Christopher S. Mulvaney,

Attorney and Counselor-at-Law

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THIS WEBSITE INCLUDES GENERAL INFORMATION & THE OPINIONS OF CHRISTOPHER S. MULVANEY. IT IS INTENDED TO STIMULATE A BASIS FOR QUESTIONS RELATED TO YOUR PARTICULAR FACTUAL CIRCUMSTANCES — BEFORE YOU ACT.  THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU WANT LEGAL ADVICE, PLEASE MAKE A ZOOM APPOINTMENT TO SPEAK WITH ME.

CONTACT CHRISTOPHER S. MULVANEY FORM

DISCLAIMER:

The use of email or this form for communication with MULVANEY LAW OFFICE, PLLC does not establish an Attorney-Client Relationship. If you don’t think I have responded, please check your spam folder. Time-sensitive information should not be sent through this Form or through email. Sensitive information can be uploaded to an encrypted Dropbox folder in your client file. Google Review Link Yelp Review Link

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Gonzaga University School of Law – Spokane, Washington – Class of 2002 – Cum Laude The Latin phrase “Deo patriae, scientiis, artibus” translates to “For God and country through sciences and arts”.  The initials A.M.D.G. on the seal of Gonzaga Law School stand for Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, which is Latin for “For the Greater Glory of God” the Motto of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits): a Catholic religious order founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

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John Locke: “The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom.”

There are no Kings in America. Antonio Villaraigosa: “Let me be clear- no one is above the law. Not a politician, not a priest, not a criminal, not a police officer. We are all accountable for our actions.”

 Martin Luther King Jr.: “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.”

Much of my practice involves legal insurance.

I have been on the MetLife Legal Panel

since 2007, 30 years after Joel Hyatt founded the original company.  

Joel Hyatt, a graduate of Yale Law School, founded Hyatt Legal Services in 1977 to increase access to affordable legal services.

It became Hyatt Legal Plans, the largest provider of group legal insurance services in the country.

In 1997, MetLife purchased Hyatt Legal Plans and it became MetLife Legal Plans. It remains the largest legal insurance provider in the U.S.

Here is how to get MetLife back if you lose it. You may be able to enroll if you have not had an Employer Plan.

*Save 75% on Estate Planning if you Lose MetLife Coverage: Link to MetLife Legal Plans Individual Insurance: $22/Month.

($264/Year – Cancel anytime after the first year; (MLO Website Pay Out-of-Pocket Fees).

Here is a link to the MetLife Individual Plans Premium Coverage. You pay nothing to me in Attorney’s Fees above the $264 paid to MetLife.     

MetLife ranked No. 43 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.^[7] MetLife serves 90 of the largest Fortune 500 companies.^[11] Revenue was $66.91 Billion in 2023.

During World War II, MetLife placed more than 51 percent of its total assets in war bonds and was the largest single private contributor to the Allied cause.^[22]

Below is a typical covered services menu.

Just because a particular service is covered does not mean that I have to accept every client who has an issue that is covered. My scope of practice does not include all covered services – no lawyer could do that. Even if a covered issue is within my scope of service I may just have too many clients seeking services at that time, and not be able to assist.

Since you are looking at my website, I assume you are looking for a particular kind of lawyer to address your issues.

I am looking for a particular kind of client to whom to provide legal services within my practice areas of estate planning, debt, and real estate.

Within those areas, I am looking for clients:

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(1) whose initial email to me simply and briefly states their issues and how they found me (and gives the information needed to confirm legal insurance coverage, if applicable);

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(2) who are willing to give me information about themselves as requested, so that I can know them better and prepare a draft of an estate plan for them;

 

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(3) who are willing to read the estate plan draft (even if that is not why they initially contacted me) because they trust that I would not ask them to do anything unless it was important for me to be able to provide the highest level of service to them;

 

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(4) to meet via ZOOM, to electronically sign via DocuSign and if applicable use Zelle to pay for electronic recording via Simplifile.

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If you prefer to work differently, by having a telephone consultation initially for example, that is completely fine. There is nothing wrong with that. It is just not the way I work. I wish you the best in finding another attorney to assist you the way you wish to be assisted.

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The way I work is: I confirm coverage first. Next, I send an intake form to clients to fill out and send back to me so that I can prepare a draft of an estate plan to send to the prospective client for review. If you don’t fill out the form, you are not a client, you are a prospect.

