Estate Planning for the Foreign Service Community

 Please excuse the mess while we transition to a new website.  This is the EFM Law Company.  We specialize in estate planning for the Foreign Service -- drafting wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives (a.k.a. living wills).  The owner and operator, Sam Schmitt, is licensed to practice law in Virginia and carries insurance.  He associates with attorneys licensed in other states and other professionals (i.e. accountants) as needed and where permitted. 

​Please reach out to schedule a consult and request an estate planning questionnaire via email efm.lawyer@gmail.com.  

Some of Our Work

Composed the Federal portion of the Annual AFSA Tax Guide Since 2016 (Published January 2019).

Brief outline of the estate planning process (2015).

Journal Article re: Family Educational Rights Protection Act (2013)

Praise from Past Clients

From Trailing Houses

What to Expect... 

1. A four to nine month commitment depending on your availability and response times, 
2. Filling out an intake questionnaire about your assets, beneficiaries, & friends/family who can serve as backup executors, trustees, financial agents, and health care agents, 
3. Reviewing & responding to draft documents before finalizing, 
4. A phone/Skype call to review final drafts,
5. Advice on executing finals with witnesses and a notary (sometimes abroad at a consular office), 
6. Assistance with state department and other beneficiary designations (e.g. revising the TSP 3), 
7. Service from a licensed, insured professional from beginning to end, 
8. Attention to information security & sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) from someone trained by Google (refer to LinkedIn for certifications), 
9. Prompt responses to your emails and phone calls, 
10. Final cost varies by number of estate plans needed, past marriages, and complexity of assets, but is most frequently from $1,000 (single individual with little or no financial or health care planning) to $2,000 (for couples interested in trusts and with assistance of out-of-state attorneys).  

Ready to Learn More? 

Contact Sam Schmitt at efm.lawyer@gmail.com to talk about your estate planning needs.  

New Clients Are Referred to Outside Counsel When Space Is Not Available.