The Bridge Program: A Holistic Approach to Estate Planning

My dad was one of my favorite people. He was quietly funny. He was never the first person to speak up in a crowd or call attention to himself unnecessarily. He was someone who needed to feel comfortable before revealing his humor, but when he did, his jokes were so dry and unexpected that your laughter would bubble to the surface unexpectedly. I have always been more serious by nature, but I am deeply grateful for the sense of humor he helped develop in me during my 37 years with him.

I often think of my dad when reflecting on my career. It was my desire to help him as he struggled with complications from diabetes that shaped the way I view my legal practice today. For me, the work has always been relational, not transactional.

A Personal Experience That Shaped Our Practice

By the age of 36, my dad experienced kidney failure. At 38, he received a combined kidney and pancreas transplant that gave him a new lease on life. Two years later, however, he lost his vision completely and underwent amputations that forced him to give up his career as a harness horse trainer and driver.

Despite these setbacks, my dad was a fighter. He continued to enjoy life for another 20 years. Eventually, after suffering a series of strokes, our family was forced to confront the difficult reality of long term care before he passed away at the age of 61.

As a lawyer in the family, my relatives looked to me for answers when those conversations began. At the time, I was helping clients create estate plans, but I did not yet have the knowledge needed to guide my own family through the complexities of long term care planning.

We navigated the decisions together and ultimately found solutions. Through that experience, I realized how valuable it would be to help other families face similar challenges with greater clarity and less stress.

That experience shaped the practice we have built today.

A Multidimensional Approach to Planning

Our firm is built around the belief that planning should evolve as life changes.

Over time, I saw the importance of protecting assets from the potential costs of long term care. I also realized that this type of protection can be incorporated at different stages of life.

For that reason, our planning approach includes several phases of asset protection planning, including proactive planning, intermediate planning, and crisis planning.

This structure allows us to meet clients where they are in life and help them adjust their plans as their circumstances change.

Estate Planning Is About People, Not Just Documents

At its core, estate planning is about people, relationships, and protecting the resources that support the lives we care about.

A purely transactional view of estate planning reduces a person’s life to a set of documents prepared at a single moment in time. In reality, planning should reflect the ongoing nature of life itself.

Our goal is not simply to create a plan that works the day the plan is finalized. Our goal is to build a plan that works when it needs to work. That moment may come when a client needs someone to make financial or health care decisions on their behalf, or when their loved ones must manage their affairs after they pass away.

Our team also regularly helps families navigate the probate process when someone dies. Unfortunately, we often see situations where a trust was created but never properly implemented. Sometimes the original attorney never helped the client align their assets with the trust. In other cases, the client simply forgot over time that new accounts or property should also be placed into the trust. When this happens, families often discover that probate is still required even though a trust was created specifically to avoid it.

Each time we encounter this situation, we cannot help but think that the outcome was not what the plan creator expected. They invested time, effort, and money for a plan, but it did not function the way it was intended. The Bridge Program was created to prevent unplanned outcomes.

How the Bridge Program Works

Clients may enroll in our Bridge Program after completing an estate plan with our firm that includes trust planning.

By the time the original work is finished, they have already completed the most intensive part of the process. Their plan has been carefully designed, documents have been drafted and reviewed, and assets have been aligned with their planning structure.

At that point, estate planning enters a new phase: maintenance.

People often ask how often they should update their estate plan. Rather than offering an arbitrary periodic review, we view updates as being appropriate at various triggering events: 1) when the law changes; 2) when what you own (assets) changes; 3) when you (or your beneficiary’s) circumstances change. The Program helps clients continually address these triggering events. Bridge also helps clients prepare their future decision makers for the responsibility they will have in the future.

What’s Included in the Bridge Program

Once enrolled, clients have access to several benefits designed to keep their plans working.

During the first year, clients may schedule a family meeting. This meeting allows the individuals named in the plan to sit down with the client and the attorney, either in person or virtually, to learn how the plan works and understand their future roles. Having this conversation while life is calm gives individuals the opportunity to ask questions and process important information without the emotional weight of a crisis or loss.

Throughout the year, clients are encouraged to stay in contact with their dedicated legal assistant to report any changes to their assets. When assets change, we can recommend updates or assist with ownership or beneficiary adjustments, so the plan remains aligned.

Even if clients do not reach out during the year, we will contact them annually after they renew their Bridge enrollment. This check-in encourages clients to review their assets and consider whether anything in their life has changed. We realize without this review, asset alignment can easily be forgotten.

Our attorneys stay up to date with the latest legal developments that impact our clients’ planning. We provide updates with recommendations to our Bridge clients so that they are aware of important law changes that could impact their planning. Likewise, clients are encouraged to contact us when they or a beneficiary has a change in circumstances that needs to be evaluated within the context of their planning. When clients need a legal review due to these changes, they may have up to one attorney meeting per year.

Bridge clients are also invited to attend several educational and social events each year. These gatherings allow clients to stay informed about legal developments while building relationships with our team and with other members of our community.

Strengthening the Relationship with Our Clients

The purpose of our maintenance program is to ensure that estate plans remain functional and effective over time.

When clients keep us informed about life changes, we can update our records and provide guidance whenever it is needed. The Bridge Program strengthens our strategic partnership with the families we serve.

Maintaining these records also helps future decision makers. When a client becomes unable to manage their affairs, or when they pass away, the people stepping into decision-making roles benefit from having clear information and guidance.

Because our practice includes multiple planning disciplines, we can also pivot quickly when a client’s needs change.

For example, if a Bridge client suddenly requires long term care, we can immediately transition into crisis asset protection planning. When a client passes away, our familiarity with their plan allows us to assist their family more efficiently with trust administration.

Taking the Next Step

If you are thinking about estate planning, or if you already have a plan and want to ensure it continues to work as intended, the first step is a consultation.

At DiPietro Law, families begin by submitting a brief worksheet before meeting with one of our Client Service Directors. These team members are trained to identify your needs, explain the planning strategies available, and outline what you can expect, including timeline and cost.

We offer fixed fee estate planning packages, but every plan is tailored to the individual. The consultation helps determine which approach is right for your situation. During that meeting, you will learn what the planning process looks like and what your investment will be.

The Bridge Program is not included in our estate planning packages, but details about enrollment and pricing are available during the consultation. If you are ready to begin planning or would like to learn more about maintaining your existing plan, we invite you to reach out.