William D Sommerness

I am a solo practitioner by choice, which allows each and every client to have their counseling, design, and plan implementation done by a caring and proven lawyer with many years experience in all areas of the law, and with the last fifteen years focused exclusively on estate planning. As a former department head in what was then the biggest law firm in Duluth, much of my day was spent mentoring younger lawyers in my area of practice; while that was rewarding in its own way, I am much happier now being able to focus all my attention on my clients needs!

As a former member of The National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys, I am delighted to have "moved up" to be a Member of WealthCounsel, sharing in the knowledge, wisdom, and collegiality of its  1,600members nation-wide. We now have almost 30 qualified members in Minnesota.

Regionally, I am a founder/member of the Southern Minnesota Estate Planning Council, LLC, an organization of WealthCounsel members in five law firms that meets monthly for purposes of education and assisting each other in "problem cases" and estate planning issues unique to practitioners in Minnesota. These  members of the Southern Minnesota Estate Planning Council ("SMEC") are my "backup" team, as I am to them! We all practice within a radius of 50 miles of Hutchinson.

I graduated from Hutchinson High School, and came back here a few years ago to be closer to family: my sister and brother still live here, as does my mother; my children and twelve grandchildren all live within 50 miles of Hutchinson, so this is a perfect location for my wife and I to live and practice my professional passion, estate planning.

I have years of experience and awards; from my law clerk days with the Chief Judge of Hennepin County who went on to become the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, I have always been fortunate to be "with the best of the best! " It is rewarding that most of my new clients come as a result of good things said to them about me and my counseling approach by former clients. The best advertising is, indeed, "word of mouth" and in that regard, I am most fortunate.

My fees are handled in this way: there is no fee for our "getting to know each other." Sometimes that takes only a few minutes, sometimes it takes two or three hours. When we both feel like our "chemistry" is right and we would like to work together, I then will make a formal fee proposal for your consideration. Almost always, I do not present a fee based on hourly charges, but chose to give you an all-encompassing "flat fee" to do the job. My clients appreciate not getting a bill for a seven minute phone call, or for being "nickel and dimed" for photocopies, faxes, or other add-on charges; they like the certainty of knowing that no matter how many meetings we have, or how many questions they ask me on the phone, there is one fee for the completion of their planning.

I take great pride in providing my clients with planning that brings them and their loved ones great "peace of mind" in the knowledge that they have a plan that will work the way they want it to work when it is needed!

In almost forty years of practice I have "seen it all"; but, I have learned that no two families or situations are exactly the same: there is something unique about you and your family that requires your being provided with a plan that fits your family's specific needs, desires, and wishes. We will do that.  We do not do "cookie-cutter" plans where we try to put all people in the same form!

Your family deserves the best, so come see us and lets work together to give them the best!