Why We Built General Counsel Services

Legal questions rarely arrive one at a time, or on a schedule. A buyer makes an offer on the family business. A child is about to be married. A loan to a relative needs to be put in writing. A trust that made sense ten years ago no longer fits. 

Each of these has a legal side. None of them is only legal. They touch taxes, cash flow, and family dynamics, and they tend to show up in different places, with different professionals, at different times. 

Estate planning has always been at the center of how Brighton Jones helps families. But the legal side of a financial life is wider than any one document or any one professional. We believed families deserved a more coordinated way to handle it. 

We’ve seen many families who had good advisors and good attorneys who were never in the same conversation. The planning  and legal decisions they advise on don’t necessarily stay in separate lanes, especially when they’re complex. A lack of coordination can introduce risk and inefficiency. 

That is why we built General Counsel Services (GCS), Brighton Jones’ ongoing coordination service for families with complex legal needs. 

Why we built it

As we listened to families, three things stood out. 

The pieces affect each other. A gift changes the estate picture. A new entity changes a future sale. A family agreement changes a trust. Families were making these decisions in separate conversations, and no one was holding the whole map. 

The rules change at the state line. Our clients live across the country. A family might live in one state, own property in another, and have children in a third, and the rules that apply to them differ from state to state, as do the professionals who can help. Legal support has to travel with the family. 

Straightforward documents are faster now. Technology has made preparing them faster and more consistent than it used to be. That leaves more room for the harder part: knowing which questions matter, in what order, and who should be in the room. 

So we designed GCS to work for a wide range of families, from straightforward needs to complex ones, in any state. 

What we built

GCS brings together a dedicated team with legal, tax, and estate expertise. When a family needs documents, Wealth.com supports the straightforward ones, and a trusted network of independent attorneys supports specialized ones. GCS works as an extension of your advisory team, whether you work with a Personal CFO team or a family office team. 

For families whose plans involve trusts, GCS can also coordinate with Brighton Jones Trust Company, our South Dakota-chartered trust company. 

Here is what that looks like: 

• A buyer makes an offer. Your advisor looks at what a sale would mean for you. GCS maps the entities and trusts involved, works with your tax professionals on the tax picture, and coordinates with the attorney handling the deal, so everyone is working from the same information. 

• A child is about to be married. GCS helps you understand your options for a premarital agreement and coordinates the next steps with your attorney. 

• A loan to a relative needs to be put in writing. GCS helps you understand the terms and prepares you for the conversation with your attorney. 

• A trust no longer fits. GCS helps you see what has changed and brings in an attorney from the network to discuss options. 

More broadly, GCS primarily supports six areas of the legal side of a financial life: estate and wealth transfer, agreements and contracts, philanthropy, entities, trust and estate administration, and family agreements and transitions. You can see each one on the General Counsel Services page. 

To be clear about roles: GCS provides education and coordination. Brighton Jones is not a law firm, and legal documents are prepared by independent attorneys or through Wealth.com. Any attorney-client relationship is between you and that attorney. 

Staying current

Families change, and so do the rules. A new grandchild, a business sale, or a change in tax law can quietly leave your documents and decisions out of date. GCS is designed to help you and your advisory team notice those moments early, starting with a plain-English map of your existing documents and ongoing monitoring of estate and gift tax rules, and to coordinate the follow-through with your tax professionals and attorneys. 

We built GCS on a simple belief: the legal side of your financial life works better when the people helping you share the same information and talk to each other. You should not have to repeat yourself, carry messages between professionals, or wonder who is responsible for what. 

Your advisor still leads, and GCS is there when a question gets more complex. If you would like to learn more, start with your Brighton Jones advisor or contact us with questions. 

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as individualized advice. For individualized advice tailored to your specific circumstances, please consult with your adviser and qualified legal counsel. General Counsel Services provides planning, education, and coordination. Brighton Jones is not a law firm and does not practice law or prepare legal documents. Legal documents are prepared by independent attorneys or through Wealth.com, and any attorney-client relationship is between you and that attorney. Additional fees may apply for GCS services, drafting services, or outside legal services.