Belinda Takach France has been a sole practitioner in Tallahassee, Florida since 1989 and is proud to have Marti Womble join her as paralegal. Our firm practices primarily in the area of estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, federal income tax planning, business formations and dissolutions, divorce litigation support and appeals.

As a prospective client, your first contact will likely be either in person or by telephone with our legal assistant. She is trained to collect basic information and prioritize emergency situations. After she has reviewed this preliminary information she’ll schedule the appropriate follow-through.  For example, if your needs involve Estate Planning:

• You will be scheduled for an initial conference for us to review in depth your estate, your goals and your objectives, you may be asked to complete an Estate Planning Guide to help you gather pertinent information about your estate and your planning goals. 
• Through this process we will assist you in developing your long range plan, including preparation of appropriate documents. The length of time involved here depends on the complexity of your individual situation.
• Finally, Mrs. France will meet with you to go over your options and explain how the proposed plan meets your goals. Upon your approval, the documents will then be executed.

Your initial consultation will be without charge in order to determine whether or not we will be able to assist you with your situation. We charge hourly for services rendered on your case. It is not our policy to charge additional costs such as photocopying or facsimiles, unless an extraordinary number are required.

Retainers are required for all matters, depending upon the complexity or issues involved. Although all matters are billed according to the hours required, we have discovered that typically simple wills range from $300 - $500, living trusts from $300 - $2,500 and full estate plans from $1000 to $3,500. If upon mutual agreement we take your case, we will discuss recommended courses of action and an estimate of the costs involved. Costs or exact legal fees cannot be generalized, but we will discuss frankly our fee structure and payment policies.