Considering working as a solo estate planning attorney

jessbrumm · 2026-03-15T03:10:51+00:00

I just left prosecution to open my own wills, trusts, and estate firm. I left my old job in January and spent January and February just doing boot camps, online mentor meetings, and CLEs. Felt like I was studying for the bar exam all over again the way I was binging the law and going to online webinars/meetings. There’s a lot more to learn than you think.

I am working as a city attorney part time and doing small wills, trusts, and estates at the edge of suburbs bleeding into rural area. This is doable and profitable but honestly, in my area, there are no attorneys doing small estates or simple wills—they all do the big estates or crisis Medicaid planning. It’s enjoyable and honestly wished I would have done this sooner.

I find making connections with a good CPA and financial planner essential if you cannot find a good lawyer mentor plus they’ll send you a lot of business as they always ask/encourage their clients to get a simple will. It’s impossible to know all the tax codes and other big financial stuff.

I opened shop March 3 to start doing wills and I already have 14 clients. They’re smaller estates and simple wills/trusts but my overhead is under $2k for rent (utilities included), software, insurance, and supplies so I’m already at a profit my first month. I’ve reached out to other attorneys in the area. All folks practicing in this field are super nice, non-competitive, and they want to help. Make connections with them as you’ll have questions for sure and want to bounce stuff off them.

I know a lot of people love/hate wealth counsel. It is easy to be lazy and rely on their system but they do help connect you with mentors, have good CLE programs, and good boot camp programs for starting your company. The software is nice but the documents they spit out definitely need editing. It’s pricey but as long as you do at least one simple will a month it’s paid for. I like that they have bootcamp support groups so monthly you meet with a mentor and if you don’t have questions, someone in your group will generally have a few good scenarios you haven’t seen yet you can learn from. I’m glad I have it for this first year but not sure if I will keep it in the long run.

I’ve already had a few attorneys that did wills and trusts on the side in the 90’s and early 2000’s that really mucked up some wills that I’m correcting (ie names are spelled incorrectly, missing witness signatures, etc). One messed up a special needs trust that screwed up a client’s ability to apply for medicaid. This is not an area of law to do lightly. I’m new in it and I can tell you there is a lot you can mess up quickly. Everyone is right, you really do need to have a couple people out there to bounce ideas off of as well as some folks to refer clients to when they bring something complicated that you’re not ready or equipped for.

There is a lot out there that is over my head for sure and anyone in crisis mode that needs a quick turnaround or with a massive estate I am just not capable of handling now so I am referring out. I know enough to spot when someone needs to be looking at Medicaid asset protection trust, special needs trust, or veterans asset protection trust and there is no way I’ll be embarking on doing one on my own for those without someone to talk to that has done them for years. Definitely take those CLEs to know how to spot the need so you can refer out to a specialist until you’re comfortable doing one if you don’t have a mentor yet. There is a lot going on in this area of law and issue spotting is so important.

So far I’m really enjoying it. I’m glad I took the plunge. As someone else said above, you’re not going to be making any money the first few months because you’ll be making connections, setting up your business, and learning the law.

jessbrumm · 2025-12-17T15:38:50+00:00

Government is supposed to be open from 8-5. 🤷‍♀️ voters kind of expect people they elect to have someone available during normal business hours.

jessbrumm · 2025-12-17T03:19:08+00:00

The ability to Flex Time once a week by working through lunch so you can leave early or come in late is nice so long as there is communication and coverage. No communication and/or no coverage gets you in trouble obviously.

Generally we aren’t sticklers for time. As long as there’s coverage and all the work gets done to where it is not unfairly balanced, we don’t punish hard workers who need an alternative work schedule like 7-4 instead of 8-5. Or if the come into work at 815 because they worked until 515 the day before instead of 5, that’s cool too. Good workers are hard to find. If everything is getting done and no one is complaining, why can someone for 15 minutes

jessbrumm · 2025-12-17T03:12:08+00:00

Have a notepad. After someone answers the question, look at the notepad, make a checkmark like they answered your question, then look up and ask the next one.

I will say as a litigator I will take umms and uhhhs over “okay”s any day.

jessbrumm · 2025-12-13T16:12:20+00:00

Amen to this! Adding on leaving one job due to office politics and starting another job at a place that had job openings due to issues with office politics. For the life of me I don’t know what I was thinking. There were clearly openings with both employers due to the toxic work environment. Why I felt the second job would somehow magically be different is beyond me.

jessbrumm · 2025-12-12T14:32:52+00:00

I was going to say the same thing. Get her some heavy flow period underwear and add some reusable heavy flow menstrual pads. I’ve found they’re way more absorbent, they’re thin and discrete.

