KLS presents "Together Talks" feature #79 with Schluter & Hughes Law
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Some Background on Schluter & Hughes Law
Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the chance to interview Schluter & Hughes Law Firm, PLLC and Owners, Dawn Schluter and Kristin Hughes. Schluter & Hughes Law Firm, PLLC is committed to answering your questions about Estate Planning, Elder Law, Probate, Estate & Trust Administration, Care Coordination and Fiduciary Tax & Accounting. They are a multi-faceted probate and estate planning boutique law firm that understands life is a journey that needs a village to support it. Their team of professionals have come together with an intentional and common purpose – helping individuals and families architect planning at every intersection of their lives. Life takes a village. Let Schluter & Hughes Law Firm, PLLC be part of yours.
Covid-Flip
The Law Firm was established in May of 2021 - towards the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. Both Dawn and Kristin have had long careers as probate and estate planning attorneys. During the Pandemic they both saw the difficulty that clients and families were facing in dealing with the limitations with visits and overall healthcare coordination. Kristin believed a change to the process was imperative and convinced Dawn that a framework to revolutionize the approach to helping clients and their named fiduciaries during these difficult times could be accomplished. Kristin explained that the COVID -19 pandemic and the trends of increasing lifespans was a trigger that underscored the need for more proactive planning especially planning relating to health care advocacy, including a more robust dialogue about the patient advocate role and the need for care coordination.
"The goal of our firm is to flip the practice of law on its head. Instead of transactional work, it is a refocus on the human element. Structuring an estate plan that works in real life," said Kristin. "That is really what we are about. Life changes and those changes come with a lot of stress and anxiety. We are here to help set up a framework to assist people through life's changes", said Dawn.
This belief, coupled with their prior experience as probate and estate planning attorneys, both female owners realized they wanted to curate a new environment for a law firm. Their boutique endeavor was specifically designed to accomplish two goals: (1) Assemble a knowledgeable and experienced team to provide practical solutions and supports for clients, and (2) Provide their team members support and the opportunity to grow as individuals, both personally and professionally.
Care Coordination
Dawn explains what separates them from most probate and estate planning law firms. At Schluter & Hughes Law Firm, PLLC they use a custom model called Continuum Life Plan to help families understand the natural progression of aging. They look at how long-term illness impacts a loved one’s health, mobility, housing, and financial resources. They create customized care plans prepared by dedicated care coordinators, who are Registered nurses and a physician assistant. The goal of care coordination is to understand a person's needs and preferences so that it may be communicated at the right time to the right people, to provide safe, appropriate, and effective care.
Dawn who has worked in law for over 30 years simplified it for us, "Where Schluter & Hughes Law excels is our team thinks about the possible issues, plans for them, helps guide clients, and supports them during these transitions. Dawn further explained that the firm also excels in the fact that they can help a client through multiple facets of their lives. While hanging their hat on estate planning, within that they also provide probate litigation, two CPA's for tax preparation, trustee services, and succession planning. Bringing peace of mind that they can support and guide a client from start to finish in such important times.
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Redundant team plan
They attested that the foundation of their Firm is that of a positive, supportive “one-team” culture. Being collaborative and supporting each other is paramount. Both owners also understand the importance of work-life balance. Coming from previous firms that did not place an emphasis on that, they had the freedom to create their own set of expectations, including that of a "duplicate role". Dawn broke it down for us, "Our company continues to move if someone can't be at work for whatever reason. We create a duplicate or redundant role, meaning no one person is the sole person who can handle a given task. We want to make sure our firm always has everything covered and people can feel comfortable not working on their days off ." She elaborated that this allows everyone to feel like they are supported and can experience that work-life balance that is so critical to their mission.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Dawn mentioned how strong their growth has been despite being such a new firm, growing to a staff of 19 employees, "You know the saying, 'Good people gravitate towards good people and even more so, good clients gravitate towards good providers. It is evident with us." They credited this by operating different than most law firms. They are a one firm, firm - every client is the firm's client. They are all handling it together with one goal in mind to best service their client - together.
Commitment to preservation
Both mentioned that being a small business owner comes with additional responsibilities and obstacles separate from practicing law. Kristin said while there have been additional responsibilities, she has enjoyed the creativity aspect, the ability to "build and think outside the box". One example being their Care Coordination Team they manifested. They thrive in being able to seek out a situation and how they want to approach it and ultimately provide a solution. Kristin explained, "While it is a challenge, every method can have a spin on it. When we look at it from that perspective, the full purpose of our lives is to build and hopefully make an impact."
With each client that walks through the door, they understand the responsibility to provide guidance and support. Each opportunity is a platform for Schluter & Hughes to bring a sense of order and a process to clients. Kristin continued, "We understand how involved we will be in our clients lives. But the ability we possess to create impact is so fulfilling. We truly believe that the residual effects of our work is so much greater and so much deeper."
Piece of Advice
The conversation with Dawn and Kristin ended with them sharing their piece of advice.
Dawn - The idea of proactive planning. The gift of estate planning is a gift to yourself and a gift to your family. The ability to call the shots and say how you want to do it. And if you don't tell the world how you want – then chaos tend to erupt.
Kristin – The idea of being fearless. I know that's super cliche, but I think that as professionals, we get to a certain point in our career and we just feel like that is it – we have reached “it” and there is no further dreaming or goal planning. But that is not the case, dreaming and the ability to make an impact never ends. You just have to push past the fear and the comfort in the redundant.
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In Closing
KLS wants to thank Dawn Schluter and Kristin Hughes, Founders, of Schluter & Hughes Lawfor today's "Together Talks" feature. Keep up to date with Schluter & Hughes Law by following their blog on their website, check it out here. Follow along for the Schluter & Hughes Law journey with their social handles below!