Aiston Law, LLC - Legal Planning for Estates + Businesses

02/19/2026

I never could have predicted that this is where I’d be at this time in my life.

From time to time, I try to revisit what I’m doing, how I got here, and why I do what I do.

If you don’t know, I’m Candice, and I'm an estate planning lawyer in Portland, Oregon. I help people who are probably anxious overthinkers stuck in research and information overload paralysis to take a pause from their busy lives and consider the end. I show them what things would look like currently, they tell me what they want things to look like, and together we create a plan that will protect this legacy they want to leave.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the one thing I would go back and change if I could. Then I wrote about how I got started doing the work I do. Today, I’m writing about what keeps me engaged in this work.

Speaking of engaged, guess who got engaged? Yes, it’s me. The day after I turned 48, my partner of three years got down on one knee in front of about 100 of our friends—Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ playing in the background—and pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him.

I never could have predicted that this is where I’d be at this time in my life. When I first did my estate planning and opened my law firm, I was 30 years old and married with two kids. It was easy at age 30 to see how drastically life can change in just a few years. I had a toddler taking up my whole world who hadn’t even existed a few years earlier. I would revisit my estate planning in three years to make sure it was still how I wanted it.

Time goes by quickly, though. You hardly have time to stop and think about what has changed in three years. Suddenly, both kids were in school, one was in high school, one had graduated, both had graduated. It’s only when you stop to look at the past few years that you really notice what a different life you have than the one you had just a few years earlier.

The changes in my life affect my estate planning. The estate plan I created at age 30 is irrelevant to my life today.

It’s these changes in life that keep me engaged with this work. I know that if it’s challenging for me to stop and notice that everything has changed, it’s even harder for my clients to do it.

A lot of people might imagine the work I do being a lot of paper pushing, but that’s probably only about 10% of the work I do (and the part I could do in my sleep). The other 90% is listening, translating, communicating, thinking, educating, learning, adapting, evolving.

In my work, I must understand my clients—not just the facts about their lives, but who they are and what they value—and ensure we protect what they value, not what I think they should value.

In my work, I also must understand a larger picture of the time in which we live. With so much information available to us now, I must speak through the information overload and the paralysis it brings. With constant advances in technology, I must do what I can to adapt and adopt technology that adds value for our clients, while managing expectations around cost and convenience for professional services.

My overall goal is transforming the way we think about estate planning. It’s not a set of documents you create once and never think about again. It’s not really about a set of documents at all.

Estate planning is about you, the people you love, the money and property you worked hard to own, and the legacy you want to leave. The legacy you want to leave might not change much over time, but you will change, your loved ones will change, and your money and property will change. Your plan has to change with those things to stay consistent with the legacy you want to leave.

Most people want to leave a simple legacy—to plan for your own care, to plan for the care of your loved ones who depend on you, to pass on assets to loved ones and charities, to be known and remembered consistently with your values. Every few years, we experience changes that may alter that legacy. We must think about estate planning as something that needs our attention when these changes take place.

Estate planning is a living, breathing, evolving thing, just like you.

Now you know how I got here and what keeps me engaged in this work. Next time, I’ll write about the shifts in perspective I’ve had that have led me to change the way I practice law.

Is your life completely different than it was three years ago? Five? Ten? What's different?

02/05/2026

Last week, I wrote a post about what I would go back and change about my life if I could, and how I actually have the chance to do this now. This week, I want to tell you about why I do the work that I do—how I got started, and why it all came together in such a serendipitous way.

If you don’t already know, I’m an estate planning lawyer in Portland, Oregon. I started my law firm in 2008, so this year, my firm is old enough to vote. Although I now have what I’d call a multigenerational practice serving clients from many different walks of life, I started out serving parents with minor children. Serving that clientele in the beginning helped me to become more aware of the emotional, mental, physical, and financial blocks everyone has about estate planning, and it helped me to develop my unique process that attends to those needs in a way that now benefits my clients from all walks of life.

