Patient Advocate Designation
Identifies who you want making healthcare decisions if you cannot participate in those decisions yourself.
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First Responder Estate Planning
First Responder Estate Planning Protect today. For those who protect us.
Simple, practical estate planning designed for law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, dispatchers, border patrol, healthcare workers, veterans, and their families.
First Responder Essentials PlanPatient advocate designation, durable financial power of attorney and HIPAA authorization.Learn more
Before the Next Call ComesThe free First Responder Estate Planning Guide.Get the guide
Resources & WellnessSupport, wellness, crisis assistance and organizations.Explore resources
Plan Ahead. Protect Tomorrow.Schedule a consultation to discuss your goals and options.Schedule a consultation
Free Michigan first responder estate planning guide
Before the next call comes, protect the people waiting at home.
Estate planning is not only about death. It is also about who can step in when an injury, illness or critical incident leaves you unable to speak or act for yourself.
First responders spend their careers preparing for the unexpected. Your personal legal plan deserves the same attention, for you, your family and the people who depend on you.
- Law enforcement
- Fire service
- EMS
- Dispatch
- Corrections
- Federal law enforcement
- Military
- Veterans
- Nurses & healthcare
Get the free guide (PDF)
Start here
Choose the planning level that fits today.
Little or No Planning
Start with the Essential 3 when your immediate priority is incapacity and decision-making protection.
Essential 3 · $450Will-Based Family Planning
Add a Will, guardian nominations when applicable and foundational family planning.
Will & Family · $1,095Trust Planning
Consider a revocable living trust and additional implementation when your family, assets or goals call for it.
Trust & Family · from $2,195Already have documents? We can review what you have and identify whether anything should be updated rather than assuming you need to start over.
If you do nothing else
Why the Essential 3 matter
A Will or Trust is important, but it does not solve every problem that can arise while you are alive. For first responders and those who serve, an unexpected injury or medical event can create an immediate decision-making gap. The Essential 3 create a practical minimum layer of incapacity planning while you are able to choose the people you trust.
Durable Financial Power of Attorney
Identifies who can handle financial and legal matters if you cannot manage them yourself.
HIPAA Authorization
Clearly identifies the people authorized to receive protected health information, helping reduce uncertainty when information is needed.
If you could not make decisions tomorrow, who could step in?
A serious injury or illness can create immediate questions: Who can make healthcare decisions? Who can handle bills and financial matters? Who can receive medical information you have authorized them to receive?
A Will or Trust can be an important part of a complete estate plan, but incapacity planning addresses something different: what happens while you are alive but unable to manage important decisions yourself.
Essential 3 · Decision Protection
$450 flat fee$795 for a couple
Includes an attorney consultation, customized preparation of the three documents, and signing guidance. Payment plans are available.
See all four plansPlanning gaps first responders often overlook
The job is public. Your life is personal.
Long hours, overtime, holidays, critical incidents and family responsibilities make it easy to postpone personal planning. Some of the most important questions are also the ones families do not want to confront until they have to.
Beneficiaries & Retirement
Review beneficiary designations, pensions, retirement accounts and life insurance as part of the overall plan.
Children & Guardians
Parents should address who they want caring for minor children and how assets should be managed for them.
Aging Parents & Family
Parents or relatives may need estate planning, or families may need guidance when diminished capacity raises guardianship or conservatorship questions.
Special-Needs Family Members
Additional planning may be needed when a child or other loved one requires continuing care, benefits or long-term protection.
If the worst happens
- Who is your emergency contact?
- Who should notify your family?
- Who should handle personal items or your locker?
- Have you expressed preferences about agency honors or military funeral honors?
- Does your family know where important documents and benefit information are located?
The free guide goes deeper into these issues and the seven planning mistakes that can leave gaps.
First Responder Preferred Rates
Clear pricing. Know what you're paying for.
Start with the level of planning that fits your life today. Payment plans are available, and the Essential 3 can become the first step toward a more complete plan rather than money spent twice.
