Affordable Wills, Trusts, & Probate
About Us
At Peters Patchin & Monaghan, we count it an honor to prepare Wills and Trusts and handle Probate proceedings for a truly wonderful community of clients here in southwest Idaho.
How it all Started
Over 30 years ago, Barry Peters migrated from the Bay Area to Idaho, in large part to provide a healthier climate in which to raise his children. After a few years working with a local law firm, he opened an independent office as a sole practitioner. Since then, Barry has prepared estate plans for thousands of clients in the Treasure Valley and the surrounding areas.
Having chosen to educate their children at home, the Peters soon became friends with the families of Daniel Patchin and Ben Monaghan. Over the years, Barry, Daniel, and Ben enjoyed the opportunities provided by Idaho’s great outdoors to regularly backpack and ski together.
While in middle school and high school, Daniel and Ben also took a series of courses on Constitutional Law that Barry taught each January as part of the Capstone Student Legislature program at the capitol here in Idaho.
During their college years , Ben and Daniel began asking Barry questions about becoming attorneys and practicing law. To facilitate those discussions, the three began enjoying monthly lunches together to delve into topics such as: What are the pros and cons of practicing law? How can I get admitted to Law School? What are the best ways to survive Law School and pass the Bar Exam? Are there best practices that will ensure that lawyers serve their clients well? How can attorneys avoid the trap of proposing overkill solutions to their client’s genuine needs?
Then Came the Firm
Eventually, Barry realized that he knew Daniel and Ben exceptionally well. The three of them had spent enough time together in a variety of both enjoyable and stressful circumstances for Barry to see both their character and their accomplishments. That led Barry to make them this offer: If you get through Law School and pass the Bar Exam, I’d like to hire you, train you, and then fast-track you to become partners in our firm. Ben and Daniel would have the chance to learn the unusual methods Barry uses to ascertain, and then produce, the best possible estate plan or probate plan for each client.
The Mold is Broken
Because we practice law with a unique set of paradigms, we’re often asked how did we break out of the typical law firm mold? The answer is “one step at a time.” Here are some significant steps on that journey:
- Thirty years ago, Barry read about another law firm that offered a money-back guaranty that its clients would be satisfied. After contemplating that for a bit, Barry realized that offering that assurance would allow clients to relax and not be concerned that the relationship might be disappointing.
- Next was the realization that charging for legal work by the hour unavoidably presented a perverse temptation for the lawyer to take more time than was absolutely necessary to handle the issue. The solution? Fixed-fee billing. That practice also allows the client to relax even more knowing ahead of time exactly how much the cost will be for the desired services.
- After that, new technologies presented opportunities to streamline document preparation. Instead of the old paradigm of dictating and proof-reading legal documents, we were able to design and implement a more modular approach to document creation. That avoids the need to reinvent the wheel for each document, while at the same time allowing each document to be fine-tuned to meet the needs and circumstances of that particular client.
- We also chose to intentionally tear down some of the walls that typically insulate attorneys from their clients. At our firm, it is our goal that every incoming phone call is answered in person. But if the call goes to our voice mail, we are committed to having an attorney or our Office Manager return your call as soon as possible. We strive to be fully accessible during normal business hours.
The Baton is Passed
With our firm now thoroughly launched, Daniel and Ben now handle all of the work for our clients. After 42 years as a practicing attorney, Barry was delighted to hand over the baton to Ben and Daniel. He still spends time with them on a weekly basis, but more as a coach than a fellow practitioner. We share a lunch together every week to round-table any special circumstances that crop up and fine-tune the estate plans and probate strategies that will best serve our clients’ needs.
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How We Take Care of You
At Peters Patchin & Monaghan, here’s how we’re different than other firms in the area:
- We guarantee our client’s total satisfaction.
- All services are performed on a fixed-fee basis.
- We offer a free initial consultation to every new client.
These three practices have much to do with our firm’s solid five-star Google rating. They help us assure you that, if you elect to utilize our firm, you’ll be delighted with the services that we provide.
We are grateful for the privilege of representing each of our clients and their wonderful families. We carefully assess each client’s unique circumstances and from there develop the best Estate Plan or Probate Plan that will accomplish just what the client desires in the most efficient and affordable manner possible. That’s always been our goal: Affordable Wills, Trusts, and Probate.