Bette Heller provides potential clients a FREE FIFTEEN MINUTE PHONE CONSULTATION to review their basic situation and goals. During that phone conversation, the potential client can determine if they feel comfortable with Ms. Heller and wish to proceed with a face to face appointment.
Ms. Heller prefers to meet with clients at one of her offices, where her professional resources are accessible. However, if a client is unable to come to her office, Ms. Heller is willing to make house calls to the client.
During the initial consultation, Ms. Heller will review the client's goals, assets and any family situation to be considered. She will also explain how the laws pertain to the client's situation and goals, analyze the client's needs as they relate to the situation and goals, and make suggestions as to how to accomplish those goals within the parameters of the relevant laws and the client's comfort level regarding complexity or simplicity of the plan.
Ms. Heller charges an hourly fee for the initial consultation and analysis. As of January 2022, Ms. Heller' s hourly rate is $375.00 per hour. This rate can change from time to time. Clients can expect between 1-2 hours for Estate Planning and 2-3 hours for Medicaid Planning. The length of time involved depends on how organized client's information is, how complex the client's situation is, and how many questions the client has with regard to these matters. Payment for the initial consultation is expected at the end of the consultation.
At the end of the initial consultation, Ms. Heller will recommend actions to fulfill the client's needs and desires; and she will provide firm quotes for document preparation.
The client is free to take time to think about these recommendations, or decide to continue with Ms. Heller's services immediately.
For a full Estate Plan, if the client does decide to continue with Ms. Heller within thirty (30) days of the initial conference, she will credit the consultation fee against the quoted fee for document preparation. Ms. Heller requests payment of one-half of the document preparation fee before beginning to draft those documents. The remaining fee is due upon completion of the documents, and any deduction for the consultation fee will be made at that time.