Fees & Payments

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Flat Fees for Initial Attorney Consultations

We charge flat fees for Initial Attorney Consultations when you meet with the lawyer to ask questions and receive specific, personalized, legal advice and counseling.

• Your Initial Attorney Consultation fee for Estate Planning (your Peace of Mind Planning Session) is credited toward your flat fee when you engage DGVE law to complete your estate plan.
• Probate and Trust Administration matters will be billed on an hourly basis following the Initial Attorney Consultation.

Flat Fees for Estate Planning Legal Services

After we meet for your Initial Attorney Consultation (your Peace of Mind Planning Session) to review your unique family and financial situation, discuss your goals, explore your options, and decide how to proceed, we will determine the Scope of Services required to complete your estate plan along with the total flat fee for the same and enter into a written Engagement Agreement to proceed.

If we are unable to complete your Estate Plan Design during your Peace of Mind Planning Session, we will enter into an Agreement to Proceed and you will make an initial payment for that additional Attorney Consultation (your Plan Design Meeting).

Your initial consultation payment, and Agreement to Proceed payment if applicable, will be credited toward your total flat fee when we enter into our Engagement Agreement to work together to complete your estate plan.

Hourly Fees for Probate and Trust Administration Legal Services

Probate and trust administration matters are notoriously difficult to predict. There is usually so much unknown at the outset, and even when it all seems very simple at first, as it usually does, there are often surprises in these intensely personal family matters.

After your Initial Attorney Consultation to review and assess the scope of your matter, receive answers to your questions and specific legal advice about what we believe will be necessary to administer the trust or estate, we will enter into a written Engagement Agreement to proceed.

We will request a retainer payment which will hold in your Client Trust Account. We will then use those retained funds to cover necessary out of pocket costs, fees, and expenses, such as those payable to the Courts and Registries of Deeds here in Massachusetts.

We will send you a monthly accounting and invoice for the funds in your Client Trust account and our work to date, using those funds to pay the invoice. Any time your retained funds drop below the minimum threshold in our Engagement Agreement and we anticipate needing additional funds to complete the Scope of Services for you, we will request an additional retainer payment to enable us to continue work on your matter.

Transparent Fees & Clear Expectations in Our Written Engagement Agreement

We appreciate the care that goes into your decision to make this investment in what matters most and for your the people you love.

After we meet, if we decide to work together on your legal matter, we will enter into a written Engagement Agreement and provide you with a Client Handbook incorporated into our agreement to clarify the:

• Scope of Services we will provide you in the matter
• Time and Schedule we anticipate to complete the matter
• Fees, billing practices, and payment terms
• Communications and other policies

all intended to earn your trust as we get to know one another, ensure you know what to expect as we proceed, avoid any potential misunderstandings between us, and create a positive experience and the opportunity to develop a warmly personal, long term professional relationship together.

Payment Options

We accept Initial Consultation and Flat Fee Invoice Payments by:

• paper checks made payable to DGVE law
• electronic funds transfer (EFT)
• credit card (Mastercard, Visa, or Discover only, we do not accept American Express) or debit card
  • Note: many credit cards will have per transaction or per day limits so it may be necessary to make payment by EFT or split the payment into two transactions or onto two different credit or debit cards
• Venmo to @dgvelaw
• flexible financing option payments through our electronic payment processor to enable you to get the legal help you need now and budget your payments for our services over a longer period of time

All retainer payments into your Client Trust Account for hourly billing on Probate and Trust Administration matters must be made only into that account by paper check or electronic payment through the separate link below or in the invoice or retainer requests we send you.  We cannot accept retainer payments by Venmo.