Lisa McGraw, Esq.
If you’re reading this page I’m assuming you’re curious to learn more about me to see if I’m the right person to guide you through this process. I’ll be honest, I would do the same. In fact, choosing the right attorney is the first step – and perhaps even the most important step – toward putting the right estate plan in place. So, let me tell you a little about myself:
I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the name choice. Names are hard. Anyone that has ever had a child will understand. I struggled with what it should be and let’s be honest, my sister is the creative one in the family. Zarda is my maiden name and seemed like the perfect fit for my law firm. Just ask my husband.
I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with my undergraduate degree, then from the University of Cincinnati with my master’s degree, and finally Concord Law School. I am a member of the California State Bar and the Wisconsin State Bar.
I’m originally from Wisconsin and now divide my time between living in Hawaii and the mainland with my husband and son. After graduating law school and having a child, I was searching for an area of law I was passionate about and made a positive impact for my clients. My husband and I always said we needed to create an estate plan but never took the time to do it. After we had our son, I felt more pressure to get our own plan in place and I simply thought, “I can just write our own, it will be no big deal.” Then I took a hard look into this area of the law and learned how incredibly important having an estate plan is for my family and how important having a guardianship plan is for our son. It became a priority to have the correct documents in place should something happen to myself or my husband, especially as no other family lives nearby. I wanted my son to stay with the people that I chose and he was familiar with until his permanent guardians could make the trip to Hawaii to get him.
Once I started focusing on this area of the law, the more excited I became. I knew I had to educate everyone on the importance of estate planning.
I believe many young adults and families think they don't need estate planning. I was just like you, I thought estate planning was something our grandparents or parents did because they were older and had assets to leave behind. However, this is not the case.
If given the option, most parents would prefer to have a plan in place for their little ones and be a part of the decision-making process. I am here to simplify that process for you, to educate you and walk you through the various options, and to empower you to make sure that you’ve done everything you can to protect and plan for your loved ones if you are no longer able to do so.
Estate planning is so much more than putting a set of documents in place. It is about planning for your family’s future and making sure that your loved ones are cared for. It’s about defining your legacy and how you want to be remembered. It’s about making sure assets go to the people in the manner that you want them distributed. It’s about minimizing transfer costs and ensuring that your family is not bogged down in the court system unnecessarily. It’s about making your wishes known, so that your family doesn’t end up in conflict - making things as straightforward and uncomplicated as possible for your family during a difficult time.
Why Work With Me
I know most parents are just like me. Becoming a parent brings a different perspective to life and makes you take a look at what is really important to you. We spend endless amounts of time focusing on making sure that our children are happy, we are protective, and we do everything we can to set them up for success. One thing we generally fail to think about and prepare for is what would happen if we are no longer there for our children. This isn’t something that any of us want to think about, but it is something that we can prepare for. The conversation can be a difficult one, but lack of planning in the event something were to happen is worse. But if we protect them so fiercely when we are alive why wouldn’t we do everything we could to ensure our kids are just as protected after we are gone. Many of us know that we need to do something to put a plan in place, but what exactly needs to be done can be confusing and overwhelming.
My goal is to simplify that process for you, to educate you and walk you through the various options which will allow you to make sure that you’ve done everything you can to protect and plan for your loved ones if you are no longer able to do so. From walking you through what would take place if something were to happen to you with your current plan (or the state’s plan for you if you do not have one), to the decision-making process of putting your own plan in place.
When I was in law school I knew that I wanted to ditch the old model of what people expected a law firm to be. I wanted to completely get rid of the hour billing standard. I didn’t want to have to track my time and I didn’t want my clients to receive bills in which there were shocked and surprised to get. A lot of the time clients will not reach out to their attorney because of the bill they might receive from asking a simple question. I have had this happen to myself and I didn’t want to do that to my clients. That’s why everything I do is an up-front, flat fee structure. There is never any surprise fees or unexpected bills. This way, I believe will help build relationships with clients by allowing open communications and allow me to give them the type of services they deserve.
I’m not your typical lawyer who just prepares a set of documents that you think you may need because your mother’s aunt’s nephew told you so. I take the time to sit down with you and discuss your specific family dynamic to help guide you to the plan that will work for your family.
My goal is to make the estate planning process as easy as possible for you while doing everything I can to ensure that we put the best plan in place for your family. I understand how inconvenient the estate planning process can seem. I make every effort to ensure this process is stress and hassle-free. Gone are the days you have to take off from work, find parking, find the attorney’s office, sit in the lobby for your appointment only for them to be late. You get my point. That’s why I offer online scheduling and intake forms and conduct virtual planning sessions over zoom. That way everything can be done from the comfort of your own home or office. If you aren’t able to meet during standard business hours, I offer a limited number of evening and weekend sessions. For those that are less comfortable with technology, I am happy to provide you with paper-based intake forms.
Why It Matters
If you don't have an estate plan in place, the state has a plan for you and the state will have the final say as to what happens to you, your assets, and who cares for your minor children. This may involve a lengthy court process, it may be a costly process, and it will most certainly be a public process. This may result in conflict between those you love on who should raise your children, conflict as to who should manage your finances, and conflict as to who should make healthcare decisions for you if you are unable to do so for yourself.
The good news is that you can prevent all of this by putting an estate plan in place, you can have the final say as to what happens to your family and your assets at your death. You can choose to do everything possible to keep your family out of court and out of conflict, ensuring that your wishes are followed. You can plan for your children to ensure that they don’t come into an inheritance at 18, but instead receive distributions at the ages that you see fit, upon reaching the milestones that are important to you, or for specific purposes such as for education.
My ultimate goal is to help my clients to determine what type of plan is best for them and customize a plan to suit their specific needs and desires.
What will your legacy be?