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 United States.
Christopher has been on the MetLife Legal Plans panel since 2007. MetLife ranked No. 43 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue and serves 90 of the largest Fortune 500 companies. Revenue was $66.91 billion in 2023. During World War II, MetLife placed more than 51 percent of its total assets in war bonds — the largest single private contributor to the Allied cause.
Much of Christopher's practice involves legal insurance. If you lose employer coverage, you may be able to enroll in MetLife Legal Plans Individual Coverage at $22/month ($264/year — cancel anytime after the first year). You pay nothing to Christopher in attorney's fees above the $264 paid to MetLife.
Save 75% on Estate Planning
If you lose MetLife Legal Plans employer coverage, individual coverage is available at $22/month. You pay nothing to Christopher in attorney's fees above the $264/year paid to MetLife.
MetLife Legal Plans Individual CoverageHow Coverage Works
Employer Coverage
If your employer offers MetLife Legal Plans as a benefit, your estate planning is covered at no additional cost to you. Forward your MetLife confirmation email to Christopher and work begins immediately.
Individual Coverage
$22/month ($264/year). Available if you lose employer coverage. Cancel anytime after the first year. You pay nothing to Christopher in attorney's fees above the annual premium.
What Is Covered
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, deed recording, name changes, and more — depending on your plan. Christopher confirms your specific coverage before any work begins.
What Is Not Covered
Irrevocable Trusts, Family LLCs, Charitable Remainder Trusts, and other advanced planning tools are not covered by MetLife. These are billed separately via Zelle.
A Note on Scope
Just because a particular service is covered by MetLife Legal Plans does not mean Christopher must accept every client with a covered issue. His scope of practice does not include all covered services — no single lawyer could. Even within his practice areas, he may have too many clients at a given time to take on new matters.
The standard forms themselves are of very little value — you can get forms for free online. The value is in understanding what everything in the process means, and how to use that understanding for the benefit of yourself and your family. Christopher's forms are continuously refined 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.
What Is and Isn't Covered — In Detail
Legal Insurance covers all attorney's fees for preparing and executing the Estate Planning documents in the draft Christopher sends — these are Inside the Scope of Coverage.
If you lose coverage, we have 180 days from that date to complete service. What matters is that we begin service while you are covered. Please let Christopher know if you might lose coverage in the near future.
The following services are not covered by Legal Insurance, or are specifically excluded or prohibited — these are Outside the Scope of Coverage.
(1) Recording of Deeds — Not Covered by Legal Insurance
Recording (making a public county record) of Quitclaim Deeds, Transfer-on-Death Deeds (TODD), and Deeds of Trust is not covered by Legal Insurance. There is no relationship between the County Recorder and Legal Insurance — Christopher has a contract with Legal Insurance regarding payment of attorney's fees, but Legal Insurance has no contract to pay any County Recorder.
You can record real estate deeds by mail for $305.50 each (by mailing two copies, the fee check, and a postage-paid return envelope), which takes about 4 months — contact the King County Recorder first if you choose to record yourself. Alternatively, Christopher can electronically record them with the King County Recorder in about 1 day for $400 per Deed. Please pay using the Zelle QR Code or by using Chris@AttorneyMulvaney.com / (425) 786-3470.
Recording a TODD is a good value — a Probate could cost 10 times as much, and Probate requires public disclosure of real estate which may result in homes of recently deceased people being burglarized. Real estate deeds are not effective unless recorded (made a public record) during your life to avoid Probate. Being alive is the only requirement for recording validity, so married people often don't record until the first spouse passes away. The emailed PDF of the Deed with the instrument number, date, and time of recording is the only proof of electronic recording you will receive.
Caution: You must keep a copy of your Trust if you record a Deed leaving property to the Trust, name the Trust as Beneficiary, or open an account in the name of the Trust. Both a paper and electronic copy should be kept since the Trust will be needed to access the assets.
(2) Preparation of Deeds Other Than Your Primary Residence — Not Covered by Legal Insurance
Preparation and execution of Quitclaim Deeds or Transfer on Death Deeds for property other than your primary residence is not covered by Legal Insurance. The discounted rate is $150 per Deed, payable using the Zelle QR Code or by using Chris@AttorneyMulvaney.com / (425) 786-3470.
This is a good value that allows you to hold a rental property in an LLC in order to limit liability and obtain other tax advantages.
