A Process Built Around Your Family, Not a Document Checklist
Most estate planning consultations start with a form and end with a package recommendation. Ours starts with a conversation — and doesn't end when your documents are signed.
Why the Process Matters as Much as the Plan
The most common reason DC families put off estate planning isn't that they don't care. It's that the process feels opaque. You don't know what to prepare. You don't know what questions to ask. You don't know whether the attorney across the table is listening to your family or reaching for a template.
The estate planning process at Kith + Kin Law is designed to answer that concern before you've spent a dollar. You'll know what each step involves, what it costs, and what you'll have when it's done. No surprises. No pressure. No recommendation before we understand your situation.
Here is exactly what to expect.
Step One: Your Free 15-Minute Discovery Call
A Real Conversation Before Any Commitment
The discovery call is free. You don't need to prepare anything. You don't need to know what kind of plan you need — figuring that out together is part of what this call is for.
We'll spend 15 minutes talking about what's prompting you to plan right now. A new baby. An aging parent. A diagnosis. A home purchase. Whatever brought you here, we want to understand it. We'll explain how our process works and answer your initial questions honestly. If we're a good fit, we'll schedule your Life & Legacy Planning Session. If we're not, we'll tell you that, too.
This is not a sales call. It is the beginning of a planning relationship — if you decide that's what you want.
Step Two: Your Life & Legacy Planning Session
Where the Real Planning Begins
The Life & Legacy Planning Session is where the estate planning process actually begins. This is a paid, structured session — and the most important conversation you will have about your family's future.
During this session, we examine your family structure, your goals, your finances, your assets, and the things no standard intake form asks about: your values, your relationships, and what you want your family to carry forward. We ask the questions other estate planning attorneys skip, because those questions are where your plan actually comes from.
Only after this session do we recommend a plan. We do not lead with a package. We build a recommendation based on what we have learned about your specific family, then we explain it clearly — what each document does, why it belongs in your plan, and what it protects.
There are three plan tiers
- A will-based plan
- A trust-based plan
- A proactive Medicaid and long-term care planning package.
The right tier depends on your family's circumstances. That is what this session determines..
Step Three: Your Comprehensive Estate Plan
A Coordinated Plan Built for Your Family
Your estate plan is not a stack of individually ordered documents. It is a coordinated set of instruments built to work together — each one serving a specific purpose within the full picture of your family's goals and circumstances.
Depending on your plan tier, your documents may include a will, a revocable living trust, a durable power of attorney, advance healthcare directives, guardianship designations for minor children, and a Legacy Interview that captures your stories, values, and family history alongside your legal documents.
That last element — the Legacy Interview — is built into every plan at Kith + Kin Law. It is a structured, guided conversation that gives your family something no will can: your voice, your intentions, and the story behind the choices you made for them.
When your plan is complete, you'll understand every document in it. We don't hand you a folder and send you home.
Step Four: Your Three-Year Plan Review
We Reach Out to You. Every Three Years.
Your plan is built for your life as it exists today. But your life will change — and your plan should change with it. A new child. A marriage or divorce. A home purchase. A parent's decline. A shift in your financial picture. Any of these can affect what your documents say and what they protect.
Every Kith + Kin Law client receives a complimentary estate plan review, firm-initiated, every three years. We reach out to you. We schedule the conversation. You don't have to remember to ask, put it on a calendar, or wonder whether your plan still fits your family.
For clients with more complex estates, an optional annual membership is available, providing ongoing guidance as your circumstances evolve. Details are available when we meet.
This is what we mean when we say estate planning is not a transaction. Your plan is not finished when you sign. It's finished when your family no longer needs it.
Built Into Your Plan
For Families With Minor Children
Every estate plan at Kith + Kin Law for families with minor children includes a Kids Protection Plan. Most estate plans name permanent guardians — but they do not account for the gap that can occur when those guardians are out of state or out of the country at the time they are needed.
The Kids Protection Plan identifies temporary guardians who can step in immediately, ensuring your children are cared for by someone you have chosen while permanent guardians are located. It also includes a child power of attorney, which gives a designated person legal authority to make medical decisions for your minor children if you are incapacitated.
This is included with every estate plan for families with children. It closes a gap most plans leave open.
More Than Legal Documents
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What Makes This Process Different
Every estate planning law firm in Washington, DC offers wills, trusts, and planning documents. What they don't offer is a structured process for understanding your family before building your plan, a Legacy Interview that captures values and stories alongside legal documents, and a firm-initiated three-year review that ensures your plan grows with your life.
We built Kith + Kin Law around the belief that estate planning only works when the attorney doing it understands your family. The process is how we make that possible.
Free 15-minute discovery call — no preparation required, no commitment
Life & Legacy Planning Session — a structured deep-dive before any recommendation is made
Coordinated plan across all documents — built to work together, explained in plain language
Legacy Interview built into every plan — your voice alongside your legal documents
Complimentary three-year review, firm-initiated — we reach out, you don't have to ask
Questions About the Estate Planning Process in DC
What happens during the free 15-minute discovery call?
We talk about what's prompting you to plan right now and how our process works. You don't need to prepare anything or know what kind of plan you need — that's part of what the call helps clarify. If we're a good fit, we'll schedule your Life & Legacy Planning Session from there.
What is the Life & Legacy Planning Session and what does it cost?
The Life & Legacy Planning Session is the foundation of your estate plan — a structured, paid session where we examine your family structure, goals, finances, and the values and stories you want to pass forward. The session fee is separate from your plan fee and is credited toward your plan. Exact pricing is discussed during your discovery call, before any commitment is made.
How long does the estate planning process take from first call to completed plan?
Most clients complete their discovery call, Life & Legacy Planning Session, and plan delivery within four to six weeks. The timeline varies depending on the complexity of your estate and how quickly we can gather the information we need. We'll give you a realistic expectation during your discovery call.
What is included in a comprehensive estate plan from Kith + Kin Law?
Your plan depends on the tier we recommend after your Life & Legacy Planning Session, but most plans include a will, power of attorney, healthcare directives, and — where appropriate — a revocable living trust and guardianship designations for minor children. Every plan also includes a Legacy Interview. All documents are built to work together as a coordinated plan, not purchased individually.
What happens after my estate plan is completed?
Every client receives a complimentary estate plan review every three years. We reach out to schedule it — you don't have to initiate it. For clients with more complex estates or ongoing planning needs, an optional annual membership provides continued guidance. Your plan stays current because we make sure it does.
Do I need to come to your office, or can we meet virtually?
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Ready to See How the Process Works for Your Family?
The discovery call is free, takes 15 minutes, and requires no preparation. It is the right first step whether you know exactly what you need or have no idea where to start.
