Serving SW Washington and the Portland, OR Metro Area
I will help you craft an estate plan that ensures your assets are distributed according to your wishes after your death, avoids legal disputes among family members, and minimizes taxes and legal fees. Your estate plan can also allow you to appoint guardians for minors, designate financial and health care proxies to act for you if you lose capacity, and avoid, or shorten, the court-managed process of probate. Estate planning is not just for the wealthy, anyone with assets (like a home or savings) or family dependents should have a plan to ensure that their affairs are in order.
I provide a full range of estate and disability planning services, including:
-Wills
-Revocable Living Trusts
-Community Property Agreements
-Durable Power of Attorneys for Finances
-Health Care Power of Attorneys
-Health Care Directives
-Transfer on Death Deeds
I represent personal representatives (also known as executors) and trustees, and guide them through the probate or trust administration process with the goalof making it as efficient and straightforward as possible. In most probate cases, the personal representative can be appointed with "non-intervention" powers, thereby minimizing the court's involvement with the administration of the estate.
I represent beneficiaries of trusts and estates to ensure your legal rights are protected. This is especially important if there are concerns about the validity of the will or trust, concerns about the actions of the executor or trustee, or if the estate is complex.
I recognize that my clients have a variety of needs when it comes to planning for their life and after their death. My goal is to provide personalized, practical solutions with a minimum of legal jargon.
For my estate planning clients, I offer a free, no obligation, initial consultation where we can discuss your unique situation and goals.
Sliding fee scale
We offer fair, flexible pricing for estate planning and probate services. Choose the plan that fits your needs and budget.
A complete estate plan does more than just dispose of your assets after you die in the manner you wish. It can also allow you to appoint someone you trust to manage your finances and/or make health care decisions for you in the event you become unable to make decisions for yourself, allows you to nominate a guardian and trustee for minor children, direct that the share of a beneficiary who receives public benefits or is not good at managing money be held in a trust so that they don't lose their benefits or spend their inheritance unwisely, and avoid family disputes over items of tangible personal property and other assets after you are gone. For those with significant assets an estate plan can also help reduce or eliminate estate taxes.
I believe everyone should have an estate plan, not just the wealthiest among us. That's why I charge a flat fee (rather than hourly rate) for estate planning services and reduce my estate planning fees for clients whose gross annual household income is below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Your gross annual household income includes all income (before expenses) of all the income-earners living in your home. The amount of the fee reduction is shown on the sliding fee schedule shown below.
To qualify for reduced fees under this sliding fee schedule, you must request the fee reduction before services are provided and must provide documentation of your current gross household income. I may adjust this sliding fee schedule from time to time without notice.
Essential
From
$20/mo
Simple planning for straightforward estates.
Includes:
Basic will drafting
Power of attorney setup
Health care directive guidance
Standard
From
$40/mo
Comprehensive support for most families.
Everything in Essential, plus:
Trust creation
Probate assistance
Beneficiary designations
Ongoing legal support
Custom
Custom
Personalized solutions for complex needs.
Everything in Standard, plus:
Advanced trust planning
Business succession guidance
Guardianship & conservatorship
Multi-state estate planning
Attorney consultation included
What clients are saying
We had a situation with an elderly family member that arose rather suddenly. We realized that we needed some legal guidance about some options for how we might respond. Jon returned our call promptly, and provided us with helpful information, including several possible approaches. We felt quite a sense of relief in having talked through this situation with a skilled attorney.
I first worked with Mr. Fritzler some years ago when I contacted the law firm he was then affiliated with for assistance with elderly family members. I lived out of state from the family members and as events unfolded, we discovered the three of them had been the subject of quite serious elder abuse at the hands of an unscrupulous "family friend". Through involved and extensive monetary and asset discovery and ensuing court cases involving Guardianships and Conservatorships, Mr. Fritzler held a steady and determined course of action. His knowledge of the law and attention to detail was (and is) amazing. I was always comfortable with and understood his advice. Several years have passed and I recently had need to contact Mr. Fritzler again, now with his own law practice, for assistance with the one surviving family member. It has been a somewhat convoluted matter and Mr. Fritzler has guided me with the same sound advice and practice. I find Mr. Fritzler to be an outstanding attorney and think very highly of him. I would not hesitate to recommend his services, especially in the area of Elder Law.
![[background image] image of picturesque nearby location (for a bed & breakfast)](https://webflow-prod-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/image-generation-assets/e7cb5380-7b18-4ed2-b732-82513f6f825c.avif)
So helpful I was so stressed and worried about all the legality that comes with a sudden loss. I can’t imagine anyone else who could have helped me out . Thankful for being referred to him.
Jon did an outstanding job with our Estate Will. He is knowledgeable and thorough about the process of Estate Planning. We appreciated that he was patient with us and took the time to explain everything so we could make the best decisions.
Answers to common questions about estate planning and probate. We’re here to help you understand your options and make confident decisions.
Yes, for my estate planning clients the initial consultation is free and comes with no obligation.
I will email you a link to a questionnaire that you can complete online. The questionnaire will provide me with the information that I will need to give you the best advice and will make the initial meeting more productive. My questionnaire can be completed safely and securely online. When you click the “SUBMIT” button at the end of the questionnaire, I will be sent a copy automatically.
Please bring copies of any Community Property Agreements, Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorneys or other estate planning documents that you previously executed.
The estate planning process typically takes about 2 to 4 weeks once all necessary information is provided. However, the timeline can vary based on the complexity of the estate and the specific planning needs.
In both Washington and Oregon, the probate process typically takes six months to a year. However, it is often possible for some of the assets to be distributed to the beneficiaries during the probate.
Yes, in both Washington and Oregon the person who administers the probate or trust of a decedent is entitled to compensation for doing so.
Yes. I serve clients in both states with guidance tailored to the laws of each state.
Have more questions? We’re here to help.
Contact us for a free consultation or to discuss your estate planning needs. We're here to answer your questions and guide you forward.
