How we work
Our Process
Matters for our new clients all start with our intake process and an initial consultation.
Getting Started
Your First Call
First call the office or request a callback. A team member will identify the general matter type, explain the intake process, and answer general questions about consultation options, fees, and next steps. The call is complimentary and does not include legal advice.
Intake and Conflicts Check
If a consultation appears appropriate, the office will explain the information, forms, payment, and other arrangements required before the session is confirmed.
Before receiving private details or confirming a consultation, the office completes the required, routine conflicts check.
Initial Consultation
The first consultation is a working attorney advice and strategy session – not a sales meeting or introductory meet-and-greet.
Initial consultations are private attorney meetings only for the intended client or clients.
The attorney reviews and analyzes the relevant information, answers legal questions, and discusses options and next steps.
30-minute consultation — $385
Appropriate for limited questions, a defined issue, or new clients intent on having the firm create or update their estate plan.
60-minute consultation — $750
Provides more time for multiple questions, existing document review, and more involved planning, administration, or probate court matters. Couples, especially with blended family dynamics, may need the full hour.
For clients who engage the firm to create or fully restate a living-trust-based estate plan, the consultation fee is applied to the quoted package flat fee.
Estate Planning
Comprehensive Planning, Flat Fees
Estate-planning engagements are generally handled for a flat fee.
Individual — $3,850
Standard trust-based estate-planning package fee.
Couple — $4,975
Standard trust-based estate-planning package fee.
For a qualifying living-trust estate-planning engagement, the consultation fee is credited toward the package fee.
In the initial consultation, the attorney quotes a specific fee, which may be lower or higher, based on the work’s scope, complexity, and risks.
The 3-Meeting Process
Our three-meeting process is designed to make your planning focused, thorough, and productive.
This process typically takes about one month from initial meeting to the final, signing meeting. Some estate plans can be completed faster – though some may take longer – depending on your availability and time needed for decisions, and our schedule.
1. The Planning & Strategy Session
The first meeting is a substantive working session. The attorney answers your questions, considers your circumstances, objectives, and existing documents, discusses available approaches, and typically makes a tentative recommendation, and quotes a flat fee.
2. Questionnaire and Design Session
Before the second meeting, clients complete an estate-planning questionnaire addressing their circumstances, property, and intended fiduciaries and beneficiaries. Completing it includes your tentative decisions about fiduciary appointments, and the distribution of the trust estate to your beneficiaries.
At the Design Session, we go through your completed questionnaire, answer your questions, help you make any decisions you still need to make, and see that we accurately get your instructions about intended plan design.
The firm then prepares the estate-planning documents, and provides draft documents and an executive summary for your review before signing.
3. Signing & Implementation Session
Our final meeting is for answering remaining questions, overseeing execution and notarization, and other plan implementation steps.
Depending on the engagement, that meeting may include execution of deeds or assignments transferring assets to your trust, and discussion of other trust funding steps, such as retitling financial accounts, and coordination of beneficiary designations. These steps matter because a trust must be put into effect, not merely signed.
Updating Existing Trusts & Estate Plans
The firm also updates existing estate plans, including plans prepared elsewhere.
For a plan prepared by another firm, the firm generally does not undertake isolated amendments or a stand-alone “review.” Instead, the firm ordinarily recommends a complete, integrated restatement, typically retaining the existing trust’s name, date, and form of title.
A restatement updates the trust and related estate-planning documents together. That avoids adding new provisions to older documents and amendments that may use different language, reflect earlier circumstances or law, and have to be read together to determine what the plan actually provides. Starting with revised, updated documents is usually a more efficient use of attorney time – and your legal fees – than analyzing older documents only to reach that same recommendation.
The result is a current, coherent estate-planning package, which the firm stands behind, not a patchwork of original documents, amendments, and qualifications.
This approach is particularly useful when the existing plan has not been updated for years; when assets, family circumstances, fiduciary choices, or intended beneficiaries have changed; or when the plan was prepared outside California.
Clients with an existing plan ordinarily follow the same three-meeting process. The work may be more streamlined when certain documents or retitling steps are unnecessary.
For a qualifying trust-restatement engagement, the consultation fee is fully credited toward the flat fee.
Trust Administration
Clear Guidance for a Varied Process
Trust administration varies substantially from one matter to another. The work may involve the governing documents, beneficiaries, fiduciary duties, asset transfers, creditor issues, tax matters, real property, business interests, accountings, or coordination with other professionals.
For that reason, trust-administration engagements are generally handled on a hybrid basis. Defined projects may be quoted at a flat fee; other work is billed at hourly rates based on the work required.
Mr. Ofseyer’s hourly rate is $800. Other firm professionals are billed at their applicable rates. Work is assigned to the appropriate professional for the task, with attention to both quality and cost.
Each new matter begins with a paid Trust Administration Consultation. The consultation provides an opportunity to identify immediate priorities, discuss the work involved, and establish an appropriate proposed fee arrangement.
Estate Administration & Probate Proceedings
Less is More
We begin by identifying the most efficient way to settle the estate, which may involve trust administration, beneficiary designation or survivorship transfers, a small estate affidavit, a focused court petition, or summary estate proceedings.
Fees for Full Probate Administration
For a full California probate-court administration, state law establishes the attorney fee for ordinary services. The fee is based on the gross value of the probate estate, and is subject to probate court approval; it does not depend on the attorney’s hourly rate, experience, or credentials. Additional compensation for extraordinary services requires court approval.
Other Estate Work
Other estate administration work – including trust administration, simplified transfers, and limited probate proceedings – may be handled on a flat-fee, hourly, or hybrid basis, depending on the work involved.
Mr. Ofseyer’s hourly rate is $800. Other firm professionals bill at their applicable rates. We assign work to the professional best suited to the task, with attention to both quality and cost.
Each new estate administration or probate matter begins with a paid Estate or Probate Consultation, which provides initial analysis and direction, identifies the available options, and explains the proposed fee arrangement.
Disputed or Litigated Matters
Dispute Evaluation and Litigation Counsel Referral
PDEP offers informed initial evaluations of potential or pending trust, estate, fiduciary, and conservatorship disputes, and can refer clients to well-matched litigation counsel when appropriate. PDEP does not undertake litigation representation.
Consultation Policies
Private Consultations
Initial consultations are private attorney meetings for the intended client or clients.
Cancellation and Rescheduling
Payment is required to confirm your consultation. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please give us at least two business days’ notice so we can offer the reserved time to another client.
If something unexpected arises, please contact us as soon as possible. We will be glad to help you find another available time.
Consultation Fit Policy
If, during your consultation, the attorney determines the firm is not a good fit for your matter, the attorney will conclude the meeting and refund your consultation fee in full.
Start the Process
Matters for our new clients all start with our intake process and an initial consultation.