The Background

I graduated from law school in 2006 and then had my youngest child a month later. My older child had been such a breeze that I thought I would graduate in May, have my baby in June, take the Bar Exam in July, and start work in September. Life did not work out that way. My pregnancy wiped me out and my baby was high needs. I needed to stay home with her for a while. We decided to move from Hawaii (where I grew up) to Oregon.

After two years as farmers at the family vineyard in Southern Oregon, we decided to settle down in Portland. I took the Oregon Bar Exam and started applying for jobs—just in time for the economy to crash due to the Great Recession. Lawyers were getting laid off by the thousands. Things were looking bleak.

Doing My Own Estate Planning

As I was trying to figure out how the heck I was going to pay these student loans, I decided to do my estate planning. At the time, I was the same age my mother had been when she died (30), and my youngest was the same age I had been at her death (2). That’s probably why estate planning was on my mind at that time. My life experience made me look at estate planning differently. Most people think of estate planning as an unpleasant task on their adulting to-do list they need to check off at some point. They may consider certain “what if” scenarios, but will reflexively push those thoughts away, because they feel horrible to think about. I, on the other hand, thought of estate planning as something I needed to do to avoid having my children live through specific scenarios that I had already lived through. I never had to push away thoughts of unpleasant “what ifs.” The “what ifs” were my memories.

I also had the lawyer skills to research everything I needed to know and interpret it all accurately. Most people are led astray when they try to research legal issues on their own. The information available is not only overwhelming, but also incorrect and/or outdated. I had the ability to differentiate between accurate and inaccurate information.

One other thing I had going for me is that, unlike most lawyers, I had the time and drive to do the research and create the plan. I always tell people that lawyers are the single worst group when it comes to estate planning. The reason is that they think estate planning is something they are equipped to handle, but it’s actually a very specialized field of law, so they get caught in a research quagmire just like non-lawyers do, and they never actually finalize their plan. Then they either die with nothing signed and in place, or they get some sort of terminal diagnosis and try to do some DIY stuff like naming beneficiaries on accounts or drafting an online Will and it gets very messy.

Anyway, with these three things going for me—unique life experience, lawyer skills, and the time and drive to complete the process—I did my estate planning. After I did my estate planning, I was proud of my accomplishment, and I told the moms in my mom group about it. I learned that no one in the group had done any estate planning yet, but everyone said it was on their mind and that it was quietly causing them anxiety. They described trying to Google what they needed to do and becoming confused and overwhelmed, or looking for lawyers and feeling unsure if those lawyers worked with people like them, since everything seemed geared toward the elderly or very wealthy. The lack of attention by estate planning lawyers to these moms’ life circumstances made them think maybe they were supposed to use the online programs, but they were confused, so they just pushed it aside.

That’s when I knew what I wanted to do.

Starting My Own Estate Planning Law Firm

I saw a gap in the market, and I decided to open an estate planning law firm that focused on younger planners—people like me who had kids to provide for and some assets to protect, who were at the beginning of their careers and had potential for growth, but weren’t necessarily wealthy.

When I told other lawyers I knew about my idea, they thought I was crazy. “Those people aren’t motivated to do their planning.” I heard this over and over again. I knew nothing about business at the time, but I had this hunch that there were a lot of people out there like me—people who moved away from where they grew up, for jobs that paid well and for a lifestyle built on values that were different from the ones they were raised with. If these people had children, they would be thinking about estate planning, because they’d want to name chosen family as guardians and they’d want to leave behind assets that were protected for their kids and used to raise them to adulthood according to their values. No one was speaking to these people. I could either join the chorus of estate planning lawyers speaking to the very wealthy or the elderly, or I could be the only one talking to parents with minor children.

I started my law firm by preparing 25 free estate plans for the moms in my mom group. I wanted to get a process going before I charged anyone any real dollars for the work.

In the first several years of practice, I held estate planning workshops for parents of minor children all over Portland. I was invited to speak to parent groups, parents at preschools, employees at workplaces who were parents, and even for the clients of a mom spa and a few children’s boutiques.

I learned a lot about my clients and clientele in those first few years. A lot of what I learned was because of the unique clientele that I served. Because of them, I had to practice law a bit differently. I had to think about what my clients were really seeking from me—not a stack of documents, but safety, security, peace of mind, alignment of values, control over their financial lives, and the assurance that their legacy would be that they thought of everything, rather than that they left a big mess.

