How Remote Estate Planning Actually Works (Step by Step)

The first time someone asks “but how does the signing actually work?” I know they’re seriously considering it. People expect remote estate planning to be a downgrade — like a worse version of the in-person experience. It’s not. For most clients, it’s actually better.

Here’s the whole process, step by step, with no surprises.

Step 1: Intake form (about 10 minutes, on your own time)

Everything starts with a short online form. You tell me a bit about your situation — family, assets, state of residence, what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s not a deep questionnaire. The goal is just to give me enough context to understand who you are and what you might need before we get on a call.

You can fill it out on your phone while waiting in carpool line. No login, no portal, nothing to install.

Step 2: Discovery call (30–45 minutes, phone or video)

We talk — either by phone or video, your choice. I walk through what you submitted, ask follow-up questions, and explain in plain English what kind of plan would actually fit your situation. I’ll tell you whether you need a will-based plan, a trust-based plan, or a more specialized option.

Most importantly, I’ll tell you what it costs before you commit. No surprise bills.

If we’re a good fit, you say yes. If we’re not, no hard feelings — I’d rather you find the right attorney than work with the wrong one.

Step 3: Engagement letter and payment (5 minutes, online)

If we’re moving forward, I send a digital engagement letter through DocuSign and a secure payment link. You sign electronically and pay by card or ACH. Payment plans are available on request — just ask.

From this moment, you’re a client. The attorney-client privilege is in place. Everything we discuss is confidential.

Step 4: Drafting (typically 2–3 weeks)

I draft your documents based on what we discussed. This is where the actual legal work happens — tailoring language to your specific family, assets, and goals. If you have a trust, I also build out your funding instructions: a step-by-step list of how to re-title each asset.

If anything new comes up during drafting — a question I need to ask, an option I want you to weigh in on — I’ll email or call.

Step 5: Review meeting (45–60 minutes, video)

I walk you through every document on video, screen sharing as we go. You ask questions. I explain. We make any tweaks you want on the spot or note them for revision.

This is the step people are most surprised by. They expect it to feel impersonal. It doesn’t. If anything, screen sharing makes the document review easier than passing paper back and forth across a conference table.

Step 6: Signing kit delivered (your choice of method)

This is the part everyone has the most questions about. Here’s the truth: estate planning documents have specific signing requirements (notarization, witnesses) that vary by state and document type. The signing has to be done correctly or the documents aren’t legally valid.

Here’s how I handle it:

Option A: Electronic delivery with detailed instructions

I send your final documents as PDFs, along with a comprehensive signing guide. The guide tells you exactly:

• Which documents need a notary
• Which documents need witnesses (and how many)
• Who CAN’T be a witness (usually anyone named in the document)
• What order to sign in
• What pages to initial
• How to physically store the originals after signing

You print everything out, take it to a notary (banks, UPS Stores, and many post offices have notaries available for free or under $20), bring two adult witnesses, and sign. The whole signing usually takes 20 minutes.

Option B: Mailed signing kit

If you’d rather not deal with printing, I mail you a complete signing kit — documents printed, labeled with sign-here flags, and packed with detailed instructions. You add a notary and witnesses and sign.

Option C: In-person signing (Louisville area only)

If you’re in or near Louisville and prefer to sign in person, we can schedule a signing appointment. I can come to a hospital, nursing facility, rehab center, assisted living facility, or professional office. House calls are not generally available.

Who keeps the originals

Important: you keep the original signed documents. I don’t take custody of originals — that’s your job (and your responsibility to keep them somewhere safe and findable). If you’d like me to keep a scanned copy on file after signing — the same way I do for in-person clients — just send them over and I’ll add them to your file. I’ll always have a copy of the final unsigned documents on my end, but the executed originals stay with you.

Store the originals somewhere fireproof and accessible. A home safe works. A safe deposit box works too, but make sure your decision-makers can access it without you. Tell them where everything is.

What if I’m homebound?

If you can’t leave home — mobility, illness, recovery, or anything else — remote estate planning is actually the cleanest option for you. The drafting and review happen by phone and video, so getting to my office isn’t a factor.

For the signing, you have two good choices:

• Remote online notarization — in many cases, a notary can witness your signing entirely over video. You sign on screen, the notary observes, and the notarized document is delivered electronically.
• A mobile notary visit — a notary travels to your home for the signing. Many notaries offer this service for $25–$75 in most areas.

Either way, you never have to leave your home. I’ll suggest specific services in your area when we get to the signing stage. House calls from me are not generally available — for safety reasons I don’t do home visits — but the combination of remote planning plus a remote or mobile notary gets you a fully executed plan without you ever stepping out the door.

Step 7: Trust funding (for trust-based plans)

If you have a trust, the work isn’t done at signing. The trust has to be funded — meaning your assets need to be formally re-titled into the trust’s name. An unfunded trust does nothing.

I provide a written funding checklist and walk you through each asset. For real estate, I prepare and record the deed re-titling. For bank accounts, I give you the language and forms to update the registration. For retirement accounts, I review your beneficiary designations and coordinate them with the trust.

This is one of the most common places online estate planning fails — and one of the most important parts of doing it right.

What about complications?

Common questions clients ask before signing up:

What if I need to ask a question between meetings?

Email or call. I respond. There’s no “the attorney bills you for every email” nonsense — you’re on a flat fee, so we communicate however much you need.

What if my situation changes during drafting?

Tell me as soon as you can. Most changes are easy to incorporate. Big changes (you’re moving states, you’re getting married, something major) might shift the scope — we’d talk through that openly.

What about Indiana and Ohio clients?

Same process, fully remote. I’m licensed in all three states. Documents are drafted to comply with the state where you live. State-specific notary and witnessing rules are accounted for in your signing guide.

Is this as good as in-person?

Honestly, for most people it’s better. You save the drive, you can attend from home (or wherever), and you don’t lose time off work for an in-office appointment. The documents are identical. The legal validity is identical. The only thing missing is the conference room coffee.

Who shouldn’t do remote planning?

Remote works for the vast majority of estate planning situations. The exceptions are narrow:

• Someone with significant cognitive decline. If capacity is in question, I want to evaluate that in person.
• Someone who genuinely prefers face-to-face for emotional reasons. If you’d find the remote process stressful, an in-person attorney is the right call.
• Highly complex situations with multiple business entities, international assets, or unusual family circumstances may need a few more touchpoints — not necessarily in-person, but more involved.

For everyone else: remote estate planning is the way the industry is moving for good reason. Same legal protection, less friction, more accessible.