Get to Know Campbell Legal

I spent the first 13 years of my legal career working for a Fortune 200 company. While I believed in the work this company was doing for the communities it served, I found myself dissatisfied with the work I was doing. I became a lawyer to serve families and children and was too far away from the people who were being served. I began volunteering at pro bono estate planning clinics for low income seniors and rediscovered my love for the law. I realized that I needed to get back to working directly with families and decided to form Campbell Legal.

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As I began to form my firm, I noticed a few things about traditional estate planning that didn’t sit right with me.

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First, is a one-size fits all approach. The traditional model of estate planning and online platforms provide a standard set of documents that may not work the way the clients think they do. For example, my mentor’s father-in-law spent $3,000 on an estate plan he thought would keep his family out of court and conflict. But at his death they found out his estate plan didn’t work the way he thought it would and they ended up in conflict in court during a time when they were grieving their loss. I learned that this is common practice in the traditional model and that clients end up paying thousands of dollars in fees to these firms during the probate process.

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Second, many firms bill at an hourly rate. In my corporate counsel role, we often hired law firms to help with special projects. When I was being charged $900 an hour I expected the work to be done as quickly as possible with as little communication as possible.  I was always aware on phone calls, that every minute of small talk was adding to the overall bill and I was reluctant to call with things I considered to be small issues.

 

Third, traditional law firms expect their clients to meet them where they are. One of the things that delayed my husband and I from getting our planning done was how to manage meeting with a lawyer while we both worked long hours, had significant commutes and had to schedule care for our son. All the reasons we needed a plan made it difficult to actually get it done.

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I decided that Campbell Legal would be different. The initial planning is only the beginning of our relationship and we’re focused on putting in place a plan we know will work for you and the people you love.

 

First, we spend time getting to know your situation and the legacy that you want to leave. We spend time to educate you on what will happen in various situations and empower you to make informed decisions. Our goal is for you to leave with a plan that you understand and know will work for your family. Additionally, we will review your plan at least every three years to make sure that as your life changes your plan is updated.

 

Second, nothing we do is billed on a hourly basis. Everything we do is billed flat fee, agreed to in advance, so there are no surprises. You’ll know exactly what it will cost to work with us, after we’ve gotten clear about what you want, and you’ll even be able to choose your own fee. Then, after the initial planning process, we have options so that you can ensure your plan stays up to date throughout your life, and again you’ll know exactly what that costs and choose your own fee there.

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Third, we work virtually so you don’t have to travel to meetings and we offer appointments on weekends and evenings to help with scheduling. We know your time is valuable and have set office hours where you know you will be able to reach me to get your questions answered right away. And, if you need to speak with me about something outside of those hours, we’ll get a call scheduled so that I can be prepared and you can be prepared and we won’t waste your time playing phone tag.

 

Finally, we don’t just focus on passing on your financial assets, but your whole family wealth. I used to call home during my long evening commutes and my dad would always answer the phone and chat with me on my way home. He hated talking on the phone but would chat for as long as it took for me to get home and I really wish I had some of those conversations still to hear his voice. So, in every plan we include a process where we guide you to pass on more than your money, but also your intellectual, spiritual and human assets. We include this in every plan because we know that we can tell you to do it, we can tell you to write letters to your family, we can tell you to create voice recordings for your family, but we know that you’re not actually likely to do it and a big part of what we offer here is making sure that you do the things you know you want to do but are unlikely to do without support

 

These are just a few of the things that make our firm different. We’re the best fit for people who want pass on a legacy of love and care and ease. And keep their family out of court and out of conflict.

 

On a personal note – I’m a mom and what my family brings to this experience for me is the awareness that planning is something that you do for the people you love the most. You won’t be the one to benefit from the plans we are going to design for you – the people who will benefit are the people or animals you love the most who will be dealing with things after you are incapacitated or gone.