Deeply Disappointing Experience - Proceed with Caution
My oldest sister solely and secretively engaged attorney Chris Jeter for estate planning, expecting fairness and professionalism for my parents who didn't even make the request. Instead, the documents he produced placed one sibling (my sister) in sole control of everything (trustee, executor, power of attorney, health care decisions) while sidelining the others. This structure ran completely counter to my parents' clearly stated wishes for equal treatment among their three children.
Even more troubling, Jeter continued with a meeting despite my father (who is 90 years old) twice stating he did not want to proceed. That total disregard for my father and mother left us with the impression that one sibling's agenda was prioritized over our parents' actual voice not to mention borderline elder abuse and coercion. My father was angry when forced into a Zoom meeting by Jeter, my sister and her second husband.
The documents he created also contained red flags:
"Gift equalization" language that could be used to reclassify legitimate loans as gifts.
Waivers of bond and reporting, removing normal safeguards and accountability.
No checks or balances, essentially consolidating all authority into one person's hands.
Estate planning should protect families and reflect the true intent of the clients. In our case, these drafts would have increased conflict and stripped away fairness.
I was so concerned by his conduct that I filed a complaint with the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.
I cannot recommend this attorney and urge others seeking balanced estate planning to look elsewhere. read more
