101: What Women Need to Know (and Do) About Estate Planning with Your Friend the Lawyer, Pam Starsia

Our hosts Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines sit down with Pam Starsia, who swapped her corporate lawyer gig for the world of estate planning, and now runs a firm alongside her husband. Once a pro in high-stakes mergers and acquisitions, Pam’s now all about creating personalized, relationship-focused estate plans. Listen in as she takes us through the sometimes-tricky and always-emotional landscape of family legacy planning.

 

“If you have the resources to pay for help, do so. You deserve it.”

 

Pam unpacks the Personal Family Lawyer model she follows, which emphasizes the human side of legal advice to meet a family’s evolving needs. Her insights help us balance the emotional and practical sides of family legacy planning, offering a new take on the whole process beyond just writing a will.

 

When dealing with clients, Pam’s all-in on personal touch. Our hosts and Pam chat about the emotional twists that can pop up, like sibling dynamics and particularly sentimental items. She dishes out practical tips for navigating these situations, reducing conflicts, and making sure everyone in the family gets a say.

 

They also explore some unique aspects of estate planning, like the question of your furry friends, and Pam gives us the lowdown on setting up options like pet trusts to ensure they’re cared for in the future. She reminds us that estate planning isn’t just a one-time deal—it’s an ongoing process that adapts to changing laws, relationships, and life situations.

 

Key Topics:

• From Corporate Lawyer to Estate Planning Attorney (3:31)
• The Advantages of the Personal Family Lawyer Model (9:45)
• Staying Accountable as an Estate Planning Attorney (15:46)
• Being Thorough with Clients (25:28)
• The Challenge of Working with the “Sandwich Generation” (31:37)
• Dealing with Joint Trustees (34:30)
• Pet Trusts: Making Sure Your Fur Babies Aren’t Forgotten! (39:46)
• Why It Literally Pays to Plan with an Attorney (47:44)
• Stephanie and Kevin’s Key Takeaways (50:10)

 

Resources:

• Starsia Law Website
• Starsia Law on Facebook
• Starsia Law on Instagram
• Starsia Law on LinkedIn
• PersonalFamilyLawer.com if outside of NY
• Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate? (Article)

 

 

If you like what you’ve been hearing, we invite you to subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Tell us what you love about this episode! Or better yet, tell us what you want to hear more of in the future. stephanie@sofiafin