Start here
Essential 3
$450 individual$795 couple
- Patient Advocate Designation
- Durable Financial Power of Attorney
- HIPAA Authorization
- Attorney consultation and customized preparation
- Signing and execution guidance
Upgrade credit available
Will & Family Plan
$1,095 individual$1,695 couple
- Everything in the Essential 3
- Last Will and Testament
- Guardian nomination when applicable
- Related foundational planning within scope
- Customized drafting and signing guidance
Upgrade credit available
Trust & Family Plan
From $2,195 individualfrom $3,295 couple
- Everything in the Essential 3
- Revocable Living Trust
- Pour-Over Will
- Certification of Trust
- Foundational trust documents within scope
- Trust-funding guidance
Upgrade credit available
Trust & Family Plus
From $3,195 individualfrom $4,295 couple
- Everything in the Trust & Family Plan
- More hands-on funding and implementation assistance
- Deed work when included
- Expanded beneficiary and account coordination
- Additional agreed planning for complexity
Payment plans
Payment plans on every first responder plan.
Up to 4 equal monthly payments, with no interest and no fees, for qualifying first responders and family members who receive preferred rates.
See your payment schedule
Plan fee
$0 paid of Preview: tap a payment below to see how your progress will look. Tapping does not make a payment.
Dates count from today as an example; your actual dates are set in your fee agreement. Plans marked "from" may cost more depending on your needs. You can always pay in full at the start.
Already have documents? We can review what you have and identify whether anything should be updated rather than assuming you need to start over.
Preferred rates can extend beyond you. Estate & Risk may extend First Responder Preferred Rates to immediate and extended family members, relatives, and personal referrals of first responders and those who serve. Eligibility, scope, conflicts, and final fees are confirmed before representation begins. Prior service does not by itself create an entitlement to a particular fee.
Start now. Upgrade later.
Your $450 isn't money spent twice.
If you purchase the Essential 3 and move into a Will- or Trust-based Estate & Risk plan within 12 months, the $450 you already paid is credited toward the upgraded plan.
Certain conditions apply; see engagement terms.
Essential 3$450Upgrade credit
$1,095 Will & Family Plan − $450 credit = $645 remaining
$2,195 Trust & Family Plan − $450 credit = $1,745 remaining
Within 12 months. Certain conditions apply.
Two ways to start
Individual planning or a qualifying Group Planning Day
You do not need a group. Qualifying first responders and those who serve can use First Responder Preferred Rates individually and retain the applicable upgrade-credit option. Group Planning Days are simply an additional option when enough participating households make coordinated travel and signing practical.
| Plan | Individual | Individual on a group day5+ households |
|---|---|---|
| Essential 3 | $450 | $400 |
| Will & Family | $1,095 | $995 |
| Trust & Family | from $2,195 | from $1,995 |
| Trust & Family Plus | from $3,195 | from $2,895 |
Prices in this table are for one person. Couple pricing for a group day is confirmed with the group terms. Group rates apply when participation, travel and scheduling requirements are met. Upgrade credit is based on the amount actually paid. Each participant remains an individual client with an individual engagement agreement and independent planning decisions. Group events are subject to conflicts, scheduling, facility approval, sufficient completed matters and final written terms. No participant is paid or rewarded for recommending Estate & Risk.
Statewide group planning
Bring estate planning to your department, facility or team.
Estate & Risk can work with first responders and healthcare professionals across Michigan. Much of the planning process can be handled from our office by phone, video and secure document exchange. When a department, station, dispatch center, correctional facility, healthcare facility, association or other group has enough participating households to make travel practical, we may coordinate an on-site signing day at an agreed location across Michigan, including outside Metro Detroit and in northern Michigan.
Built around shift work. We can schedule group planning sessions and signing days to fit day, afternoon and midnight shifts, including early mornings, evenings and weekends when that is what your group needs.
