You Should Know What to Expect
You should know what to expect before you hire the firm. If you leave a message about your estate plan, you should not have to spend the next week wondering whether anyone received it. You may be asking something straightforward, or you may be calling because your spouse is in the hospital and you cannot find the health care proxy. Either way, you deserve a response and an explanation of what happens next.
Our Pledge: A Reply by the End of the Next Business Day
At Monteforte Law, our pledge is to return every call and email by the end of the next business day. We want you to have a specific expectation instead of a vague assurance that someone will get back to you. Massachusetts’ professional conduct rule on communication requires lawyers to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information. Our pledge puts a specific time on that. That commitment matters because the question you are asking is usually connected to something important in your life. You should not have to decide whether to leave a second message, worry about being annoying, or apologize for asking about work you hired us to do.
A Reply Is Not the Same as a Final Answer
Returning a message and completing the work needed to answer a complicated question can take different amounts of time. If your question requires us to review a trust, research an issue, or speak with your accountant, that work needs to be done carefully. You should still hear from us. An explanation that we are reviewing something gives you useful information. Silence leaves you trying to work out whether the matter is receiving attention at all.
Questions After the Meeting Are Welcome
Estate planning also produces questions after a meeting. You may understand a recommendation while we are discussing it and then think of something else on the drive home. Perhaps you remembered an account we did not discuss, or your daughter asked what would happen if the person you named as trustee could not serve. Those are appropriate reasons to contact us. You do not have to save every question for another formal appointment or decide for yourself whether it is important enough to mention.
No Question Is Too Basic
Sometimes a client hesitates because the question feels basic. They cannot remember the difference between the person named in the power of attorney and the person named in the health care proxy. They are unsure whether a particular account belongs in the trust. We work with these documents every day, but you do not. Explaining them is part of the work, and we would much rather discuss a question than have you act on an assumption that creates a problem.
Tell Us When Something Changes
Communication also needs to work when circumstances change. If a parent receives a diagnosis, a child starts divorce proceedings, or you decide to sell the house, let us know. Explain any actual deadline when you contact the office. That helps us understand what needs attention and what information may be required. A routine question about next year’s plans and a document needed for an imminent medical procedure require different conversations, even though both deserve a response.
Who You Will Hear From
You may communicate with different members of our team depending on what you need. Someone helping with scheduling or gathering records may be able to resolve a practical question promptly, while a legal question needs attorney involvement. The point is that you should understand who is helping and what is being addressed. Having a team should make it easier to get the work done, without leaving you feeling that your message is being passed around indefinitely.
You Should Be Able to Reach Your Lawyer
We want you to feel comfortable calling the firm you hired. If you are lying awake wondering whether your plan covers a particular situation, that is worth a conversation. If something we explained did not make sense, say so. You are making decisions about your family, your money, and the people who may someday act for you. Being able to reach your lawyer and understand the answer should be an ordinary part of that relationship.
Start with a free 15-minute consult call with Nicole Ott, our Lead Intake Coordinator. Tell her what you need help with and anything about timing we should know. That is usually enough for us to say what to do next.
