The Bowman Law Firm

Single: $2,500* 

Married: $2,900*

(Preferred by Homeowners)

Designed specifically for property owners and families seeking privacy and continuity.  This comprehensive plan ensures your home, accounts, and legacy bypass the exhausting, public, and costly Virginia probate court system entirely.  By bringing the entire design and execution process directly to your dining table, we secure your family’s future without interrupting your demanding schedule.

What’s Included:

• Custom Revocable Living Trust Agreement
• Pour-Over Last Will & Testament
• Guardian Nomination (if Applicable)
• Durable Financial Power of Attorney
• Advance Medical Directive & Healthcare Proxy
• HIPAA Privacy Authorizations
• Deed Preparation for your Primary Residence
• Step-by-Step Trust Funding Coordination & Asset Advice
• Lifetime Electronic Document Storage

*A more complex trust structure may be recommended in certain situations, such as blended families, beneficiaries with special needs, business succession planning, or where additional asset protection or tax planning is desired. These enhanced structures involve additional drafting, coordination, and customization, with a typical additional investment of $500-$1,500.

Single: $1,200 

Married: $1,800

The essential foundation for young families looking to secure their children's future and direct their asset distribution.  This portfolio allows you to legally designate trusted guardians for minor children and establish clear executors for your estate.  It provides robust, structured protection for families who do not currently desire a trust but refuse to leave their legacy to chance.

What’s Included:

• Last Will & Testament 
• Guardian Nomination (if Applicable)
• Durable Financial Power of Attorney
• Advance Medical Directive & Healthcare Proxy
• HIPAA Privacy Authorizations
• Lifetime Electronic Document Storage

It’s important to note that a will does not avoid probate. In Virginia, probate can involve additional time, cost, and administrative steps. For many families, this is manageable—but if avoiding probate is a priority, a trust-based plan may be a better fit.

Our goal is to help you understand your options so you can choose an approach that aligns with your goals, your family, and your comfort level.

Single: $650 

Married: $950

Critical, immediate protection for your medical and financial autonomy while you are alive.  If an unexpected accident or illness leaves you temporarily unable to manage your affairs, Virginia law limits who can step in to help.  This portfolio arms your chosen loved ones with the precise legal authority to manage your accounts and direct your medical care without court intervention.

What’s Included:

• Comprehensive Durable Financial Power of Attorney
• Advance Medical Directive
• HIPAA Privacy Release Documentation
• Lifetime Electronic Document Storage

These documents are an essential foundation for incapacity planning. In some situations, a revocable living trust can provide an additional layer of continuity by allowing assets to be managed more seamlessly if you are unable to act. Whether that added structure is appropriate depends on your goals and overall plan, and we’re always happy to talk through what makes the most sense for you.

Flat Fee: $750* (All-Inclusive)

A streamlined, asset-specific defense for your most valuable investment. For many Northern Virginia residents, their home represents their largest financial asset, yet most deeds force the property straight into probate court upon your passing. This all-inclusive service allows you to pass your home directly to your beneficiaries instantly, cleanly, and automatically.

What’s Included:

• Custom Virginia Transfer on Death (TOD) Deed or Trust Transfer Deed 
• Electronic Filing through County Land Record Systems
• Includes all local county recording taxes, technology fees, and electronic clerk filing surcharges

*Deed pricing applies to Virginia real estate and includes preparation and recording of one deed for one property. If you own property outside of Virginia, additional planning or coordination with local counsel may be recommended.  Additional deeds may be added for $350 per additional property when prepared at the same time. All county recording taxes and electronic filing surcharges are included in the flat fee.

Prenuptial (Before Marriage): $1,900* 

Postnuptial (During Marriage): $2,800*

Sophisticated, forward-thinking asset alignment for modern relationships. In a high-earning region rich with corporate equities, government pensions, real estate, and family inheritances, clarity is the ultimate form of protection. We draft straightforward, highly personalized agreements that respect your partnership while establishing rock-solid boundaries for separate property.

What’s Included:

• Tailored Prenuptial or Postnuptial Agreement Drafting
• Comprehensive Financial Disclosure Asset Review
• In-Home Execution and Compliance Guidance
• Lifetime Electronic Document Storage

*A more complex agreement may be recommended in certain situations, such as blended families, significant separate property, business ownership, family trusts, substantial inheritances, real estate portfolios, or where additional asset protection, support planning, or estate planning coordination is desired. These enhanced agreements involve additional drafting, disclosure review, and coordination, with a typical additional investment of $500-$1,500+ depending on complexity.

*Independent legal counsel for the other party may be required. This helps ensure that both parties understand the agreement, have an opportunity to ask questions, and enter into the agreement voluntarily and with appropriate legal guidance.

Flat Fee: $500* (Fully credited toward any future updates)

A precision legal health check for out-of-state or older estate plans. If you recently relocated to Virginia, or if your family structure, net worth, or intended beneficiaries have shifted over the last few years, your old documents may be outdated. We conduct a thorough diagnostic review of your current plan to identify hidden compliance gaps, and if updates are suggested, 100% of this $500 fee is applied directly toward your amendments or new documents.