The Serendipity of It All

I learned a lot about myself in those first few years too. I hadn’t gone to law school thinking I was going to be an estate planning lawyer. I went to law school for the same reason all women go to law school—because I was extremely assertive (read: bossy) growing up and everyone said to me constantly, “You’d make a great lawyer.” (I missed the part where they rolled their eyes after they said it.) I thought I’d be a litigator like my dad.

I ended up in estate planning by accident, and I decided to work with parents of young children because I saw a market opening. One day, I realized that I was doing work to help parents protect their kids, so their kids didn’t go through what I had gone through as a kid when my mother died. It stunned me to realize I had ended up in this very fitting place totally by accident. Was it serendipity, or was it my subconscious leading me down a very particular path? I’m not sure I’ll ever know.

So that’s a little bit about how I got here. I have a post in the works about what keeps me engaged with this work. I have some stories to share from over the years that have shifted my perspective on estate planning and the way I practice law.

As always, if you have a comment or question, please feel free to comment or DM.

01/29/2026

This past weekend, my partner and I stopped in at our favorite wine shop, The Fates Bread & Bottle Co. in Sellwood. While we enjoyed a glass of wine and fresh focaccia, we got into one of those ‘getting to know you’ card decks designed to promote deeper conversation between people.

The question: What would you go back and change about your life if you could?

We both felt there was very little we’d go back and change because we’re happy with where we ended up, and we wouldn’t want to change anything that altered that. Even horrible things we lived through led to our kids existing, our moves to the Pacific Northwest, meeting people who are important to us, and meeting each other.

One thing I’d change, though, is how I responded during times of great stress—like divorce, the death of a loved one, or a fascist takeover of the country. During these times, I became overwhelmed with anxiety, fear, and grief and lost focus on important tasks, causing my life to fall from thriving to merely surviving. When I got through it, I’d have so much work to do to rebuild. I’d want to change that and channel my anxiety, fear, and grief into action that puts me in the best place possible when I’m more or less through the situation. It’s not about being hard on myself. It’s about learning better ways to cope with stress and care for myself more intentionally.

I’ve realized that I have that chance now.

I’m finding it exhaustingly difficult to carry on with business-as-usual when every day is a fresh hell of news about the violence and inhumanity the current president (I can’t bring myself to type out his name), his administration, and his enablers are inflicting on us. I start to prepare emails or social media posts to promote my work, and I end up scrapping it all because I can’t get it right. Promoting my work without mentioning the horror show around us feels inauthentic; I also don’t want to come across as grifting off tragedy. Home projects are nonexistent right now. Financial wellness is dicey. Health and exercise are spotty at best. I’m finishing urgent work needed to survive but struggling to do the things that keep me thriving. It’s way too easy to fall into a doomscrolling trance or just check out by binge-watching a show until bedtime.

I’ve been feeling paralyzed.

So here I am, in a place where I have my wish and I can do things differently. This is my chance to live through this time with intention. Doomscrolling is not going to help stop the next Renee Good or Alex Pretti from being killed. Reaching for distractions is not going to stop the next Liam Conejo Ramos from being used as a lure to capture his parents.

What I’ve determined I need is: 1) productive action; 2) productive distraction; and 3) productive connection.

Productive action: This is not about throwing my hands up into the air and declaring that there’s nothing I can do, so I might as well just ignore everything that’s going on right now. I need to find things I can do that will actually help, whether that’s donating money, volunteering my time, or some combination of things that will make a difference, even if it’s a small one. (If you have ideas, please let me know.)

Productive distraction: Sometimes we do need a distraction from the horror. Sometimes distraction is self-care. I need to find a way to limit my time spent doomscrolling while still being connected to current events. And if I feel the need for a distraction, I need to sometimes make it a productive distraction that will put me in a better position once we’re through this dark time. I need to create a list of things I can do to distract myself that will improve my life—home projects, financial tasks, updating my estate plan. (‘The cobbler’s kid has no shoes’ applies to lawyers too.) I’m not going for 100% productivity. I’m just going for more than the current level.

