Business Spotlight
Spalding Law Office
Location: 1480 White Oak Dr, Chaska
Spalding Law Office specializes in estate planning services such as living trusts, wills, and health care directives, and elder law. The firm will help you design a comprehensive plan that ensures the well-being of your loved ones and aligns with your goals and values.
How long have you been in business, and what has your journey been like?
I’ve been practicing law for over 20 years. I went to law school to be a criminal prosecutor and that is what I did for a number of years. Then I got to a point in my career where I was ready to do something different, but I wasn’t sure what that looked like. Unfortunately, in November 2015 my dad had a stroke and passed away 5 days later. I’m part of a blended family and my dad did not have a Healthcare Directive. We didn’t all agree on his medical treatment which made an already difficult situation much worse. I believed his attorney failed him and certainly failed our family.
I didn’t want what I went through to happen to another family. So, I set out to transition my practice from criminal law to estate planning. After several years with another law firm, I opened my own firm on September 1, 2022, and have made it my mission to serve families in a way that supports them to create a plan NOW so that what happened to my family doesn’t happen to them.
On a personal note, I am a mom, and because of that, I understand that estate planning is something you do not just for yourself, but for the people you love.
What’s your approach to working with families on these important legal issues?
At my firm, we start with a Life and Legacy Planning Session. This is an opportunity for me to really get to know my clients, their families and what is important to them. It is also an opportunity for me to educate them on all of their options so they can make an informed and empowered decision about what is best for them and their family. Estate planning is not “one size fits all” and it shouldn’t be approached that way.
When you work with our firm, we are going to prepare all of the documents you might expect with an estate plan such as wills and trusts, powers of attorney and health care directives, but it’s more than that, it’s a Life and Legacy Plan. A Life & Legacy Plan encompasses so much more information than is reflected in the documents themselves.
A Life & Legacy Plan works by covering what happens to your assets after you die, but also things like:
- Guidance on how your plan works and how the documents fit together;
- Instructions for the people you’ve named in your documents so they know what to do after you die;
- An updated inventory of all your assets so your loved ones know exactly where to find them and how to access them;
- A system for ongoing and regular reviews of your plan;
- Who your loved ones can turn to for support with the legal process while they’re grieving; and
- An ongoing relationship with your lawyer, who has systems and processes built into their business to get to know you over time.
These items aren’t typically covered in a will, trust, power of attorney, or health care directive, and that’s why traditional estate plans fail.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone just starting to think about their estate plan?
Don’t wait…take action. Estate Planning can bring clarity, relief and peace of mind. I recommend getting your Estate Planning “ducks in a row” so that you too can have peace of mind and know that your family is taken care of.
What is your favorite legal drama or series?
Suits and Lincoln Lawyer are definite favorites. And I can say without a doubt, practicing law is nothing like you see on tv!
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