Preparing for the consultation
What to bring.
The initial consultation is ninety minutes. We can spend it productively if we have the source documents in front of us, or we can spend it reconstructing what is missing. The list below covers what we would like to see — not everything will apply, and we will tell you which items matter for your specific situation.
Existing documents
- Any prior will, trust, or codicil, signed or unsigned
- Existing durable power of attorney and medical power of attorney
- Texas Directive to Physicians if executed
- Premarital or postmarital agreement if applicable
- Prior attorney’s contact information if we will need to request the file
Financial snapshot
- A summary of real property holdings (addresses, rough values, how title is held)
- Retirement account statements (most recent quarterly statement is sufficient)
- Life insurance declarations or summary pages showing death benefit and owner/beneficiary
- Brokerage and bank account summaries with titling shown
- Ownership percentages in any closely held business and the most recent operating agreement
Family structure
- Full legal names and dates of birth of spouse and all children
- Marriage date; prior marriages and their dispositions if any
- Contact information for proposed executor, trustee, and guardian
- Any family situation the firm should know about — estrangement, beneficiary with special needs, intended unequal distribution — that will shape the plan
If a plan already exists
- Trust funding verification: for any existing revocable trust, deeds showing property retitled into the trust and account statements showing trust ownership
- Beneficiary designation forms, most recent, for every retirement account and life policy
- Any amendment or restatement executed after the original plan
A note
If gathering this material is the bottleneck, the firm can request documents directly from prior counsel and financial institutions after the engagement letter is signed. It is normal for the initial consultation to work from what the family has on hand, with the remainder produced in the first thirty days.