team-member

Zachary Setzer

Weddington, NC

Licensed for 11 years

Law Degree

Awards

Primary Practice Area

Business

Language

English French

About

***To request information about our services or to schedule an appointment, please contact our office directly at the phone number in my profile below rather than through the Avvo messaging platform.***I strive to provide not only the best legal and planning advice possible, but also the best client experience available.  There are lots of factors that can cause an estate plan to fail.  We make sure yours won't!  And we help pass on more than money by capturing your personal legacy.  Have minor kids? Be sure to ask about our proprietary guardianship planning package: the Kids Protection Plan.I used to believe that I went to law school a year too late. I needed to take a year after graduating from Chapel Hill to figure out whether I wanted to go to law school or divinity school. Taking that year off meant the difference between having my choice of prestigious jobs at major law firms, as the law school class ahead of me had, versus entering the job market during the height of the worst legal job market in living memory. Despite graduating with honors from one of the best law schools in the country and being a law review editor, I couldn’t get a job with one of those big law firms. I couldn’t even get a job at a smaller law firm. In that one year, law firms had stopped hiring. I thought, “What rotten luck.”To make a very long story a whole lot shorter, I went out on my own.  I was on a journey to find myself and run a successful business at the same time.  I eventually found my niche in the estate planning field.  I loved that instead of trying to resolve (or worse, perpetuate) conflict, I could help families prevent conflict before it happened.  But being the new guy with no experience, I felt like I had no choice but to be the bare-bones, low budget guy.As you can imagine, that didnt' make me happy, and worse, it didn't make most of my clients very happy either.  I quickly discovered that I needed to take the opposite approach and offer as much value as possible to my clients by doing things differently from other estate planning attorneys. It changed my life.First, we never charge an hourly fee. All of our services are offered on a flat fee basis with several flexible payment options. Our fees are always quoted up front so that you will never suffer the shock of an unexpected invoice. This means that you can always feel free to call us with your questions as they arise without fearing the bill that will follow.Second, we commit to an ongoing relationship with every client. Instead of sending you home with a binder full of documents and never seeing you again, we will give you all the assistance you need to put your plan into effect. Not only that, but we will even call regularly to follow up and make sure that everything gets done right. And if you are uncomfortable doing it yourself, we will do it for you!But the relationship doesn’t end there. All of our service levels include a free estate plan check-up every three years so that we can ensure that your plan keeps up with your changing life. You can also sign up for one of our membership plans to take advantage of our many enhanced services, including annual estate plan check-ups, unlimited plan revisions, 24/7 online access to copies of your estate planning documents, and even comprehensive planning meetings with your other trusted advisors to ensure that all aspects of your financial and life planning are in sync.Third, we help you ensure that your kids will never end up in the custody of someone you would never choose in the event you are killed or hospitalized. Nearly all lawyers will give you a guardianship provision in your will and stop there. That’s just not enough. A guardianship provision in a will does nothing until your will is probated and a legal guardianship proceeding is completed. This can take weeks or even months! And a guardianship provision in your will does absolutely nothing if you are hospitalized or otherwise incapacitated. Our comprehensive Kids Protection Plans ensure that your kids are cared for by someone you trust at all times and in all circumstances.Finally, we help you preserve and pass on the aspects of your legacy that traditional estate planning ignores—the human aspects. I learned the importance of preserving a personal legacy first-hand. In August of 2010, my grandfather (we called him PawPaw), gave me a birthday check for $100. When I went to cash it, I noticed he had accidentally dated the check “20010”. Realizing I would probably not live to see the year 20010, I kept the check in my wallet, meaning to have him write a new check with the right date. But soon after my birthday he started getting sick. Prostate cancer took him away from us on All Saints Day, November 1.He didn’t leave much behind. My family has cherished every random bit of paper we could find that had his handwriting on it. I still carry that birthday check in my wallet to remind me of my PawPaw.There is so much we could have done to preserve more of his personal legacy—his stories, his values, his religious convictions, and even the sound of his voice. Instead, all we have are fading memories. Through our process, you will leave your family a lasting record of who you are as a person and the things that are important to you in life. Believe me when I say that they will be so thankful you did.I hope you can tell how excited I am about all of the new and different ways we have found to serve our clients! I began this story by saying that I used to think I had rotten luck because of the way that extra year between college and law school changed my career path. I couldn’t have been more wrong! I realize now that it was one of the greatest blessings of my life. If I had ended up working at a big law firm, I would never have ended up where I am today, offering what I honestly believe is the best, most comprehensive estate planning service for families in the Charlotte area. If you have a busy life, love your kids, and want to make sure they will be taken care of no matter what happens, give us a call to request a free information packet that will tell you all about our unique approach to family estate planning.

