Claire Whitfield
Founder & Managing Attorney
Divorce & separation · Mediation · Parenting plans
Family law & estate planning · Fort Collins
Steady hands for the turning points of family life
Divorce handled gently. Estates planned in plain English. Guardianships made humane. Since 2012, we've helped northern Colorado families through their hardest seasons and their most hopeful ones — with honest fees published right on this site.
- Free 30-minute first consultation
- Flat fees, published in full
- Evening & video appointments
“They never once made it scarier than it had to be.”
How we help
Four kinds of help, one steady approach
Divorce & Custody
Steady guidance through the hardest season
Whether your separation is amicable or complicated, we help you untangle a shared life with as little damage as possible — to your finances, your future, and above all your children.
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Mediation
One table, two futures, no courtroom
A trained neutral helps the two of you design your own agreement — parenting, property, support — at a fraction of the cost and conflict of litigation.
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Wills & Estates
A gift of clarity for the people you love
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and probate guidance — flat-fee packages that turn a task you've been dreading into an afternoon you'll be glad you spent.
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Guardianship
Standing up for the people who need a steady hand
When a child needs a stable home or an aging parent can no longer manage alone, guardianship gives a trusted adult legal authority to help — and we make the court process humane.
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The Aspen way
The opposite of what people expect from a law firm
People walk in braced for marble, jargon, and a clock running in dollars. They find a small team, plain words, and fees they'd already read at home. That's the whole idea.
See what working together looks like →Plain words first
You'll never leave a meeting wondering what we said. We translate every filing, form, and option into ordinary language before you're asked to decide anything.
Calm is a strategy
In family matters, the least inflamed path is usually the strongest one. We de-escalate where we can and hold the line firmly — without theatrics — where we must.
Honest fees, in writing
Flat fees wherever the work is predictable, published on this site. Where only hourly is honest, we say so, estimate in writing, and tell you when a fight isn't worth its fee.
Your pace, not ours
Grief and separation don't run on court calendars. We build timelines around what you can carry this month, and we never manufacture urgency to move you along.
Not sure where to start?
Three minutes, three questions, one honest answer
Our estate-planning quiz walks the same questions Daniel asks in a first meeting — your stage of life, your family's shape, and what you own — and recommends the planning package that actually fits, with its full flat fee and everything included. No email required, no one calls you afterward.
Find your planning packageThe people
Four attorneys you'll actually get to know
Daniel Osei
Partner — Estate Planning & Probate
Wills & trusts · Probate administration · Blended-family planning
Maya Reyes-Chen
Senior Associate — Custody & Guardianship
Parenting plans · Guardianship · Kinship care
Tom Lindqvist
Associate — Wills & Elder Law
Wills & powers of attorney · Elder planning · Probate support
Working together
From first call to clear ending, here's the shape of it
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Reach out — however feels manageable
Call, email, or use the consultation form. Tell us as little or as much as you like; a sentence is enough to start. We respond within one business day, and everything you share is confidential from the first word.
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A free first conversation
Thirty minutes with the attorney who'd actually handle your matter — not an intake screener. You talk, we listen, and we tell you honestly what the road ahead looks like, including when the answer is 'you may not need a lawyer for this.'
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A plan and a price, in writing
If we work together, you'll receive an engagement letter that reads like it was written for a human: what we'll do, what it costs — flat fee or written estimate — what we need from you, and how quickly we return calls (one business day, always).
Kind words
What clients say when it's over
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“I called on the worst day of my life and someone kind answered the phone. Eight months later I have a parenting plan that works and, honestly, a life I recognize again. They never once made it scarier than it had to be.”
Rachel T. · Divorce & parenting plan
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“Daniel explained our trust so clearly that my husband and I explained it to our kids at dinner the same night. Ten years of 'we should really do this' handled in five weeks, for exactly the price on the website.”
Priya & Mark S. · Family Trust Plan
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“We were terrified of taking my mother to court to keep her safe. Maya made a guardianship feel like what it actually was — the whole family standing on the same side. My mother thanked us afterward.”
Denise W. · Adult guardianship
Before you call
Three things people always ask
Is the first consultation really free?
Yes — thirty minutes with the attorney who would actually handle your matter, by phone, video, or in person. No obligation follows, and we'll never chase you afterward with calls. Some people use the consultation to learn they don't need a lawyer yet, and we consider that a good outcome.
Do you offer evening or virtual appointments?
Both. Working parents and caregivers can rarely disappear at 2 pm on a Tuesday, so we hold evening slots each week and handle any meeting by video on request.
How quickly will someone respond if I reach out?
Within one business day, always — usually sooner. If your situation involves immediate safety concerns, please contact 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 first; no website form should ever be anyone's emergency plan.
More questions live on our fees page and in our plain-language guides.