Productive connection: I need to connect with my people. Social media can give us an illusion of connection that doesn’t really exist. Our busy lives can make us want to stay in bed all weekend and feel like we don’t have time for in-person connection. But the truth is that we need in-person connection now more than ever. We need to deepen our relationships and strengthen our connections with our communities. I’ve been hosting a Sunday dinner every week for my family and close friends, and it has not only helped us all to feel more connected, but it’s also helped to ensure I clean up my house every weekend.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I’m sharing it in case it helps even one person reading it to know that you’re not alone if you’re feeling this way too.

Diagnosing the problem and identifying solutions is half the battle. Implementing the solutions is the next half. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

And of course, if you’d like to make Estate Planning your responsible distraction from the horrors that persist, you know where to find me. (Reply or DM.)

01/01/2026

As we say goodbye to 2025, I just want to say thank you.

To our clients who invited us into their families’ stories…
To our colleagues who continue to collaborate and refer with such generosity…
And to every friend of the firm who supports our mission—your belief in what we do means everything.

Here’s to a bright and grounded 2026. ✨ Happy New Year! 🥂

12/31/2025

Spending an inheritance can feel like betraying the person who left it, even when it's a smart financial move. This is why estate planning conversations should include not just what you're leaving, but why, and how you hope your heirs will benefit from it without guilt

I'm paralyzed by indecision and grief.

12/30/2025

Turning 18 changes everything for families with disabled children. Suddenly your child is a legal adult, which means you lose automatic authority to make medical, financial, and educational decisions. Guardianship, conservatorship, special needs trusts, and ABLE accounts create the legal framework to continue supporting your child into adulthood without disrupting their benefits.

If you have a loved one who is incapacitated and needs a legal guardian or conservator to make decisions for them, we can help.

12/30/2025

When a minor or person with disabilities receives a lawsuit settlement, direct payment can disqualify them from SSI, Medicaid, and other essential programs.

However, special needs trusts and structured settlements protect both the recovery and benefit eligibility. Let's ensure your settlement helps rather than harms.

📞 (503) 235-5150
🌐 www.aistonlaw.com

12/28/2025

Partnership disputes, sudden death, disability, divorce, or retirement can destroy a business if there's no plan in place. Operating agreements, buy-sell provisions, and succession frameworks prevent chaos during transitions and protect both the business entity and the families who depend on it for income.

  Business Planning ServicesCandice’s Business Planning practice springs from that irrepressible mix of hope, optimism, and daring that defines every entrepreneur. When she launched her own business, she fell head over heels for it. Entrepreneurship isn’t just a job for her—it’s a calling. ...

12/28/2025

Medicaid planning isn't about hiding assets; it's about following complex rules to preserve critical savings while ensuring care.

Strategic planning implemented years in advance uses legal tools like trusts, asset transfers, and spend-down strategies to protect a lifetime of savings from nursing home costs while maintaining Medicaid eligibility.

Proper planning is legal, ethical, and essential for families facing long-term care needs.

📞 (503) 235-5150
🌐 www.aistonlaw.com

12/26/2025

"I'm too young to need estate planning" is one of the most common (and most dangerous) assumptions people make. If you have minor children, own property, have retirement accounts, or care about who makes medical decisions if you're incapacitated, you need a plan.

Estate Planning Services in Portland Oregon, wills, trusts, naming guardians, powers of attorney, advance directives, revocable living trusts

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas! May your home be filled with joy, your heart with peace, and your day with love.

From all of us at the firm, we wish you a beautiful holiday season surrounded by the people who matter most.

📞 (503) 235-5150
🌐 www.aistonlaw.com

12/24/2025

Probate isn't always avoidable, and that's okay. When a loved one dies with assets in their name alone, someone needs legal authority to pay bills, access accounts, and transfer property. We guide families through probate proceedings with clarity and compassion, handling the court filings and legal requirements so you can focus on grieving and healing.

Estate Administration: Death, Probate, Trust Administration, Simple Estate Affidavits, Personal Representative services