Tressler & Associates, PLLC today announced the launch of a new range of bundled legal services available to clients in Tennessee. The new line of legal services consists of five affordable bundles, including new business set up for rising entrepreneurs, contract review, estate planning, legal advice, as well as a real estate bundle for property owners who choose to sell without broker representation.
The legal bundles are the first product launch since the company began in November 2009.
“I am so pleased our firm is able to offer a new legal experience to our community,” said Todd Tressler, Founder and CEO of Tressler & Associates, PLLC. “I founded Tressler & Associates to help bring compassion, service and honor back to the profession I love. Our flat fees and bundles offer our community legal solutions that are both approachable and accessible. Our new approach breaks down industry barriers and provides an opportunity to rebuild trust in the legal profession and meet a need, ” he added.
Since its inception, Tressler & Associates has maintained its commitment to be different from traditional law firms.
“Too often people are afraid to contact a law firm because they assume the costs are too high, the services are too hard to understand, and the attorneys are too out of touch, ” said Megan Climer, Chief Marketing Officer of Tressler and Associates, PLLC. “We believe our clients deserve access to legal solutions with the highest standard of legal expertise without the fear of unknown financial commitments. By reviewing our most requested services, we have been able to create focused service bundles that include all the legal documentation, experienced counsel and support our clients need to resolve their matters without the worry of costly hourly fees.”
“It’s not often you find prices listed on a law firm’s website, ” said Tressler, “but we’re not like most law firms. We understand people make better decisions when they are fully informed, which is why we openly share our pricing and fees. We want people to feel confident before making a decision. We never want the fear of costs to prevent our team from helping others.”
In the coming weeks, Tressler plans to release a series of free digital resources to offer more education around their bundles and practice areas. Digital downloads, blogs, webinars and a new podcast will be available on their new website which launched in March 2023.
For more information about Tressler & Associates, PLLC legal services and bundles visit www.tresslerassociates.com.
An Interview with CMO Megan Climer
Learn how Chief Marketing Officer Megan Climer transformed the Tressler brand and her advice to business owners considering a brand refresh.
A new role brings new opportunities
When Megan Climer joined Tressler & Associates in August 2022, she was eager to dive into brand development. Just a couple of weeks into her new role, she began to see opportunities for Tressler to differentiate itself from other law firms in the market. In this interview, she explains what makes a brand and shares how she developed their new visual identity.
Most people think a brand is a name and logo. How do you define a brand?
Their definition isn’t wrong, just incomplete. I have spent the majority of my professional career learning what makes a great brand. A brand is a name and a logo, but I believe it offers so much more. Your brand is your unique identity. And like a person, it has exterior and interior attributes and characteristics that make it identifiable to the world. Like a person, a brand has dreams and a purpose (a vision and a mission), values, a personality, a voice, a story, and an overall essence or feeling. Really, a brand is powerful. It is the foundation that informs and supports your overall business strategy. And it can be your most valuable asset for managing growth.
What did you do first to start developing the new brand?
The first thing I did was take a detailed look at our competition and the overall market. It sounds counterintuitive to spend your time analyzing everyone else, but a competitive analysis is critical to building a brand. By evaluating our competitors, I learned where we fit into the market and the unique opportunities we had to stand out.
What did you do after you finished the competitor analysis?
The next thing I did was complete an audit of our brand. I reviewed the competitor data to see how we measured up, which is always an eye opening experience. It allowed me to see where our brand was falling short and where we had opportunities to shine.
Like many service industries, the legal industry lacks uniqueness. The brand landscape looks very similar in both styling and messaging. I have always said that if everyone else is saying it, it probably isn’t worth saying. Industry platitudes and buzz words become expectations, not differentiators. I knew if we were committed to being different from traditional law firms, our brand had to look and feel different from a traditional law firm. It was our time to break away from the industry brand “standards” and offer a new brand experience.
What inspired the new logo?
After comparing and analyzing for several weeks, I began to brainstorm ideas for how our brand style could be unique. I knew right away what visual elements did not fit our brand personality and what opportunities were available to stand out among our competitors.
I also spoke with Todd and Lisa about our culture and brand personality to get a sense of who we are and what a Tressler brand experience feels like. Todd shared some of his grandfather’s old business papers with an added sticky note that said “brand inspo.” From all of this I began to visualize what our brand style could be. Using combinations of color, texture, pattern, typography, photography, videography, illustration and tone, you can build a complete brand identity that is unique and powerful. I pulled inspo from lots of visuals and created a mood board that kick-started my design.
What did you design first?
I started with our typography. Almost all of our competitors use typography that is traditional and serious in tone. It just made sense to try to design our logo icon using lower case letters. By making the “ta” lowercase, it now feels more approachable, accessible and warm, all things we believe make up the Tressler experience. The lowercase nods to the era of typewriters (inspo from the old papers) and adds a vintage flair to the brand. I used a sans type as our accent font instead of a traditional all caps serif for our business name. Our brand now feels modernized and more relevant to today’s consumer.
