Margerie Law LLC

Local access and virtual planning

Clients across Milwaukee, Brookfield, Wauwatosa, Elm Grove, and nearby parts of southeastern Wisconsin fall within the firm's stated service area. Margerie Law LLC has offices in Wauwatosa and Elm Grove. Meetings at those locations are by appointment.

The firm also offers virtual estate planning. Remote meetings may suit clients whose travel, work, health, or family duties make an office visit harder to arrange. They may also help when several family members or advisers need to take part in the planning discussion.

Virtual access changes the meeting format, while the core work still depends on accurate facts and careful document review. Clients generally need to discuss their assets, family relationships, intended beneficiaries, and choices for future decision-makers. The firm's stated mix of local offices and remote planning gives clients two ways to take part in that process.

Focus and practice areas

Margerie Law concentrates on estate planning and related legal documents. Its listed services include wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, special needs trusts, and real estate matters. That scope connects lifetime planning with the transfer and management of property.

Estate planning usually starts with a review of the client's family, assets, debts, and goals. The attorney may then identify which documents fit those facts. In my opinion, the firm's published practice areas give prospective clients a useful first view of the subjects they can raise during an initial meeting.

Wills and trusts

A will records instructions for property that passes through the probate estate and can address the nomination of people for certain roles. A trust holds and manages assets under written terms. The right structure depends on the client's property, family needs, and plans for distribution.

Trust work often calls for close attention after the document is signed. A client may need to change ownership records or beneficiary arrangements so that selected assets connect with the trust plan. Trustees also need clear terms about management, distributions, and successor responsibility.

Margerie Law specifically lists special needs trusts among its services. These trusts address planning for a person with a disability or other qualifying needs. Such work usually requires careful review of the beneficiary's circumstances, available resources, and the terms that will govern future distributions.

Planning for incapacity and future decisions

The firm's estate planning work includes durable powers of attorney. These documents let a client name another person to make specified decisions under the authority granted in the document. The exact powers and the conditions for using them deserve close attention during drafting.

Incapacity planning involves choices about who will manage financial or personal affairs if the client cannot act independently. A client may also need to name alternate decision-makers. Clear names, current contact details, and practical instructions can make the documents easier to use when a need arises.

The firm's website says Paul Margerie works with financial professionals when clients plan for incapacity or death. That coordination can involve ownership records, beneficiary designations, account information, and the client's stated goals. Each professional retains a distinct role, so clear communication helps keep the legal documents and financial arrangements aligned.

How the planning process works

Margerie Law describes a six-step estate planning process on its website. The published process gives the firm's work a stated sequence, though each client's facts will shape the discussions and documents. A structured series of meetings can help clients gather information, make choices, and review drafts in manageable stages.

Estate planning commonly begins with an inventory of property and existing documents. The client may collect deeds, account details, insurance information, business records, and current beneficiary forms. Family circumstances also matter because marriage, children, disability, and prior planning can affect the questions an attorney needs to ask.

After the fact gathering stage, the client chooses fiduciaries and decision-makers. These may include a personal representative under a will, a trustee under a trust, and an agent under a power of attorney. The attorney then prepares documents that record those choices and explain the authority attached to each role.

Review, signing, and later updates

Draft review gives the client a chance to check names, property descriptions, distribution terms, and replacement appointments. It also lets the attorney explain clauses that may feel unfamiliar. Clients should raise unclear language before signing because estate documents often control decisions during illness or after death.

Signing requirements depend on the type of document and the law that governs it. Witnesses, notarization, and document custody can each affect later use. A planning meeting should leave the client with a clear understanding of which papers were signed and where the final versions will be kept.

Estate plans also benefit from later review after major changes in family, property, or personal preferences. A move, marriage, divorce, death, new child, or major asset change may create questions about existing terms. A review can determine whether the current papers still state the client's wishes.

Real estate within the firm's stated scope

Real estate appears alongside the firm's estate planning services. Property often plays a central role in an estate because title records determine who owns it and how an interest may transfer. Deeds, co-ownership terms, mortgages, and beneficiary arrangements can affect the legal work.

When real estate connects with a will or trust, the client and attorney generally need accurate title information. The wording on a deed may affect whether the property passes through an estate, remains with a co-owner, or connects with another planning method. Recorded documents should match the chosen plan.

Real estate planning can also involve questions about management during incapacity. A durable power of attorney may address authority over property, subject to its actual wording and governing law. Clients should understand who may sign documents and what limits apply to that authority.

Attorney background and professional profile

Paul Margerie leads the firm and identifies his work with estate planning. He grew up in Greenfield and lives in Wauwatosa. That background places both his personal and professional profile within the Milwaukee area the firm says it serves.

Margerie earned a B.A. from UW-Whitewater in 1997. He received his J.D. from UW-Madison in 2000. Those published credentials give prospective clients a direct account of his formal education.

As a reviewer, the clearest feature of the listing is its defined subject matter: estate planning, wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, special needs trusts, and real estate. The site names Paul Margerie as the attorney who leads this work and identifies Wisconsin as his jurisdiction of admission. Paul Margerie is admitted to practice in Wisconsin.

Office locations and hours

The firm keeps two addresses by appointment. The Wauwatosa office sits at 9125 W. North Ave., and the Elm Grove office is on West Bluemound Road. West North Avenue and West Bluemound Road both fall within the Milwaukee area of southeastern Wisconsin, which matches the region the firm names in its service list. A client who lives near one location may find that office easier to reach than the other.

Posted office hours run Monday through Friday, from 8:00 to 5:00, with appointments available outside that window. A client who works during standard business hours may want to confirm a time that fits around a schedule. The two street locations give clients a choice of where to meet in person when that format suits the matter.

The firm's named planning framework

Margerie Law gives its planning approach a specific name, the Family Protection and Estate Preservation Plan. A named framework signals that the firm presents its planning work as a defined package. The name itself points to two stated aims, protection for the family and preservation of the estate, and those aims align with the wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other documents the firm prepares.

A prospective client can ask what the named plan covers and how it applies to a particular set of facts. The label sets an expectation, and the initial meeting is the place to check how the framework maps onto a client's family and property.