I'm sleeping better since The Collins Firm prepared all my estate planning needs. They were thorough, and took the tie to walk me through the entire process so nothing was missed. read more

I previously wrote that the Collin's form wrote a trust that forces the house to be sold upon the death of the owner when it was the owner's intent to keep his autistic son living in the house for the rest of his life. That was the purpose of the trust. Now that the owner has died they (the trust written by the Collin's firm) are selling the house forcing the autistic son out. your response was that the Collin's firm does not manage the trust and my accusations are misplaced. A trust can only be managed as written. The Collin's firm wrote the trust. You are responsible For kicking an autistic child out of his home. read more

My parents entrusted The Collins Firm with their estate planning back in the early 2010s. Upon both of their deaths, we've encountered nothing but headaches in trying to settle their affairs. When we have consulted other professionals e.g. CPAs, financial planners, other estate planners, none of them could make sense of the approach The Collins Firm took in assembling my parent's trust. Unfortunately, every time we reached out to clarify something or to ask for assistance, we've been presented with an engagement letter and offer to help predicated on paying the firm additional funds. Do yourself a favor and stay far away from this firm. If you truly care about what your loved ones are going to be faced with down the line, you would be better served investing your hard-earned monies with a firm that values people over profit. read more

Our assigned attorney, Mr. Louis Johannes, was perfectly matched to our backgrounds. This facilitated the preparation of our estate plan. We liked him very much. His associates were professional and responsive as well. Thank you very much. read more

We have been clients for almost thirteen years. Just recently we came to have our documents updated due to changes that needed to be made. Just as with our initial experience, we found the attorney and staff members to be top tier. They listened to us, asked the right questions to really discern our needs and then handled everything with professionalism and efficiency. Our attorney was able to easily explain the legal language in laymen's terms and left of feeling knowledgeable and confident in our estate plan. I tell all of my friends that they should attend one of your seminars and how impactful they were on helping us to decide to become clients. read more

After paying over $5000 as a single parent-- not one lawyer ever went over the costs to my family after I pass and my 3 children avoid probate for this established Trust. These amounts should be discussed and disclosed before signing. Reading online, I found out that settling your trust could range for anywhere from less than 1% to as much as 5% of the value of your assets. I suggest you find out the dollar amounts to let your descendants know it's not free to settle your TRUST after you pass --as I see reviewers post other beliefs. read more

Had all my questions answered. It was a little expensive but they were very professional and pleasant.

the collins staff was on top of upgrading my original trust. they were highly professional and explained all the upgrades to protect my accounts. adjustments were completed in a timely manner. highly recommend the use of collins firm to keep my trust up to date as trust laws have chaged over the years . read more

Collins Firm is simply the best. Had a Trust done with Coliins Firm originally in 2007. Had a wonderful feeling of relief when leaving the office, satisfaction that the right thing had been done for family. Mike Collins has a great radio show every Saturday: Legally Speaking. One needs only to listen just a few times to become convinced that a Trust is the most powerful thing that can be done for your family's finances ----and for your own peace of mind. Nearly every week on the radio show a question or heart-breaking problem comes up. If only the person had had a plan in the form of a Trust, the problem would be avoided. It might be easy to put off the planning, easy to say: "well, nobody in my circle has had a Trust, I can get by without it". But you'll think again when you hear callers on Mike's weekly radio show----oh, the quandary that a family can face---unnecessarily. The numbers are too big, folks....your house is worth half a million dollars. You paid more for your car than you paid for your home originally. You have things worth protecting everyplace you look---your furnishings, belongings, and your collections. Keep your wealth in your family. Keep your family protected. Make it easy for your family by leaving a set of instructions as to how to proceed with your wishes. With the Trust preparation, I got a Medical Directive and Will preparation. Have had my Trust updated in 2016, the fee was most reasonable. It was done in a timely way---just as professionally and as understandably as the first Trust was done in 2007. The attorney I had explained everything in detail, I have great confidence that when the time comes, my family will get top-drawer service with the sit-down appointment that's built into the plan and pre-paid with cost of the trust. You owe it to your family to attend a complimentary seminar done by the Collins Firm. There are dozens throughout the year, as far as Frederick and Annapolis. Those are two (2) hours well-spent, you can get all your questions answered. Mike conducts the seminar himself and is delighted to get your technical questions answered. He doesn't turn the seminar over to an inexperienced person, he conducts the seminar himself. Just like the two times I've been to the office, I got an experienced and sensitive attorney. Each time, was like talking to a trusted friend. He called my daughter and son-in-law by their names, a personal touch that I appreciated. They'll like him 'when the time comes'. They'll get a free one hour consultation, when it's time. Listen to Legally Speaking a few times...that'll get you motivated like nothing else will. At first, I was nearly missing the show, and then thought---this is a college course, and it's free. I don't need to find a place to park to 'take this class'. I treat that one hour time on Saturday just like it were a credit course. I never miss now, it's an acknowledged education. For the cost of what a family spends on a cable bill, you can have Trust documents prepared, an Advanced Medical, and a Will, as well as expert advice for your family when they need it most--after you're gone. Collins Firm does necessary documentation for property title with the county included in the fee. Having a Revokable Trust is having a plan. It means your family will have your set of instructions laid out. It'll keep family away from sharks, keep your money in your family according to your wishes. Like Mike says on every show: "someday someone will thank you for taking the time". read more