What’s Included:

• Comprehensive Document Review
• Virginia Compliance and Asset-Alignment Diagnostic
• Detailed Recommendations
• Full $500 Credit toward any recommended adjustments or portfolio upgrades

*If our review shows that your documents contain out-of-date provisions, legal gaps, or out-of-state compliance issues, a specialized update or complete restatement may be recommended. In those instances, I will provide a clear, flat-fee quote and updated engagement agreement before beginning any work.

Understanding Your Documents

The Primary Benefit: Complete Probate Bypass and Total Financial Privacy.

How it Works: Think of a trust as a private family vault. While you are alive, you own the vault and control everything inside it. If you pass away or become incapacitated, your chosen successor trustee steps into your shoes instantly, without having to ask a Virginia judge for permission. Because a trust operates entirely outside of the court system, your assets are passed to your loved ones immediately, quietly, and without the public disclosure of your family's net worth or private distribution wishes.

Understanding Your Documents

The Primary Benefit: Securing Guardianship and Directing Asset Distribution.

How it Works: A Will is your voice after you are gone. For parents of minor children in Northern Virginia, this is the only legal document where you can formally designate who will raise your children if the unexpected happens. It also appoints an Executor to oversee your final affairs. 

Note for homeowners: While a Will is an essential safety net, any asset passing strictly through a Will must still go through the public, multi-month Virginia probate court process before reaching your beneficiaries. This is why many home owners bridge their Will with a Living Trust.

Understanding Your Documents

The Primary Benefit: Immediate Incapacity Protection for Your Accounts and Assets.

How it Works: If an accident or sudden medical emergency leaves you unable to manage your finances, Virginia law does not automatically grant your spouse or family access to your individual bank accounts, mortgage documents, or retirement portfolios. Without this document, your family would be forced to endure a costly, public court battle to appoint a conservator just to pay your bills. A Durable Power of Attorney allows you to hand-select a trusted individual today who can step in seamlessly to manage your financial life the moment an emergency strikes.

Understanding Your Documents

The Primary Benefit: Locking in Your Medical Wishes and Giving Your Family the Legal Right to Talk to Your Doctors.

How it Works: This document ensures that if you are hospitalized and unable to speak for yourself, your doctors know exactly who is legally authorized to make medical choices on your behalf. It combines a healthcare proxy (naming your decision-maker) with a living will (outlining your specific desires regarding life-support and end-of-life care). It completely removes the crushing psychological burden of guesswork from your grieving spouse or family during a medical crisis.

Federal medical privacy laws (HIPAA) are incredibly strict. If you are admitted to a Northern Virginia hospital following an accident, doctors are legally prohibited from sharing your medical status, prognosis, or charts with anyone, including your spouse, parents, or adult children—unless you have signed a HIPAA release. This document tears down that wall of silence, ensuring your inner circle can communicate freely with medical staff during a crisis.

Understanding Your Documents

The Transfer on Death Deed

The Primary Benefit: Passing Your Real Estate Automatically Outside of Probate.

How it Works: In a high-value real estate market like NoVa, your home is likely your most significant investment. A Transfer on Death Deed acts like a beneficiary designation for your house, similar to naming a beneficiary on a life insurance policy. It allows you to maintain absolute ownership and control of your home while you are alive, but the moment you pass away, the property automatically and instantly transfers to your designated heirs, completely bypassing the probate court system.

The Trust Transfer Deed

The Primary Benefit: Legally "Locking" Your Property Safely Inside Your Trust.

How it Works: Creating a Revocable Living Trust is only the first step; a trust cannot protect assets that it does not officially own. To protect your home from probate court, your real estate must be formally transferred from your individual names into the name of your trust. This specialized deed updates the local county land records (such as Fairfax or Loudoun county) to reflect that your trust is the legal owner of the property. It completely secures the asset without affecting your current mortgage, property taxes, or primary residence tax exemptions.

Understanding Your Documents

The Prenuptial Agreement

The Primary Benefit: Establishing Rock-Solid Financial Clarity Before Marriage.

How it Works: A Prenuptial Agreement is a proactive financial blueprint designed before your wedding day. In a high-earning region rich with corporate equities, government pensions, pre-marital real estate, and family inheritances, this agreement allows couples to explicitly define what constitutes "separate property" versus "marital property." It protects your independent assets and business interests, shields you from a future partner’s pre-existing debts, and establishes clear, mutual expectations, ensuring your marriage begins with absolute transparency.

The Postnuptial Agreement

The Primary Benefit: Aligning and Protecting Assets After Marriage Has Begun.

How it Works: A Postnuptial Agreement achieves the same protective goals as a prenup, but it is drafted and executed after a couple is already legally married. It is an incredibly powerful tool for Northern Virginia couples who have experienced a significant change in circumstances—such as one spouse starting a business, receiving a substantial family inheritance, or purchasing investment real estate with separate funds. Virginia courts heavily scrutinize these documents, requiring a meticulous, transparent analysis of current marital assets to ensure the agreement remains legally unassailable.