Practices Areas

Estate Planning

Business

Probate

Elder Law

Language

English French

Contact

Providence Wills and Trusts1940 Weddington RoadWeddington, NC, 28104 Office (704) 288-4700 1940 Weddington RoadWeddington, NC, 28104 Office (704) 288-4700(704) 288-4700

Office: (704) 288-5567

Website: N/A

Reviews

Michael
October 1, 2015

My wife and I were initially referred to Mr. Setzer for a very specific type of trust, as he is one of the few NC experts that could handle our narrow need. We were very impressed with his knowledge in that area and were quite thankful for his patience for that arcane trust setup. So we were happy with the outcome. We are a nearing-retirement Baby-Boom couple already quite conversant in financial matters (CPA/MBA types) so we have rather high expectations for anyone who provides advice relating to money, inheritances, and taxes. We already had many of the normal legal/family/health/estate documents, but feared they were out of date or ran counter to our current wishes. Additionally, we had experienced the loss of a family member who had young children but no will and another family member who was declining from dementia. We had seen the legal and financial difficulties these situations created and were determined to avoid them. Because of that first assignment, we contacted Mr. Setzer again a month after completing that initial service. This time, we asked for his advice and recommendations for our then-current financial situation. Mr. Setzer listened carefully to our specific concerns and probed for other required information. The result was that he provided us an integrated package of documents that handles our needs as older parents of grown children, covering everything from healthcare Powers of Attorney to several trusts that reflect our peculiar requests and goals. What we want to compliment Mr. Setzer on is that combination of listening carefully, taking the time and effort to provide exactly what we requested, and making sure the result as a whole was complete and integrated. And, as with the first assignment, we very much appreciated the time and patience he provided to resolve our numerous questions. By comparison, we know of many people who have gone for cookie-cutter legal documents with minimal Q&A help, and that may work for some people. But in our case, we had specific concerns, fears, and goals that could not be handled with copy and paste forms. Our feeling is that if you are going to have legal documents to control your retirement, declining health, and ultimate demise, then you should have ones that do exactly what you want them to rather than a generic one-size-fits-all outcome. And that comfort-of-fit, along with flexibility and completeness, is what Mr. Setzer provided us. Having gone through this process with him, we now have a great sense of relief looking forward. The contingencies of failing mental or physical health, disability, retirement, and death are all securely addressed. Future family problems, changing tax laws, and other things that could derail an ordinary plan have been incorporated. We don't have to worry about burdening our children with decisions they may not want to deal with or may not be prepared for. We highly recommend Mr. Setzer and his office staff for the reasons above. He is our go-to attorney even though we live 40 miles away!

Virginia
September 29, 2015

My family has used Zachary Setzer's services for two different matters, Estate Planning and formation of two Trusts. With each of these Mr. Setzer was very thorough and explained anything that was confusing. He prepared Health Care Power of Attorney, Power of Attorney, Wills and Trusts for me and my husband. When the documents were ready we brought our three sons aged 19 to 24 with us for signing. As Mr. Setzer went through the documents he explained them to our sons. The boys all understand what my husband's and my end-of-life desires/choices are and they are comfortable with that knowledge.

Cynthia
November 12, 2021

The entire process was easy, convenient, and thorough. I would recommend this firm to all. Now I have all in place for hassle free for my famil.y. Many thanks!

Joan
November 10, 2021

Zach and his staff were very professional and thorough. He did a great job of explaining all the options to consider and answsering our many questions. Highly recommend him and his team for estate planning.

George
December 23, 2020

I had four legal documents prepred and updated regarding personal final circumstances. There was no pressure to end discussions regarding my personal circumstances. Sufficient time was provided in all matters. Questions were well addressed in my circumstances. If additional quesions were to arise after my final appointment, the office indicated I would just need to call to make a telephone appointment. I was satisfied with Mr. Setzer's service and I would use his services again.

anonymous
May 28, 2020

Zach was fantastic through the entire process of setting up our living trust. Very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions.

Nancy
March 25, 2020

Zach was friendly, caring, and professional. He answered all our questions and was very patient. He walked us through everything and never made us feel rushed. I’d highly recommend him.

anonymous
September 17, 2019

We used Zachary for our estate planning and he was excellent. We walked away after two visits feeling relieved that all our directives were in place. He listened and answered our questions. My husband and I highly recommend him as an attorney.

anonymous
August 15, 2019

We enlisted Mr. Setzer to develop a full legal plan for us: wills, trust, health care power of attorney, etc. We were pleased with the services we received. Mr. Setzer and his staff are very easy and pleasant to work with.

