The Estate Planning Firm You (and Your Clients) Deserve
New team members, a new service structure, and a commitment to the standard that estate planning should have always held itself to.
A good estate plan is not just a set of documents. It is a strategy — one that works only when the documents are current, the beneficiary designations align with what those documents say, and the people who need to understand the plan actually do. When any one of those pieces is missing, the plan fails the people it was supposed to protect.
That is the standard we hold ourselves to at Pappas Gibson. And over the past year, we have invested significantly in the people and the processes to meet it.
Three Additions to Our Team
Each of the following additions was made deliberately, as part of a broader effort to ensure that every client — regardless of the complexity of their situation — is served by the right attorney, at the right level of engagement, with a partner reviewing every plan before it leaves the firm.
Katie joined our staff six years ago as an administrative assistant and worked her way through every role in the firm while attending evening classes at Capital Law School. She has now passed the bar and joined our team as a licensed attorney. Her institutional knowledge of how this firm works — and her commitment to our clients — is genuinely exceptional.
Phil joined us last year as our senior estate planning associate attorney. He brings deep experience in estate planning and leads a wide range of client engagements — including our new Five-Year Estate Plan Checkup — with a partner reviewing every plan that goes out the door.
Makayla joined us earlier this month. Her role is to ensure that every matter progresses efficiently from start to finish, and that clients' financial advisors and CPAs remain informed throughout the process. She is the connective tissue between our attorneys, our clients, and the other professionals on each client's team.
A Service Model Built for the Right Fit
With a deeper bench of attorneys, we now offer three distinct paths for estate planning clients — each producing the same high-quality, partner-reviewed plan. What differs is how the engagement is led and at what price point.
| Plan in Place | Associate-Led | Partner-Led | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | $1,000 | $1,600 | $2,200 |
| Couple | $1,600 | $2,200 | $2,800 |
| Best for | Straightforward situations; online questionnaire + brief video consult | Clients who want a face-to-face consultation before anything is drafted | Complex situations, or clients who prefer to work directly with the managing partner at every step |
For context: comparable Columbus firms typically charge $3,000–$6,000 for the same work. Every tier we offer falls well below that range.
Every plan we send to a client — regardless of who led the engagement — has been reviewed by a partner. That has always been true, and it will remain true.
Keeping Plans Current: The Five-Year Estate Plan Checkup
Documents age. Agents and trustees move, decline, or pass away. Laws change. And clients' lives — marriages, divorces, births, inheritances, business interests — rarely stay still for long. A plan that was exactly right at signing can quietly become misaligned without anyone noticing.
The Five-Year Estate Plan Checkup is our answer to that problem. It is a structured, comprehensive review designed to bring a plan back into alignment — and to confirm that beneficiary designations actually match what the documents intend.
Most checkups are led by Phil Kebe and include updated powers of attorney, a plain-English summary of how the plan is designed to work, any amendments that are warranted, and a one-hour consultation. For clients with long-term care concerns, we have also developed a proprietary analysis — built around their specific assets, income, and tax picture — that provides an honest, individualized answer on whether Medicaid planning makes sense for their situation.
One important note: the Checkup is not limited to our existing clients. If you have estate planning documents from another firm that you suspect are outdated — or that you simply haven't looked at in years — we would welcome the conversation. Bring us your documents and we will tell you honestly where things stand.
Checkups start at $450. If your plan has not been reviewed in the last five years, it is time.
Get in Touch
Makayla Franklin, our Client Experience Coordinator, handles our intake process. She can answer questions, gather some information, and get the right consultation scheduled.
Call us at 614-792-7900
Email Makayla at mfranklin@pappasgibson.com