(3) Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) — Tax Planning & Asset Protection Not Covered by Legal Insurance
An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) removes the value of life insurance from the WA Estate Tax calculation. The discounted cost is $1,000, payable using the Zelle QR Code or by using Chris@AttorneyMulvaney.com / (425) 786-3470.
You could have millions of dollars in life insurance that you re-title as owned by your ILIT, with a Trustee appointed to manage the policy after you pass away. Transferring an existing life insurance policy to an ILIT has a three-year lookback period, during which the death benefit might be included in the grantor's estate — so some prefer to buy a new policy under the ILIT. Christopher recommends doing an ILIT before doing WA Estate Tax Planning because it may not be necessary.
Learn More About ILITs →(4) WA Estate Tax Planning — Tax Planning & Asset Protection Not Covered by Legal Insurance
Doubling the WA Estate Tax Exemption from $3 million to $6 million only applies to married people. The discounted rate for preparing and executing Estate Tax Avoidance documents is $1,500, payable using the Zelle QR Code or by using Chris@AttorneyMulvaney.com / (425) 786-3470.
This Disclaimer Sub-Trust is an excellent value — it saves $390,000 in Estate Tax on a $6 million estate, provides $150,000 per year in lifetime income to the surviving spouse with asset-protected principal, and leaves over $4 million estate-tax-free to your adult children if the surviving spouse lives for a decade after the first spouse passes. The Sub-Trust also contains a Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP) Trust which allows avoiding estate tax on up to a $2.5 million home not included in the $3 million WA Estate Tax Exemption. Finally, the Sub-Trust contains Quiet Trust Provisions that allow you to keep the total value of your Estate from your Beneficiaries until they reach a certain age (typically 25).
In Washington State in 2026, separate property trusts are primarily used to:
- Maximize estate tax exemptions
- Protect inheritances in blended families
- Safeguard assets from creditors
- Prevent co-mingling of assets
- Maintain financial autonomy
(1) Doubling the Washington Estate Tax Exemption from $3 Million to $6 Million
For 2026, Washington's individual estate tax exemption is $3,000,000. Since Washington does not allow "portability" (the ability for a surviving spouse to use the deceased spouse's unused exemption), separate Trusts can "capture" and use both spouses' exemptions, effectively protecting up to $6,000,000 from state estate taxes — saving $390,000 if you pay $1,500 via Zelle for Mulvaney Law Offices, PLLC Estate Tax Planning.
For deaths after 01 July 2026. No Estate Tax due on first $3 million.
| Taxable Amount | Rate | Tax Owed |
|---|---|---|
| $1 to $1,000,000 | 10.0% | 10% of taxable amount above $3 million |
| $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 | 14.0% | $100,000 plus 14% of the amount over $1,000,000 |
| $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 | 15.0% | $240,000 plus 15% of the amount over $2,000,000 |
| $3,000,000 to $4,000,000 | 16.0% | $390,000 plus 16% of the amount over $3,000,000 |
| $4,000,000 to $5,000,000 | 18.0% | $550,000 plus 18% of the amount over $4,000,000 |
| $5,000,000 to $6,000,000 | 18.0% | $730,000 plus 18% of the amount over $5,000,000 |
| $6,000,000 to $7,000,000 | 19.0% | $910,000 plus 19% of the amount over $6,000,000 |
| $7,000,000 to $8,000,000 | 19.50% | $1,100,000 plus 19.50% of the amount over $7,000,000 |
| $8,000,000 to $9,000,000 | 19.50% | $1,295,000 plus 19.50% of the amount over $8,000,000 |
| $9,000,000+ | 20.0% | $1,490,000 plus 20% of the amount over $9,000,000 |
(2) Blended Family Protection
Separate Trusts are used to ensure that children from a previous marriage receive their intended inheritance. A spouse can place their separate assets in a trust that provides income for the surviving spouse during their lifetime, while guaranteeing the remaining principal eventually goes to the Grantor's own children rather than the surviving spouse's heirs. Step-children are notoriously disinherited — if Cinderella's father had a Separate Trust, Cinderella would have had her own money and not been abused by the evil step-mother and step-sisters.
(3) Preventing "Commingling"
In Washington's community property system, separate property (like an inheritance or pre-marital gift) can accidentally become community property if it is mixed with marital assets. Holding these assets in a separate property trust keeps them clearly identified as separate, protecting them in the event of a divorce or death. A Spousal Consent Form can be used to make naming your Separate Trust as Primary Beneficiary valid so that you can give separate property, gifts, and inheritance to children or other beneficiaries rather than your surviving spouse.