Petrina
August 12, 2019

We highly recommend Zach Setzer of Providence Wills & Trusts. He is highly intelligent and an expert in his field. He is also an absolute pleasure to work with and is a person of integrity. Zach can do simple Wills or complex Trusts. His office is in Weddington, NC.

Michael
October 1, 2015

My wife and I were initially referred to Mr. Setzer for a very specific type of trust, as he is one of the few NC experts that could handle our narrow need. We were very impressed with his knowledge in that area and were quite thankful for his patience for that arcane trust setup. So we were happy with the outcome. We are a nearing-retirement Baby-Boom couple already quite conversant in financial matters (CPA/MBA types) so we have rather high expectations for anyone who provides advice relating to money, inheritances, and taxes. We already had many of the normal legal/family/health/estate documents, but feared they were out of date or ran counter to our current wishes. Additionally, we had experienced the loss of a family member who had young children but no will and another family member who was declining from dementia. We had seen the legal and financial difficulties these situations created and were determined to avoid them. Because of that first assignment, we contacted Mr. Setzer again a month after completing that initial service. This time, we asked for his advice and recommendations for our then-current financial situation. Mr. Setzer listened carefully to our specific concerns and probed for other required information. The result was that he provided us an integrated package of documents that handles our needs as older parents of grown children, covering everything from healthcare Powers of Attorney to several trusts that reflect our peculiar requests and goals. What we want to compliment Mr. Setzer on is that combination of listening carefully, taking the time and effort to provide exactly what we requested, and making sure the result as a whole was complete and integrated. And, as with the first assignment, we very much appreciated the time and patience he provided to resolve our numerous questions. By comparison, we know of many people who have gone for cookie-cutter legal documents with minimal Q&A help, and that may work for some people. But in our case, we had specific concerns, fears, and goals that could not be handled with copy and paste forms. Our feeling is that if you are going to have legal documents to control your retirement, declining health, and ultimate demise, then you should have ones that do exactly what you want them to rather than a generic one-size-fits-all outcome. And that comfort-of-fit, along with flexibility and completeness, is what Mr. Setzer provided us. Having gone through this process with him, we now have a great sense of relief looking forward. The contingencies of failing mental or physical health, disability, retirement, and death are all securely addressed. Future family problems, changing tax laws, and other things that could derail an ordinary plan have been incorporated. We don't have to worry about burdening our children with decisions they may not want to deal with or may not be prepared for. We highly recommend Mr. Setzer and his office staff for the reasons above. He is our go-to attorney even though we live 40 miles away!

Virginia
September 29, 2015

My family has used Zachary Setzer's services for two different matters, Estate Planning and formation of two Trusts. With each of these Mr. Setzer was very thorough and explained anything that was confusing. He prepared Health Care Power of Attorney, Power of Attorney, Wills and Trusts for me and my husband. When the documents were ready we brought our three sons aged 19 to 24 with us for signing. As Mr. Setzer went through the documents he explained them to our sons. The boys all understand what my husband's and my end-of-life desires/choices are and they are comfortable with that knowledge.

Cynthia
November 12, 2021

The entire process was easy, convenient, and thorough. I would recommend this firm to all. Now I have all in place for hassle free for my famil.y. Many thanks!

Joan
November 10, 2021

Zach and his staff were very professional and thorough. He did a great job of explaining all the options to consider and answsering our many questions. Highly recommend him and his team for estate planning.

George
December 23, 2020

I had four legal documents prepred and updated regarding personal final circumstances. There was no pressure to end discussions regarding my personal circumstances. Sufficient time was provided in all matters. Questions were well addressed in my circumstances. If additional quesions were to arise after my final appointment, the office indicated I would just need to call to make a telephone appointment. I was satisfied with Mr. Setzer's service and I would use his services again.

anonymous
May 28, 2020

Zach was fantastic through the entire process of setting up our living trust. Very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions.

Nancy
March 25, 2020

Zach was friendly, caring, and professional. He answered all our questions and was very patient. He walked us through everything and never made us feel rushed. I’d highly recommend him.

anonymous
September 17, 2019

We used Zachary for our estate planning and he was excellent. We walked away after two visits feeling relieved that all our directives were in place. He listened and answered our questions. My husband and I highly recommend him as an attorney.

anonymous
August 15, 2019

We enlisted Mr. Setzer to develop a full legal plan for us: wills, trust, health care power of attorney, etc. We were pleased with the services we received. Mr. Setzer and his staff are very easy and pleasant to work with.

