we have had a chance to visit with you about your specific needs, we are happy to quote our exact fee for you prior to beginning any work so that you know what the cost will be. For estate planning work, we require half of the fee be paid prior to the start of the work. The second half will be due a week prior to the day you are scheduled to sign your documents if paying by check and the day of if paying by credit card.
Probate and Guardianship Cases:
For our probate and guardianship cases, the firm charges services on an hourly basis. In these instances, you will be charged only for those services that we actually perform for you, and those charges are detailed on a monthly statement for you so that you fully understand the work and services we have performed. Additionally, we charge our probate and guardianship clients for our out-of-pocket expenses that the firm incurs on your behalf for items such as court costs, filing fees, and the like. These charges will also be detailed on your statement.
Generally, we require our probate and guardianship clients to make an upfront deposit with us. These funds will be used to pay fees and expenses as they are incurred as well as for the provision of services provided on an hourly basis. The amount of that deposit will vary depending on the complexity of the specific case. Once your deposit has been expended, we then appreciate prompt payment of our fees. If any portion of your deposit is unused, it will be refunded to you at the conclusion of the case.
Methods of Payment:
At The Law Office of Antoinette Bone, we realize that many people do not have the cash on hand to make large upfront payments for legal services. With that in mind, we accept Discover, Mastercard or Visa credit card payments.