The Collins Firm - Estate Planning Law Near Me - McLean, Virginia

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My family paid for this firm to do our family Living Trust. I've never regretted anything more in my life. When I needed this firms help they turned on me and my family in the worst way. I deeply regret ever having dealt with this firm and hopefully never will again. read more

I wouldn't do business with a law firm that does not provide an email address or contact form on their website. When calling them to ask to be removed from their U.S. Post Office (paper) mailing list to stop getting seminar advertisements, the person who answered could barely understood me. She first thought I wanted their address, then told me to go on line. I again explained I was I couldn't find a way to contact them on line. She transferred me to a number that just rang, so I called a different office. The person who answered took our name but was ready to hang up before taking our address. She was polite, however. read more

Been enjoying listening to Mike Collins nearly every Saturday since I've moved here. Not a client, but my daughter has been, for over 10 years. When I saw the negative about mailers, my daughter said she has yet to get anything in the mail from the firm. I then looked at the MC website, addresses are clearly contained in the Our Locations tab, wonder about someone having a problem, it's on the website. Calling the show, Mike Collins gave me a clear answer to a relatives problem. Collins Firm is doing a community service by being so accessible not just with the radio show, but with constant calendar seminars. There are so many individual variables with estate planning, it's imperative to get a feel for the attorney. What Collins does can be seen as a test drive, it means you get to know services available. Follow the show, take advantage of the free local seminars, request a sit down to be confident of finding a good fit. My daughter said she shares her outcome and finished product with neighbors and co-workers who are always impressed. They then understand that having an estate plan is much more than avoiding probate, it's peace of mind. read more

You can have either an unhelpful website, or unhelpful staff, but you really can't have both. I needed to make an appointment to update wills and a trust that are outdated. Every page of the website screams at you to register for a presentation, but gives you no way to schedule an actual appointment with an attorney, or even to express your interest in their services; for anything other than the dog-and-pony show, you have to call their office. Which would be fine ... if their staff were polite and professional. The woman I just got off the phone with at the McLean office was neither. She answered the phone very brusquely, very rapid-fire, like she was in the middle of someone else's really boring emergency and just couldn't bring herself to take the time to greet me: "You'vereachedtheCollinsFirmhowmayIdirectyourcall." Just like that. I said "Good morning" and she *clicked her tongue* at me. Then as I tried to explain my situation, she interrupted me several times, again with that annoying machine-gun diction, and placed me on hold twice without even telling me she was going to do so and *while I was stil talking*. Then she told me that I would have to leave a message with the attorney (why, she couldn't be bothered to explain), and unceremoniously dumped me to his voice mail before I had a chance to say anything at all. This was the most off-putting, unprofessional encounter imaginable, especially as I'm getting ready to spend $$$ to have my estate paperwork completely redone and I should have a reasonable expectation of at least passable customer service. Depending on how the rest of this process goes, I may upgrade my rating later, but at this point my experience has been profoundly disappointing. read more