Petrina
August 12, 2019

We highly recommend Zach Setzer of Providence Wills & Trusts. He is highly intelligent and an expert in his field. He is also an absolute pleasure to work with and is a person of integrity. Zach can do simple Wills or complex Trusts. His office is in Weddington, NC.

Michael
October 1, 2015

My wife and I were initially referred to Mr. Setzer for a very specific type of trust, as he is one of the few NC experts that could handle our narrow need. We were very impressed with his knowledge in that area and were quite thankful for his patience for that arcane trust setup. So we were happy with the outcome. We are a nearing-retirement Baby-Boom couple already quite conversant in financial matters (CPA/MBA types) so we have rather high expectations for anyone who provides advice relating to money, inheritances, and taxes. We already had many of the normal legal/family/health/estate documents, but feared they were out of date or ran counter to our current wishes. Additionally, we had experienced the loss of a family member who had young children but no will and another family member who was declining from dementia. We had seen the legal and financial difficulties these situations created and were determined to avoid them. Because of that first assignment, we contacted Mr. Setzer again a month after completing that initial service. This time, we asked for his advice and recommendations for our then-current financial situation. Mr. Setzer listened carefully to our specific concerns and probed for other required information. The result was that he provided us an integrated package of documents that handles our needs as older parents of grown children, covering everything from healthcare Powers of Attorney to several trusts that reflect our peculiar requests and goals. What we want to compliment Mr. Setzer on is that combination of listening carefully, taking the time and effort to provide exactly what we requested, and making sure the result as a whole was complete and integrated. And, as with the first assignment, we very much appreciated the time and patience he provided to resolve our numerous questions. By comparison, we know of many people who have gone for cookie-cutter legal documents with minimal Q&A help, and that may work for some people. But in our case, we had specific concerns, fears, and goals that could not be handled with copy and paste forms. Our feeling is that if you are going to have legal documents to control your retirement, declining health, and ultimate demise, then you should have ones that do exactly what you want them to rather than a generic one-size-fits-all outcome. And that comfort-of-fit, along with flexibility and completeness, is what Mr. Setzer provided us. Having gone through this process with him, we now have a great sense of relief looking forward. The contingencies of failing mental or physical health, disability, retirement, and death are all securely addressed. Future family problems, changing tax laws, and other things that could derail an ordinary plan have been incorporated. We don't have to worry about burdening our children with decisions they may not want to deal with or may not be prepared for. We highly recommend Mr. Setzer and his office staff for the reasons above. He is our go-to attorney even though we live 40 miles away!

Virginia
September 29, 2015

My family has used Zachary Setzer's services for two different matters, Estate Planning and formation of two Trusts. With each of these Mr. Setzer was very thorough and explained anything that was confusing. He prepared Health Care Power of Attorney, Power of Attorney, Wills and Trusts for me and my husband. When the documents were ready we brought our three sons aged 19 to 24 with us for signing. As Mr. Setzer went through the documents he explained them to our sons. The boys all understand what my husband's and my end-of-life desires/choices are and they are comfortable with that knowledge.

Cynthia
November 12, 2021

The entire process was easy, convenient, and thorough. I would recommend this firm to all. Now I have all in place for hassle free for my famil.y. Many thanks!

Joan
November 10, 2021

Zach and his staff were very professional and thorough. He did a great job of explaining all the options to consider and answsering our many questions. Highly recommend him and his team for estate planning.

George
December 23, 2020

I had four legal documents prepred and updated regarding personal final circumstances. There was no pressure to end discussions regarding my personal circumstances. Sufficient time was provided in all matters. Questions were well addressed in my circumstances. If additional quesions were to arise after my final appointment, the office indicated I would just need to call to make a telephone appointment. I was satisfied with Mr. Setzer's service and I would use his services again.

anonymous
May 28, 2020

Zach was fantastic through the entire process of setting up our living trust. Very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions.

Nancy
March 25, 2020

Zach was friendly, caring, and professional. He answered all our questions and was very patient. He walked us through everything and never made us feel rushed. I’d highly recommend him.

anonymous
September 17, 2019

We used Zachary for our estate planning and he was excellent. We walked away after two visits feeling relieved that all our directives were in place. He listened and answered our questions. My husband and I highly recommend him as an attorney.

anonymous
August 15, 2019

We enlisted Mr. Setzer to develop a full legal plan for us: wills, trust, health care power of attorney, etc. We were pleased with the services we received. Mr. Setzer and his staff are very easy and pleasant to work with.

Petrina
August 12, 2019

We highly recommend Zach Setzer of Providence Wills & Trusts. He is highly intelligent and an expert in his field. He is also an absolute pleasure to work with and is a person of integrity. Zach can do simple Wills or complex Trusts. His office is in Weddington, NC.