(4) Asset Protection from Creditors
Because a separate property trust can be designed to become irrevocable upon one spouse's death, it can shield those assets from the surviving spouse's future creditors, lawsuits, or professional liability. The separate property of one spouse is not liable for the separate debts of the other spouse — so if an LLC is held as Trustee of the Separate Trust of one spouse, debts related to that LLC do not affect the assets in the other spouse's separate Trust.
(5) Maintaining Financial Autonomy
Separate Trusts allow each spouse to maintain control and management over their own specific businesses, inherited family real estate, or other individual assets without requiring the other spouse's consent for every transaction. For example, one client's husband was sending $500 a month to his mother in Mexico, which his wife resented — until they created two separate property trust accounts and deposited $500 into each every month. The wife changed her attitude and told the husband it was fine if he gave more to his mom, because she had the exact same amount to do whatever she wanted with.
(5) Stand-Alone Special-Needs Trust for a Disabled Child — Tax Planning & Asset Protection Not Covered by Legal Insurance
If a disabled child receives Social Security Disability or other means-tested entitlements, it is important not to give gifts directly to the child — instead, create a Special Needs Trust for the child's benefit so they don't lose their benefits. A Special Needs Trust is irrevocable and contains asset protection for the parents and the disabled child, as well as tax-related provisions. The discounted rate is $500, payable using the Zelle QR Code or by using Chris@AttorneyMulvaney.com / (425) 786-3470.
This is an excellent value that allows you and your parents to name the Special Needs Trust as the beneficiary of your Trusts to protect the disabled child. You can also reduce your estate for estate tax purposes by giving to the Special Needs Trust during your lifetime.
Learn More About Stand-Alone Special-Needs Trusts →(6) Family LLC — Tax Planning & Asset Protection Not Covered by Legal Insurance
A Family LLC is a kind of closed corporation for those related by blood, marriage, or adoption. It is a completed gift to your adult children, so it avoids Estate Tax, divides income among generations, and provides some asset protection — while you retain the rights in the operating agreement to determine how the money is given to your children. The discounted cost is $1,000, payable using the Zelle QR Code or by using Chris@AttorneyMulvaney.com / (425) 786-3470. A Family LLC cannot be used to manage a personal residence.
(7) Non-Grantor Irrevocable Trust (NGIT) — Tax Planning & Asset Protection Not Covered by Legal Insurance
This is the deep end of the pool, applying to people with over $6 million in wealth. The discounted cost is $15,000, payable using the Zelle QR Code or by using Chris@AttorneyMulvaney.com / (425) 786-3470.
The Trust lasts 150 years and you can never get the money you put into it back — it is for your children and grandchildren, not for you. It avoids estate tax because everything given to the Non-Grantor Irrevocable Trust is reported as a gift on IRS Form 709. You would hire a Successor Trustee to pay out gifts for about 7 generations of your family if there is enough money to last that long. The NGIT provides strong Estate Tax avoidance, strong asset protection, and strong lifetime income for multiple generations of your family. The Trust has its own EIN and files its own tax returns with a higher tax rate on earnings than individuals have — that is the cost of gaining the powerful, long-lasting benefits.
(8) Excluded Matters — Legal Insurance Will Not Compensate; Mulvaney Law Offices Does Not Perform
Pre-existing matters where an attorney-client relationship existed for the matter prior to becoming eligible for Plan services; matters in which a Client/Participant has been represented by a non-plan attorney prior to seeking services for the same case from a plan attorney; farm matters, business or investment matters, matters involving property held for investment or rental, or issues when the Participant is the Landlord; bankruptcy services relating to a business interest; admiralty, patents, trademarks, copyrights, and income tax return preparation; appeals, class actions, interventions, amicus curiae filings, and derivative actions are not handled by Mulvaney Law Offices, PLLC.
(9) Prohibited Matters — Services Cannot Be Provided Under Any Circumstances
Disputes or proceedings related to the matter or incident, or the plan sponsor acting as an adverse party; employer or any employment-related benefit; pension plans; union matters; severance packages; unemployment compensation or workers' compensation matters; MetLife Legal Plans, Inc., Metropolitan Life Insurance Company or any affiliate, or any plan attorney; services on behalf of a spouse or dependent when the Member has an adverse interest cannot be provided under any circumstances.
WA Estate Tax Planning & Other Non-Covered Services
A reference document covering Washington State estate tax planning strategies and services outside the scope of Legal Insurance coverage.