Free initial consultation · Truckee, California
Talk through your family, your property and your documents with Elaine Andrews before you decide anything. The first consultation is free, and you leave knowing what comes next.
The free initial consultation is a working conversation, not a sales call. Elaine Andrews listens to what prompted you to get in touch, reads the documents you bring, explains how California law applies to your facts — living trusts, probate, community property, Proposition 19, incapacity planning — and outlines the realistic options. You decide afterward whether to move forward. Information a prospective client shares while consulting a lawyer about possible representation is protected under California Rule of Professional Conduct 1.18, even if no engagement follows.
The meeting
What prompted the call: a new plan, an outdated trust, a death in the family, a parent who needs help, a letter from a court or a bank. Who is involved and what you want to happen.
Existing wills, trusts, deeds, beneficiary forms, powers of attorney and any court papers. Elaine reads what you bring and points out gaps — for example, a trust that was signed but never funded.
How California law applies to your facts and the paths that fit: a living trust or a will-based plan, trust administration or probate, a small-estate procedure, a conservatorship or a less restrictive alternative.
If you want to proceed, the scope of the work and the fees are explained in writing before work begins. California generally requires a written fee agreement when fees and costs will exceed $1,000 (Business and Professions Code §6148).
What to bring
You do not need exact numbers. A rough picture of what you own and who matters to you is enough for a useful first meeting.
Plans drift as life changes. The review starts with what you already signed and what has changed since.
A successor trustee takes on legal duties to the beneficiaries. California sets deadlines that start when the trust becomes irrevocable.
Whether an estate needs probate depends on what was in the decedent’s name alone and what it was worth.
A court-supervised conservatorship is the last option, not the first. Existing documents often make it unnecessary.
Who you’ll meet
Request a time
A few lines are enough. The office replies during business hours to arrange your free initial consultation.
(530) 550-8736Monday–Friday, 9 AM–6 PM
You receive a written description of the work, the fees and the documents involved before anything is drafted or filed. For a new plan, the next conversations cover your decisions — trustees, agents, guardians and distributions — and then drafts you review before signing.
You can take time to decide. The consultation does not by itself create an attorney–client relationship, and nothing you share obligates you to hire the firm.
If your question falls outside estate planning, trust and probate law — a contested divorce or a criminal matter, for example — you will hear that directly so you can look for the right lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to start with. Bring your own documents and circumstances to a free consultation for advice that fits.
All frequently asked questionsYes. The initial consultation with The Andrews Law Firm, P.C. is free. If you decide to hire the firm afterward, the scope of the work and the fees are explained in writing before work begins.
Elaine Andrews, the firm’s founding attorney. She is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law and has practiced estate planning since 1992.
At the firm’s office, 10270 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, CA 96161. If travel to Truckee is difficult, ask about meeting arrangements when you schedule.
Call (530) 550-8736 during office hours, Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM, or send the request form on this page. The office replies to arrange a time.
Whatever you already have: existing estate planning documents, deeds, recent account statements, a death certificate or court papers, depending on your situation. The lists on this page break it down by matter. If you have nothing yet, come anyway — the first meeting can start from a conversation.
Yes. California Rule of Professional Conduct 1.18 protects information a prospective client shares while consulting a lawyer about possible representation, and the attorney–client privilege in California Evidence Code §951 covers a person who consults a lawyer for the purpose of retaining the lawyer.
No. An attorney–client relationship begins when you and the firm agree on an engagement, usually in a written agreement that describes the work and the fees.
Yes, you can bring a spouse, partner or adult child. Because an estate plan has to reflect your own wishes, part of the conversation may take place with you alone.
You can help arrange it, but your parent is the client and should attend, because the plan must reflect your parent’s wishes. If your parent can no longer make decisions, an existing power of attorney or a conservatorship may be the starting point.
Yes. The firm serves Truckee, Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Homewood, Sierraville and Verdi, and clients across the Tahoe region, the Northern Sierra, the Central Valley and the Bay Area. Ask about meeting arrangements if the drive is difficult.
Long enough to understand your situation and answer your main questions. If documents need a closer review, Elaine will say so and explain what happens next.
Cost depends on the documents, the property involved and the complexity of the family situation. Fees are discussed at the consultation and confirmed in writing before work begins.