It’s great to learn the logic behind the letters. What led you to choose orange as your new brand color?
This part was fun. Color psychology is actually a thing, and it is fascinating! Did you know color works at a subconscious level faster than words or images and creates a gut response? So color choices matter. For us, our previous brand colors were black, red and gray. This overall palette communicated a more bold, corporate, serious and traditional feel all things we believe do not represent who we are. It was also a common color palette used by others in our industry. By changing our colors, we could instantly add visual uniqueness and more accurately communicate our brand personality and essence to our target audience.
Here are some of the insights that influenced this decision. Orange is known as a creative, abundant, positive, passionate, secure and comforting color. The redder tones of orange can communicate strength, stamina and determination, and brown is a color that is viewed as grounding, reliable, balanced, honest, sincere and warm. From all of these attributes, we developed the Tressler orange.
What can we expect next from the Tressler brand?
We are so excited for what is to come! We just launched our new website this month. Our website partner FortyAU, helped me bring our new brand experience to life. Our website showcases our new look, but more importantly, offers a user experience unlike anyone else in our market.
Our social media will also see a refresh. These platforms will continue to be a place we tell our story and engage in meaningful ways with our audiences. Our team also plans to release a series of free digital resources to offer more education around our practice areas to include; digital downloads, blogs, webinars and a new podcast. These extra resources will all be available on our website. As a marketer, I live in creative mode. A new brand offers so many opportunities to educate, entertain and add value to our audience.
What advice do you have for business owners considering a brand refresh?
Wow, that could be a whole other interview! But I’ll do my best to keep this short. Maybe we’ll answer in more detail on a future podcast. (smiles and winks)
1. Define your goals.
When starting any new project having a goal in mind is always a great first step. Why are you choosing to work on your brand? Defining what you want your brand to do for your business will help you create a brand identity that delivers results. Are you a start-up preparing to launch, or are you a small business getting ready to roll out a new product or service? Are you trying to stay competitive and looking for ways to gain more market share, or do you already have a brand but feel it’s time for a makeover? No matter what your reasons are, declaring your motives will enable you to set goals and stay focused as you work through the process.
2. Do the research.
Get to know your target customer and analyze your competition. I didn’t mention customer analysis earlier, but they also influence and impact your identity. Because the truth is, without our customers, we have no business. A deep dive into their personality and habits can help you learn what will resonate most with them. Knowing your competition is powerful. An analysis will take some time to complete, but it is insight you can use to position your brand for lasting success in your market.
3. Be true to who you are.
Know who you are and who you want to be. Your brand is more than a hip logo or slackline. Your brand is your story, your personality, your values, your mission and much more! It is an experience, and one that should be all your own. Your brand can do so many things for your business. It should set you apart, communicate a clear message, tell a story, build credibility, connect with your audience, motivate action, create memorable experiences and loyal fans. You can start your brand refresh today by doing a simple brand audit. Ask yourself how your brand is doing? How well does it do all the things listed above? Where are there opportunities to improve, and where can YOU shine?
About Megan
As Chief Marketing Officer of Tresler & Associates, Megan leads the marketing, communication and development initiatives for the Tressler brands. She works to strengthen the company’s position as a trusted leader in the legal and real estate industries.
Megan is an award winning web and graphic designer and writer with nearly two decades of business to consumer experience with large and small organizations in marketing, communications, business development, public relations, advertising and brand innovation. She’s an experienced consultant, working with large and small businesses in brand development and marketing strategy and leads brand development workshops for rising and seasoned entrepreneurs. Megan is currently working to complete her first book on brand development estimated for release in late 2023.
Megan is always happy to talk shop about branding. You can follow her on Instagram @mlclimer, connect with her on LinkedIn, or reach out to her directly at [email protected].
We believe teamwork does in fact make the dream work! We have to say, we love our team and the work we do everyday. Keep reading to meet the Tressler team.
Todd A. Tressler, II – Founder, CEO & Attorney
Todd founded Tressler & Associates in 2009 and Tressler Title in 2016. As CEO, he leads the vision and strategic direction of both companies. He is a skilled attorney with an extensive background in real estate law, business law and estate planning. Todd loves to travel and see the world with his fiance’ and is a passionate Tennessee Vols football fan. His latest trip was to Antarctica, Buuurrrrrr! You can learn more about our founder here.
Lisa Peterson Chaney – Chief Operations Officer
Lisa leads the business operations of the law firm and title company. She has owned and led many businesses, ranging from retail clothing to geothermal technology. Lisa brings balance and clarity to every situation – one of the many reasons the team calls her “Queen Mother”. She loves to read with her standard poodle, August, snuggled up next to her, and spend time with her five grandchildren.