After clients review the draft, then we meet in ZOOM so that I can answer all of the clients questions after they have read the draft, and made notes about their questions.

I do not want clients who need to talk on the phone. Asking for the form is a way for me to screen out potential clients who don’t do what I ask them to do. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t vital. Talking to prospective clients on the phone who have not read the draft is a waste of my time. Such persons don’t know enough to ask good questions. By far, the most productive meetings with estate planning clients are after they have reviewed the draft. This is so much the case, that I use the filling out of the form as a gatekeeper. If you don’t fill out the form, you can’t be a client. If you are not a client, I am not going to speak to you on the phone or in ZOOM.

I want prospective clients who don’t fill out the form, and need to talk on the phone to find other counsel as soon as possible. I am screening out potential clients who are not a good match for my firm quickly and efficiently so that they can move on, and find the right fit for themselves with their counsel. I don’t mean to be rude. I believe this in in our mutual benefit. If you don’t fill out the form, I don’t want you as a client and you are not a client; you don’t want to be my client anyway. We have a meeting of the minds on that. If you don’t fill out the estate planning form, then I wish you the best in your search for counsel who provides legal services in the way that you need.

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It is not in either of our interests for there to be a mismatch between expectations and services. I would much rather that you go elsewhere to retain counsel that matches your expectations than have a difference between expectations and services with me. I do not want unhappy clients. I work hard to prevent that from happening.

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If, after I learn a little about you and you learn a little about me, either one of us thinks that I may not be the best choice of lawyer for your particular issues, then I hope we can agree to let each other know as soon as possible. This is the flip side of mutual assent to representation. If, after initial information gathering about each other, we both agree that I am ready, willing, and able to address your legal issues, then you go from being a prospective client to an actual client.

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Something you need to understand is that the standard forms themselves are of very little value.  You can get the forms for free.  Not just from MetLife, but from other online providers (such as the website with the statutory language for the forms).  The value is in the understanding of what everything in the process means, and how to use that understanding for the benefit of yourself and your family and the relationships amongst everyone you list in your estate plan.  You can’t get that from a form.

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My forms are vastly better than free forms, and contain many links to additional information.  They are continuously modified based on the questions and reactions of several thousand previous clients.  The mistakes of previous clients are listed as warnings to future clients.  No free “boilerplate” form can do that.

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Here is a link to an example of what your Estate Plan will look like if you are single.

Here is a link to an example of what your Estate Plan will look like if you are married.

Here is a link to an example of what your Prenuptial Agreement with Integrated Estate Plans will look like.

Here is a link to an example of what your Cohabitation Agreement with Integrated Estate Plans will look like.

Here is a link to an example of what your Adult Child Estate Plans will look like.

Here is a link to an example of what your Real Estate Deeds will look like.

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I look forward to meeting you and being your counselor and guide.

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Electronic signatures and notarization allowed since 2020 requires me to have: 

(1) an image of the driver’s license or other photo ID for each person who signs;

(2) a recorded ZOOM meeting in which the accuracy of the documents shared in the video is acknowledged;

 (3) ratification in an email after post ZOOM meeting review of the documents stating they are correct or need any changes;

(4) a watermark that says “Electronically Signed & Notarized in ZOOM via DocuSign” rather than “Draft Not Valid for Use”.

Documents that don’t need to be notarized, like real estate sales documents are signed in DocuSign via email.You create your electronic signature yourself (by drawing, uploading, or otherwise), and clicking the button.

That is not allowed for estate planning documents that have to be notarized.  I have to record the ZOOM meeting in which the documents are shared, and you state that they are correct.  The image on the video has to match the images on the driver’s licenses of every9ne in the meeting including myself.  It is easier than driving to my office and signing with a pen, but not as easy as signing via email.

Since you are not pushing a button in the ZOOM meeting, I will have generated your electronic signature in Docusign, and affixed it to the pdf along with my signature and the notary seal.  You could email me a pdf of your ink signature if you wish, and I can use it like I have done for my own signature.  Most people use the Docusign generated signature.

What makes the Docusign software generated signature valid as your signature is you saying the documents are correct,and it is your wish to sign.  If you say the documents are correct, you have signed.  If you say the documents are not correct(either during or after the ZOOM meeting), then you have not signed.

Below is the legal basis for remote online notary.

 

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Washington State residents can meet with me in Zoom/DocuSign from anywhere in the world, and I can notarize their electronic signatures because I am a remote online notary.  Just email me an image of your photo ID.