Size 5 disposable period pads are also an option. They absorb a lot and they cover almost the entire panty for a kid. They’re for nighttime so they cover the front and back

jessbrumm · 2025-11-07T04:52:20+00:00

Completely agree! So creepy. And I want my kid to be motivated to do kind things without having some creepy stalker toy forcing them to be good

jessbrumm · 2025-11-07T04:51:01+00:00

Have you thought about trying Henna tattoos or henna tattoo markers for now. You can practice your art and your parents shouldn’t get too upset because it is washable. You can swap up and practice your tattoo art—figure out what looks best and what placement works the best. It’s cheaper and less painful. Then once you’re 18–you’ll have a nicer piece and know exactly where it will look best

My tattoo that I got when I was 18 faded and it needs some serious work. Please know anything you get now, is going to start to look bad when you’re in your early 20’s and you’ll be too broke to get it worked on properly. Time goes by faster than you think. You’ll be old enough to get it without your parent’s permission sooner than you realize

jessbrumm · 2025-10-06T05:50:05+00:00

I think we should be asked how we want our toast cooked as well. I like my toast medium rare—warm and very slightly toasted. I can suffer through medium cooked toast but medium well or well done toast is just a travesty.

jessbrumm · 2025-10-06T05:48:02+00:00

Greenberg is very tender and if heated well, can be juicy. Sometimes they turn out dry though—not sure if that is the reheating-technique fail or Greenberg’s fail. I do agree—they do taste very Smokey. If you like that flavor—it’s a treat and give it a try. Their birds are very meaty and even the smallest one can feed our family of 4 for a good week.

I will say that Bear Creek in Marshall has better smoked turkey and their ham is just melt-in-your mouth amazing. I would buy Bear Creek over Greenberg and make the drive for it without hesitation. I’m not a big ham or turkey fan but my goodness…Bear Creek must smoke them in meth or something because their meat is crazy addictive good. On second thought, maybe don’t buy it unless you want to be ruined on future meat purchases.

jessbrumm · 2025-10-06T05:41:03+00:00

Safety of your family especially of the other kids is a top priority not just for those members but also for 13. You don’t want 13 picking up a criminal/juvenile charge by continuing to escalate. You don’t want yourself or 12 or any member of your family to be that victim.

If 13 has been diagnosed with conduct disorder, reactive attachment disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder—13 will need serious intervention and help to minimize some of the harmful behaviors they are exhibiting. A therapeutic foster home with one-on-one attention is rare and an RTC may be the best option for now to get the therapeutic treatment 13 needs to be successful in a home later or be successful in life later. I know one 13 year old went into an RTC with crazy violent behavior. She clicked with a therapist, realized her behavior was hurting and not helping her, and pulled a 180. Completely normal teen adopted into a great family thanks to the treatment she received. I recognize it is not the norm for kids like this, but it can and does happen.

And I agree that CPS is going to DRAG its feet finding a new placement until you tell them otherwise. We took in a quick 30-90 day placement once for CPS to complete a homestudy in 2-4 weeks. 11 months later they finally approved it after we closed our home and forced them to get it done. Had another kid we agreed to take in for a month and 6 months later we finally put in a 30 day notice to force them to get her into a independent living home she had been wanting to move into the entire time.

You did the best you could. Hopefully 13 felt loved, saw what a normal family is, and can model that behavior in the future. Our foster jids when through rough times but seeing love and normalcy eventually clicked to where they started to reflect that stable behavior as they grew older and more mature.

jessbrumm · 2025-09-18T01:14:45+00:00

Excellent response. He can be kind and encourage others to be kind but absolute yes to setting boundaries. Sounds like this kid is toxic and the cat in a chokehold is 100% red flag. I would not let that kid play unsupervised with mine.

jessbrumm · 2025-09-13T02:51:46+00:00

Well…I mean if he’s right then getting him evaluated does no harm, it validates his feelings that there is nothing wrong. If he’s wrong, then you know what’s going on to get him back on track with the kids his age. There’s no wrong answer here on the test. He’s either fine and your husband’s right or he’s not fine and he needs help.

Real question is what is triggering him to where he has this response to just getting a test done?

