--- title: "What to Bring to Your First Estate Planning Meeting | Legacy Counsel" description: "The short list that turns a first meeting into real progress instead of an intake interview." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "LegalService", "@id": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com/#legalservice", "name": "Jacobs Legacy Counsel", "alternateName": [ "Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel", "Jacobs Legacy" ], "url": "https://jacobslegacycounsel.com", "description": "Fixed-fee estate planning for high-net-worth families, founders, executives, and professional athletes. 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Decide in advance who makes your medical and financial decisions, who would raise minor children, who would manage their money, and at what ages beneficiaries should receive assets. You do not need exact valuations, tax returns, or Social Security numbers.", "datePublished": "2026-06-10", "dateModified": "2026-08-12T16:48:24.041687+00:00", "author": { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs#person", "name": "Andrew R. 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Titling and beneficiary designations are the two items worth chasing down before drafting begins." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should my spouse attend?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes for married couples. Planning decisions interact, and joint attendance avoids a second round of revisions." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do you need my Social Security number?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. We do not collect Social Security numbers through the website, and sensitive identifiers are handled only through secure channels after engagement." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long is the first meeting?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Typically forty-five to sixty minutes when the intake is complete beforehand." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is the first meeting confidential?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Prospective client communications are treated as confidential. An attorney-client relationship begins only when an engagement letter is signed." } } ] } ] ] --- A Practice of [Jacobs Counsel LLC](https://jacobscounsellaw.com) Serving NY · NJ · OH — Vol. 2026 [Legacy Counsel ](/) Firm Resources Estate Planning Trusts [Probate & Admin](/probate-trust-administration)[Pricing](/pricing)[Book Call](https://cal.com/drewjacobs/estate-planning)[Start Intake](/get-started) Menu 1. [Home](/) 2. [Journal](/blog) 3. First Estate Planning Meeting Checklist [← Legacy Journal](/blog)Estate Planning · Getting Started # What to Bring to Your First Estate Planning Meeting The short list that turns a first meeting into real progress instead of an intake interview. June 10, 2026 5 min read By Drew Jacobs, Esq. The short answer Bring a simple balance sheet showing each account, its approximate value, and how it is titled; deeds for every property including out-of-state; current beneficiary designations for retirement accounts and life insurance; business documents such as operating agreements and equity grants; any existing estate planning documents; and any prenuptial or divorce agreement. Decide in advance who makes your medical and financial decisions, who would raise minor children, who would manage their money, and at what ages beneficiaries should receive assets. You do not need exact valuations, tax returns, or Social Security numbers. The first meeting is not a sales call. It is the asset review that determines what your plan needs to do. Arriving prepared usually shortens the whole engagement by weeks. ## Bring these - **A balance sheet** — accounts, approximate values, and how each is titled (individual, joint, trust, entity). - **Deeds** for every property, including out-of-state. - **Beneficiary designations** for retirement accounts and life insurance. These [override your will](/blog/beneficiary-designations-override-your-will), so current copies matter. - **Business documents** — operating agreements, buy-sell provisions, cap table, equity grant paperwork. - **Existing estate documents**, including anything signed in another state or decades ago. - **Prenuptial or divorce agreements**, which can constrain what you are permitted to give. ## Think about these before you arrive - Who decides medical questions if you cannot, and who handles money. - Who raises minor children, and who manages their inheritance — often two different people. See [choosing a guardian](/blog/choosing-a-guardian-for-minor-children). - At what age children should receive assets outright, if ever. - Anything unequal, unusual, or private you want handled discreetly. - Charitable intentions. ## What you do not need Exact valuations, tax returns at the first meeting, or Social Security numbers. We do not collect sensitive identifiers through the website, and nothing you send us creates an attorney-client relationship until an engagement letter is signed. ## Next step [Complete the intake](/get-started) and we will come to the first meeting already knowing your situation. Educational information only, not legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Frequently asked ## Questions we hear most What if I do not have all of it? Come anyway. Titling and beneficiary designations are the two items worth chasing down before drafting begins. Should my spouse attend? Yes for married couples. Planning decisions interact, and joint attendance avoids a second round of revisions. Do you need my Social Security number? No. We do not collect Social Security numbers through the website, and sensitive identifiers are handled only through secure channels after engagement. How long is the first meeting? Typically forty-five to sixty minutes when the intake is complete beforehand. Is the first meeting confidential? Prospective client communications are treated as confidential. An attorney-client relationship begins only when an engagement letter is signed. Free Download ### The Estate Planning Checklist A practical checklist covering documents, titling, beneficiary designations, and the funding steps most plans skip. Written for NY, NJ, and OH families. Send it to me Educational material only — not legal advice. Requesting the guide does not create an attorney-client relationship. We do not sell or share your email. Estate Planning Assessment ### Not sure what you need yet? A short, private assessment maps your situation to the documents and structures worth discussing — wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable planning, or administration support. [Take the 2-minute assessment →](/quiz/estate-planning) Educational only. Completing the assessment does not create an attorney-client relationship. Keep reading - [Small Estate Shortcuts in New Jersey, New York, and Ohio Estate Planning · Probate ](/blog/small-estate-shortcuts-nj-ny-oh) - [How to Put Your House in a Trust (NJ, NY, and OH) Estate Planning · Trusts ](/blog/how-to-put-your-house-in-a-trust) - [New Jersey Inheritance Tax: Who Pays, Who Is Exempt, and How Planning Changes the Math Estate Planning · New Jersey ](/blog/new-jersey-inheritance-tax-explained) [← More from the Legacy Journal](/blog)[Start Your Estate Plan](/get-started) Estate Planning & Legacy Counsel Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel. Fixed-fee estate planning, trusts, wills, and generational wealth strategy for high-net-worth families. 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All rights reserved. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. **Jurisdiction.** Drew Jacobs is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio . Estate planning is highly state-specific — laws governing wills, trusts, probate, estate and inheritance tax, and asset protection vary materially by jurisdiction. We represent clients whose residence, primary assets, or business interests are situated in NY, NJ, or OH. For matters involving other states, we coordinate with qualified local counsel. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice or an offer to represent you in a jurisdiction in which we are not licensed.