Frequently Asked Questions

What is your firm structure?

Horizon Trust & Estate Law is a small, two-attorney firm—intentionally built to stay personal and efficient.

After years in more traditional firm environments, we became convinced that the best client experience comes from a streamlined structure, smart technology, and clear communication. We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. The key is keeping the right caseload and focusing on the matters we’re best suited to handle.

The two-attorney structure gives you the best of both worlds: direct access to counsel and added capacity and continuity. That means faster momentum when deadlines hit, a second set of eyes when it matters, and better coverage when one of us is in court, in a meeting, or out of town.

We do utilize support staff for intake and scheduling. But once we agree to work together, you’ll be working directly with an attorney—and you’ll know who is responsible for what.

What primary legal services do you offer?

Our practice covers the full spectrum of trust and estate work, including:

Estate planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, and related guidance)
Probate and estate administration
Trust administration
Guardianships and conservatorships (when needed)

For more detail, please visit our Practice Areas page.

How do I schedule an appointment?

You can start by completing our intake form, and we’ll reach out to you.

You can also request a time directly on our calendar. If you are an existing client, we’ll confirm the appointment after we receive it. If you are a new client, we’ll review your submission and confirm the appointment if we believe we can assist you.

For estate planning matters, you can complete our estate planning questionnaire in advance. That helps us use your consult time efficiently and get you to a clear plan faster.

What are the rates for your services?

Rate structures vary by the type of service. Our hourly rates and billing details are provided at engagement, and we bill in 0.1 hour increments.

In many case types, we can present a flat fee after the initial consultation. We base flat fees not only on the time we anticipate spending, but on the value of the work product actually delivered to you—especially when the goal is clarity, prevention, and a plan your family can rely on.

Consultations regarding probate and trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and other ongoing legal issues are typically paid consultations, because we are usually providing actionable legal advice that benefits you and creates potential liability for us.

Estate planning consultations regarding preparation of your will, trust, powers of attorney, or other advance directives are often no charge, and we can typically confirm a flat fee for preparation of documents during that consultation.

Are you licensed and insured? What is your experience?

Yes. Our attorneys are licensed in Colorado, take the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct seriously, and carry legal malpractice insurance.

We’ve focused our work in the trust and estate realm for years. Between us, we’ve prepared a large volume of estate planning documents and guided families through a wide range of probate, trust administration, and protective proceeding matters. Unique problems inevitably arise in every case—but we have the base experience to guide you down the right path, and we bring a resourceful, practical approach to resolving what’s in front of you.

Can I draft my own will or other legal document?

You certainly can. In many cases, you will even produce a document that is legally valid.

The most common problems we see with self-prepared documents are that they don’t say what you think they say, and/or they don’t cover everything they should. The result is that your successors are left to correct shortcomings later—often under stress, often with family friction, and often at a greater overall expense than if you had addressed it properly up front.

Our goal is not to overcomplicate things. It’s to give you a plan that works in the real world—both on paper and in administration.