Group signing events are subject to scheduling, conflicts, facility approval and a sufficient number of completed client matters. For qualifying events, a group-event savings amount may be announced in advance. Each participant remains an individual client with an individual engagement agreement and independent planning decisions.
Group planning day
Request a group planning day
Tell us about your group. The form prepares an email to the firm in your email application so you can review and send it.
Group planning days work best with five or more participating households. There is no cost or commitment to ask, and the firm will follow up to discuss scheduling, location and the group terms.
Each participant remains an individual client; requesting a group day does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Those who serve, and the people they care about
Your service extends beyond the uniform. So does ours.
Legal issues do not stop with the person wearing the uniform. An aging parent may need an estate plan. A family may need help addressing incapacity. A child with special needs may require additional planning. A relative, close friend or someone you trust may simply need a lawyer.
Estate & Risk's First Responder Preferred Rates may extend to first responders and those who serve, their families and relatives, and people personally referred to the firm by a first responder, subject to the service and scope.
First responders & those who serve
- Law enforcement officers & deputies
- Former / retired law enforcement
- Federal law enforcement & agents
- Firefighters, EMTs and paramedics
- 911 dispatch / public safety telecommunicators
- Corrections, probation and parole
- Military and Veterans
- Nurses & emergency healthcare professionals
Service deserves support
You do not have to navigate it alone.
Concerns about employment consequences, licensing, workplace disclosures or simply how to communicate what you need can become barriers to getting help. Estate & Risk can address the legal and employment side and, when appropriate and authorized, communicate or advocate with an employer or agency.
- First responder estate planning
- Professional licensing and career protection
- Employment-related guidance
- Resource navigation
- Year-round wellness and crisis resources
Two different needs. Two clear paths.
Immediate support. Crisis and wellness resources should be easy to find. Go to crisis resources.
Career or legal concern. Start with a private legal consultation about employment, licensing or disclosure consequences. Contact the firm.
Protect
Career & Employment Advocacy
Understand the legal and career consequences of investigations, workplace disclosures, licensing issues, and employment decisions. Get informed guidance before responding.
Professional licensing & MCOLESNavigate
Resource Navigation
Identify appropriate support, understand available options, and determine practical next steps for work, family, benefits, or referrals.
Start a conversationWant the full guide?
Take “Before the Next Call Comes” with you.
The free guide includes the seven planning mistakes, a Family Protection Checkup, first-responder-specific planning considerations, pricing, resources and additional information you can review on your own time.
Common questions
First responder planning questions
What are the Essential 3?
A Patient Advocate Designation, a Durable Financial Power of Attorney and a HIPAA Authorization. Together they create a practical minimum layer of incapacity planning while you are able to choose the people you trust.
How much does the Essential 3 cost?
$450 as a flat fee for one person, or $795 for a couple, for qualifying first responders and those who serve. It includes an attorney consultation, customized preparation of the three documents, and signing guidance. Payment plans are available.
Does the $450 count toward a will or trust later?
If you purchase the Essential 3 and move into a Will- or Trust-based Estate & Risk plan within 12 months, the $450 you already paid is credited toward the upgraded plan. Certain conditions apply; see engagement terms.
Who qualifies for First Responder Preferred Rates?
Law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, dispatch, corrections, federal law enforcement, military and Veterans, nurses and emergency health-care professionals, together with other qualifying service roles approved by the firm. Eligibility and pricing are confirmed before engagement.
Do I need a group to get these rates?
No. Qualifying first responders and those who serve can use First Responder Preferred Rates individually. Group Planning Days are an additional option when five or more households participate.
Ready to talk?
Not sure what you need? Start with a Family Protection Review.
We'll look at what you already have, identify potential planning gaps, and discuss options that fit your family, career and goals.
SchedulePick a time online
Call(248) 990-2167
Text(248) 990-2167
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3310 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 265, Troy, MI 48084 · Serving Troy, Oakland County and clients across Michigan