Estate Planning Fee Structure at our Law Firm

The Estate Planning Division of The Law Office of Lauren N. Peebles was established to guide clients through the creation of comprehensive, strategic tools such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance medical directives and various real property transfer documents. Our extensive experience allows us to address important estate planning matters both expeditiously and at a reasonable cost.

Estate plans listed below are flat fees. The fee includes all meetings and phone calls needed to discuss the details of your estate plan, modifications to the estate plan during the draft phase, and your Plan Review Session. There are some exceptions to the flat fee rates quoted above. Contact our firm for more information or to schedule a consultation.

Trust Packages

Unmarried Couples – Basic Package

For unmarried persons, our basic trust package includes the following:

One (1) Revocable Living Trust;
One (1) Pour-Over Will;
One (1) Advance Health Care Directive;
One (1) Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Purposes;
One (1) Assignment of Property;
One (1) California deed to transfer your primary residence to the trust;
One (1) Preliminary Change of Ownership Report for your local county assessor’s office; and
Trust Funding Instructions.

The starting price for our basic trust package for unmarried persons is $2,750.

Married Couples – Basic Package

For married couples, our basic trust package includes the following:

One (1) Marital Revocable Living Trust;
Two (2) Pour-Over Wills;
Two (2) Advance Health Care Directives;
Two (2) Durable Powers of Attorney for Financial Purposes;
Two (2) Assignments of Property;
One (1) California deed to transfer the clients’ primary residence to the trust;
One (1) Preliminary Change of Ownership Report for your local county assessor’s office; and
Trust Funding Instructions.

The price of a basic trust package for married couples starts at $3,475.

Married Couples – Premium AB Trust Package

Some married couples require an A/B Trust. An A/B Trust, sometimes called an “exemption” or “bypass” trust, is where the property contributed to the trust by the first spouse to die will be distributed to his or her beneficiaries when the surviving spouse dies. However, the surviving spouse cannot change the beneficiaries named by the first spouse. The premium A/B Trust package includes the AB Trust plus all documents from the Married Couples – Basic Package.

The price for a premium A/B trust package for married couples starts at $4,975.

Deeds

The fee for additional deeds for trust packages start at $425 per deed for California real property, this includes preparation, signing instructions, recordation of the deed, and recording fees. Fees may be higher for out-of-state deeds, depending on the recording fees charged by each county. For rental/investment properties and/or vacation homes, add $75.00 to account for increased fees from the county recorders for those types of properties.

Notary Services

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we are no longer able to host document signings in our office. Accordingly, you must make arrangements for notarization of your documents directly. California notary costs are $15/signature and may include a travel fee. Many banks and credit unions will notarize documents for their bank members at no cost.