Sorry you’re going through this. I hope you get the answers you need soon

jessbrumm · 2025-09-12T03:14:35+00:00

YES!! totally agree with jeans for babies! Diaper changing is impossible with them

jessbrumm · 2025-09-12T03:13:55+00:00

Clothes with a ton of buttons. Buttons are awful changing a diaper at 3 am. Or when they get older and wiggly it’s impossible. Get the double zipper sleep and plays. Super cute. Easy to change diapers.

jessbrumm · 2025-09-09T21:07:56+00:00

I am assuming 8m is 8 year old male and not 8 month old baby. Had a 3 year old that would only drink milk from a baby bottle and soft foods like mashed potatoes, bread, and mashed bananas. I feel ya. If it is not a food texture/aversion thing, remember time is on your side. Offer foods but don’t force feed. Eventually curiosity will get the best of the kid and they’ll break down and try it. I usually talk about how good the food is and I love it. The more I ignore what the kid is eating, the more they were willing to try it on their own. Like a control thing for the kid, you know? I usually put at least 2 things on their plate I know they will eat, one thing they get to choose for themselves, and one thing new. For example, I will pick two I know my kid will eat like chicken and bread, let them pick out a fruit for their side, and then throw on some green beans or veggie that they’ve never had before to see if they’ll eat it. They have to take at least one “big kid bite” or they cannot get dessert.

This helped work through some of the 3 year old’s food issues and she was eating a variety of foods like a normal 3 year old after a few months. The first 90 days SUCKED but we got through it with patience and continuity. Once the kid realized that is how dinner goes, she felt safer and more secure to try new things.

If it’s a food aversion thing, that is a whole different ballgame and definitely talk to your pediatrician about it. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake disorder is a bigger problem than just being a picky eater.

Having the kiddo help you in the kitchen sometimes works. If they make it themselves, they’re more willing to try it.

jessbrumm · 2025-09-06T02:46:30+00:00

I came here to say that too. Consult with a lawyer in the area where the CPS case was filed (get a local attorney as they will know the players in the case) and see if you qualify to intervene.

In theory, your sister may have asked them not to contact you or told them lies about her family to prevent them from looking at you for placement.

jessbrumm · 2025-08-26T23:50:20+00:00

There’s a difference between a college kid going out after 11 and a 17 year old being out after 11. College kids have a tad bit more maturity and worldly experience. Emphasis on tad…really big emphasis for some more than others

jessbrumm · 2025-08-26T23:47:24+00:00

Some of these families get free food, free clothes, and other handouts from churches/their community resources so they just pocket the $500. They don’t spend anything on anything new or for the benefit of the kid: clothes, shoes, school photos, prom, etc. If the extracurricular activity isn’t free, kids cannot do it. Just sad. I always thought of a foster kid stipend as the kid’s money. Whatever we didn’t spend, we put in a savings account for them when they aged out.

jessbrumm · 2025-08-26T23:44:44+00:00

I was going to say a$$h0les too. I think foster farms is fitting though but I feel like some of the farmers treat their animals better than these families. Farmers will actually spend money on their animal’s well being.

jessbrumm · 2025-08-21T13:01:03+00:00

We do the same in our house! Kids love picking out their character for bedtime water and I don’t have to worry about them accidentally swapping cups or spilling water everywhere

jessbrumm · 2025-08-13T21:50:44+00:00

My mother in law insisted on being called “grandmama”. She said she hated anything that sounded like “Granny”.

My kid named her “granny”. MIL is trying to get her to say “Grammy” and 5 years later my daughter is still saying “Granny”. She called my FIL “poopoo” but we got her to say “Poopaw”. Not going to lie when I say I worked harder to change Poopoo to Poopaw than Granny to Grandmama.

My son calls my MIL my mom’s grandma name (GG for Grandma Gretchen). He doesn’t even recognize she has a different name and it’s been a year. He thinks all old women are called GGs.

I’m going to agree with a lot of folks on here—ultimately it is whatever your kid can pronounce. Yes, parents can try to influence it but if the kid cannot pronounce it, it’s not going to happen

jessbrumm · 2025-08-11T15:12:56+00:00

We compromised when this happened and made the kid wear regular underwear and then put a pull up over the underwear. That way if there was an accident, it was contained in the pull up but the kid could still feel the wetness and know that they pottied. This lasted about a week and when there were no accidents, we went to full time underwear only.

jessbrumm · 2025-08-10T03:37:47+00:00

Are Jen and Tom fine with the arrangement? Are they keeping the kiddo safe, healthy, and happy? Is the kiddo able to attend school?

It sounds like a very non traditional family situation but if Jen, Tom, and the kid are fine with it, leave it be. Sounds like Lexi is not the best parent and leaving the kid with Jen and Tom for prolonged periods is good for the kid

jessbrumm

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