Our story
Why I built this firm differently
I came to estate planning from a very different world. For years, I led large-scale operations and program management in academic medical centers. I was responsible for complex budgets, teams, and systems that had to function well when it mattered most. I loved that work. I loved making things safer, clearer, and more reliable for patients and for the people who cared for them.
As I began to consider how I wanted to practice law, something kept tugging at me that I could not ignore. I kept coming across stories of families who, in the event life took an unexpected or difficult turn, had no plan in place for their children and loved ones. Families who believed they “didn’t have enough” to need planning, only to later face significant probate costs because no one had shown them a better way. Families who felt secure because they had paid $3,000 for documents years ago but had never updated those plans even though their lives had changed completely. I also saw family businesses I cared about exposed to serious risk because there was no real plan to protect what they owned or to pass on the business safely to the next generation.
At first, I read these stories like a lawyer and an operations professional: Where did the process break down? What system failed? How could this have been prevented?
Then, it hit closer to home.
I am an aunt to twelve nieces and nephews, and I had to face the reality that if something happened to their parents, there was no clear, comprehensive plan for who would care for them or how resources would be managed. There were assumptions and informal conversations but not the kind of plan I knew the law would honor in a crisis. Once I saw that, in my own family and in so many others, I could not unsee it.
So, I chose to step fully into estate planning and trusts because I wanted to bring the same rigor, systems-thinking, and clear communication I had used in my prior roles into the most intimate parts of people’s lives: their families, their children, their businesses, and their legacy. And I wanted to do it in a nontraditional way.
Let me explain.
In the traditional estate planning experience, a client pays $250–$500 per hour to meet with a lawyer, documents are prepared, the client signs them, and the binder goes home to sit on a shelf or in a drawer. Life moves forward. Children are born. Marriages change. Assets change. Businesses grow. But the plan stays frozen in time. There is no real process for checking in, updating decisions, or making sure assets are aligned with the plan. Years later, families discover that the documents they trusted may not fully protect them when they need them most.
That is not because those families failed. It is because the process failed to truly support them.
That is why I built my practice differently.
First of all, nothing I do is billed on an hourly basis. Everything is billed flat fee, agreed to in advance, so there are no surprises. You’ll know exactly what it will cost to work with me after we’ve gotten clear about what you want, and you’ll even be able to choose your own fee.
Second, I am here to support you through the entire process. I’m a solo attorney, and that means when you work with my firm, you work directly with me. I’m here to support you with clear communication, timely responses, and careful document review. You can reach me during my weekly office hours by phone or email, and I’ll always let you know when to expect a reply or an update on your matter.
Third, I see planning as just the beginning of the relationship rather than a one-time transactional event. Once you sign your planning documents, that is when the relationship really begins. At no additional charge, I review your plan at least every three years.
Finally, I also believe that true planning is about more than passing on financial assets. It is about preserving and passing on your whole family wealth.
Years ago, I realized that my parents carry a lifetime of stories, wisdom, values, and experiences that my siblings and I still do not fully know. Every time they share something new, we feel more connected and appreciative of who we are as a family. That realization led us to begin documenting our parents telling the story of their lives and sharing what matters most to them, so that future generations would understand our family’s legacy and the love that has been passed down to them.
For similar reasons, our estate planning process is designed to help clients pass on more than just money. I guide families in preserving and sharing their intellectual, spiritual, and human assets alongside their legal and financial planning.
On a personal note, being a deeply involved aunt has only strengthened my conviction that planning is one of the greatest acts of love a person can make.
You won’t be the one to benefit from the plan we design together — the people who will benefit are the people you love the most, who will be dealing with things after you’re gone.
These are just a few of the things that make my firm different. Ursulescu Law PC is the best fit for people who don’t just want to leave their family a set of documents that may or may not work but, instead, want to use the estate planning process to pass on a legacy of love, care, and ease. And keep their family out of court and out of conflict.