A Straightforward Estate Planning Process Designed Around You
Guiding Louisville, CO Clients and Families Across Boulder County Every Step of the Way
If you’ve been thinking about estate planning, you’ve already taken the most important step: deciding to protect the people you love and put a plan in place before life forces urgent decisions. At Gitkind Law Firm, we believe estate planning should feel clear, manageable, and personal — not intimidating or filled with legal jargon.
Attorney Andy L. Gitkind has spent decades focused on Wills, Trusts, Estates, and Probate in Boulder County, Colorado, and his practice is built around guidance and education so you understand your options and feel confident in your choices.
He opened his firm in 2004 after years of wills and trust experience at one of Boulder County’s largest estate planning firms, and he has helped hundreds of families — from Boulder and Louisville to Lafayette and beyond — through the planning process.
Below is a straightforward overview of
what you can expect when you work with us.
Step 1:
Your Initial Consultation
(No Charge)
Estate planning is not one-size-fits-all. We start by listening.
We want to hear your specific and unique challenges. So please contact us for your initial consultation, at no charge. This first conversation is where we learn what matters most to you — your family dynamics, your assets, your concerns about incapacity, and what you want your plan to accomplish.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you call. Whether you’ve been researching estate planning lawyers for months or just started thinking about it, our job is to help you turn questions into a clear direction.
Discovery and Goal-Setting
Before we recommend documents, we want to understand your situation. This stage typically includes:
- Your family structure (spouse/partner, children, blended family considerations, dependents)
- Your priorities (simplicity, privacy, protecting children, charitable goals, planning for aging)
- Your assets (real estate, accounts, business interests, retirement plans, insurance)
- Your concerns (probate avoidance, planning for incapacity, caregiver issues)
If you have existing estate planning documents — even if they’re old or from another state — bring them. They help us see what’s already in place and what may need to be updated.
Step 2:
Design and Strategy
(Plain-Language Options)
Once we understand your goals, we map out a plan using the tools that fit best. That often includes some combination of:
- Wills (including guardian nominations for minor children)
- Trusts (often a revocable living trust, when appropriate)
- Financial powers of attorney
- Medical powers of attorney and advance medical directives
This is also where we address the real-world “what if” questions — who should step in if something happens, what protections you want for beneficiaries, and how to reduce confusion for your family later.
We’ll walk through these choices in clear language, explaining what each tool does, what problem it solves, and why it may or may not fit your goals. Many clients tell us this is the first time estate planning has actually made sense to them.
Drafting Your Estate Planning Documents
After the planning decisions are made, we prepare your documents with care and attention to detail. Because estate planning affects people you love and life situations that can change quickly, we aim for documents that are both legally solid and practically usable.
Then we schedule a review so you can see exactly what we’ve prepared, ask questions, and request adjustments. This is not a “sign and go” situation — you should understand your plan before it becomes final.
Step 3:
Review Meeting
and Refinements
In the review, we slow down and confirm that the plan reflects your intentions. We’ll cover:
- How your will and/or trust distributes assets
- How your assets are owned (titled) and the impact this has on your planning outcomes
- Who you named for key roles (personal representative, trustee, agents under powers of attorney)
- How incapacity planning works day-to-day
- Any areas where small changes now could prevent big problems later
This is often the point where clients feel the most relief — because the plan becomes concrete and understandable.
Signing and Implementation
Once everything is finalized, we complete signing properly (including notarization and witnessing when required). After signing, we focus on implementation — because a plan is only as good as the way it’s set up in the real world.
If a trust is part of your plan: “funding” matters. A trust only delivers the benefits people expect if it is funded, meaning certain assets are titled in the trust’s name (for example, real estate and many non-retirement accounts). If major assets stay outside the trust, those assets may still require probate later — despite having a trust document.
We’ll help you understand what needs to be transferred, what may stay outside the trust, and how beneficiary designations and account titling should align with your overall estate plan.
Bonus Step:
Ongoing Support
and Updates
Estate planning is not a “set it and forget it” project. We recommend reviewing your plan after major life events such as:
- Marriage, divorce, or remarriage
- Birth or adoption of children or grandchildren
- A move, new home purchase, or major asset change
- Changes in relationships or decision-makers
- Health changes or long-term care concerns
A quick review at the right time can prevent unintended outcomes later. Clients throughout Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, and the rest of Boulder County can reach us easily for updates as life changes.
What to Bring to Your First Meeting
You don’t need to arrive with everything organized. But if you have any of the following, it’s helpful to bring or have handy.
If you’re not sure what you have, that’s fine too. Part of our job is helping you figure that out.
- Any existing wills, trusts, or powers of attorney (even if outdated)
- A general sense of your assets — real estate, financial accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance. We'll provide you an Estate Plan Organizer to complete, which will simplify your effort to summarize your estate assets
- Names of people you'd consider for key roles (executor — called a personal representative in Colorado — trustee, guardian, agent)
- Any specific concerns or goals you want to address
Why Clients Work with Andy Gitkind
Estate planning requires both technical precision and the ability to communicate clearly about deeply personal topics. Andy Gitkind is known for combining skilled counsel with a calm, educational approach. He earned his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law, graduating as president of his class, and concentrated his studies in trusts and estates.
2004
Practice Founded
20+ yrs
Focused on Estates
CU Law
J.D. Class President
What Our Clients Say:
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re ready to understand your options and build a plan that protects your family, we’re here to help — whether you’re in Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, or anywhere across Boulder County or beyond.
We want to hear your specific and unique challenges. So please contact us for your initial consultation, at no charge.
Gitkind Law Firm, P.C. 801 Main St., Suite 230, Louisville, CO 80027