Dear Friends,

As we emerge from the pandemic, we are slowly welcoming back clients into our office. This is allowing us to conduct more in-person meetings and schedule what may be one of our most important services: the Family Legacy Meeting. Never has it felt so satisfying to connect with other members of our community and we hope to take full advantage of this newly regained privilege.

A Family Legacy Meeting provides the opportunity for your beneficiaries or fiduciaries (kids, loved ones, etc.) to meet and form a connection with your Estate Planning Attorney. We believe that it is important for this connection to coalesce in order to ensure a smooth transition of an estate. It has been our experience that when a major, and often tragic, life event happens (such as a death or disability) some of the stress and worry regarding the transition can be relieved if your children or loved ones know who to call and already have an established relationship with your Estate Planning Attorney. We use the Family Legacy Meeting as a tool to create trust and comfortability between your beneficiaries and our team so there is no wariness when it is time to utilize our services.

Before your Family Meeting, your attorney will deliver to you a Privacy Checklist to guarantee that the information discussed with your loved ones is only the information you are comfortable sharing. We have found that some clients with young adult children do not want to openly share their total net worth or asset details. Of course, this decision is ultimately at your own discretion, and it can be helpful for adult children to have such information in order to fully prepare for the eventual transition.

After the Privacy Checklist is considered, your Family Meeting can move forward with your attorney walking you and your guests through your estate plan (with the visual aid of our flowchart). The Family Meeting provides the perfect chance for your loved ones to ask your attorney questions about their own role in the planning and eventual administration of your estate.

For us, this one-hour Family Meeting is our opportunity to display to your loved ones that we care deeply about your family and thoroughly understand what is involved in your legacy and estate planning. It is our experience that this personal relationship between your loved ones and your Estate Planning Attorney will make a transition like death or disability as seamless and calm as possible. To serve your children and loved ones with further guidance, we also include a complimentary paperback of “The Inheritor’s Guide: A Legal, Financial, and Emotional Guide for Adult Children Managing Their Parent’s Legacy” by Anna Byrne.

We are currently conducting Family Legacy Meetings in-person at our Cambridge office, as well as virtually via Zoom. Learn more here: https://eckertbyrne.com/home/practice-areas/client-maintenance/familymeeting/ 

If you would like to schedule your Family Legacy Meeting with me, please contact Noah at [email protected] to be added to my calendar.

We look forward to connecting with you and those closest to you!

– Kristin Dzialo