Dolan & Associates: What We Believe
At Dolan & Associates, we believe that a disciplined planning process is the only reliable way to bring about desired results.
Other attorneys have suggested that we are a bit “unusual.” We invite you to judge for yourself as you consider some of our core values:
- We believe in telling the Truth. Always. With compassion and care but never compromise. We won’t tell you what you want to hear if it isn’t true. We want all of our clients to have true peace of mind … and we refuse to let you have a false sense of security!
- We believe clients should make their own decisions and that those decisions must be based on accurate and complete information. We will risk our time without compensation to assure that clients are making informed decisions, and we will not facilitate a decision based on half-truths … or even mere ignorance.
- We believe estate planning is not about documents—it is about results. People don’t care if they get a will, a trust or a widget—they want a result! Our sole aim is assuring that you get your desired result. When we understand the results you seek, we will advise you of the steps and provide you the tools, including documents, needed to achieve those results.
- We believe in family values, religious values, and the importance of carrying on family heritages and traditions. For clients who so desire, we go far beyond customary legal planning practices to help assure that yours are supported, respected, and advanced.
- We believe in the Golden Rule. We treat others as we want to be treated. We do not recommend planning tools for clients that we do not use for our own families. You choose what you want, it is not our place to tell you what is best for your family.
- We believe and prove that people can get better results than traditional estate planning has delivered. By equipping you with knowledge and understanding, and preparing your loved ones for the role they will play, we help you control the costs associated with wealth transfer while providing more beneficial results.
- We believe that being proactive—planning ahead and anticipating problems before they arise—and active is always better than being reactive and passive—letting “stuff” happen and cleaning up the disaster afterwards. Some lawyers enjoy making a living from cleaning up messes; we take pride in our ability to prevent them!
- We believe that clients need to understand what they need to commit to their plan in order to get the result they desire. Accomplishing certain basic commitments related to our estate plan are critical to its success. Anyone who tells you that you simply need to get a set of documents is providing you with a false sense of security, and a plan that will almost certainly fail to accomplish your objectives.
- We believe that Estate Planning is a process that begins when you decide you care about the results you can accomplish, and does not end until all of your goals have been fulfilled. Many clients’ goals go beyond the mere “transfer” of their estate; they want more for their family and loved ones.
- And last but not least…we believe that having a process to produce your chosen result is critical. The process produces the results™!