Megan Climer – Chief Marketing Officer
Megan is a talented brand and marketing expert who brings nearly two decades of experience in marketing, communications, business development, public relations, advertising and brand innovation. She builds strategies to effectively lead the marketing and communication initiatives for both companies. Megan loves to be creative and enjoys writing, painting, reading and gardening. She’s also a yogi who loves any day at the lake with her husband and two boys.
Turner Smith Evans – Attorney, Estate Planning
Turner joined the team as a full-time legal assistant in 2019. While working full-time, he attended the Nashville School of Law and graduated summa cum laude with a JD degree in 2022. Turner’s law practice is focused in the firm’s estate planning and probate services. Turner enjoys watching movies, going to the gym and playing fetch with his bulldog Bully.
Christen Tressler Rabe – Processor
Christen has an extensive background in the real estate industry. She was not only raised by two successful realtors, but she began her professional career helping others purchase and sell real estate as a mortgage loan officer. As lead processor for Tressler Title, Christen applies her knowledge to our client experience to ensure every step of the closing process runs smoothly. Christen is a busy wife and mother of two. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling and cheering on her Tennessee Vols.
Christy Malone Smith – Post Closing Coordinator
Christy joined the Tressler team not once, but twice. After a successful career as a loan docs specialist 3 at Wells Fargo, Christy joined Tressler Title as a processor to help clients navigate the closing process. After three years, she left to help her mother in her business before rejoining the team in 2021. Christy lives on her family farm with her husband and beloved yorkie, Bently. She loves music, attending concerts and Tennessee Vols football.
Sherri McDonald- Paralegal
Sherri earned her paralegal certificate from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and has been an integral part of the Tressler team since 2015. She keeps our team on task and organized and she brings a level of excellence to all our processes. Sherri loves spending time with her husband and children, and enjoys attending all their school activities.
Mykela Lesso – Legal Assistant
Mykela (Myk) joined the Tressler team in 2022. She is an entrepreneur at heart and prides herself on her great communication skills and work ethic. She supports the team in a variety of ways and identifies new opportunities to help everyone succeed. Myk is in her final year of law school at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Once she is a licensed attorney, she plans to focus her practice in real estate law with the firm. Myk is a free spirit who loves to learn new things. She enjoys attending music festivals, playing her ukulele and writing music.
Josh Harris – Legal Assistant
Josh Harris joined the Tressler team in 2022. He served six years in the United States Air Force and is now finishing his last semester of law school at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He brings his attention to detail and sharp problem-solving skills to everything he does. He works to offer ongoing support to the team and strives to always bring solutions to the table. Once Josh is a licensed attorney, he plans to focus his practice in business law with the firm. Josh loves spending time with his wife and two pups, Mia and Trigger. He is a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu and in his spare time enjoys training and competing at local competitions.
August Franklin Chaney – Puplick Relations Officer
August was born in Albany, Kentucky in March 2018 and adopted by his mom Lisa Chaney when he was only eight weeks old. August has been a beloved team member for three years. He loves humans and takes his job as puplick relations officer very seriously. He starts every morning greeting each team member with a motivational pup talk, followed by an invitation to scratch him behind the ears. August lifts everyone’s spirits, including any visitors we have to the office that day. August loves his mom Lisa, scratches behind the ears, chasing off birds and squirrels and anything you’re eating.
We all share a passion for helping our clients achieve their goals, even August. Now that you have met our team, we can’t wait to meet you in person and get to know you more. Our vision and values unite us in our work everyday. To contact our team email [email protected].
Everyone needs to have their estate plans in order, regardless of their age and health. Many people delay planning their estate because they’re not sure where to begin or are afraid of unknown costs. At Tressler & Associates, we take the time to understand your needs and unique situation before taking any transactional steps.
Planning your estate may feel overwhelming, but we’ve created an estate planning bundle to help getting started easier. Our team guides you through the process so you understand all your options and make the best decisions for the future.
Estate Planning Bundle
The estate planning bundle includes a will, a durable power of attorney, a health power of attorney, and a living will. These necessary legal documents allow you to record all your wishes and ensure your assets are distributed the way you want.
Before you start estate planning it helps to know what these important documents can do for you and your family.
Last Will and Testament
A will states your intentions for your assets after you pass away. In this document you will detail how you would like your assets distributed. Families with minor children can also state who will be their guardian. There are several types of wills in Tennessee, and which one is right for you will vary depending on your needs and plans for the future. No need to worry, our team can help you determine which type of will best fits your families needs, so you can keep moving forward.
Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA)
A durable power of attorney (DPOA) is a type of power of attorney that allows you to appoint someone you trust to make important decisions for you should you ever be unable to do so yourself. You can choose whoever you believe is most fit for this role, such as a spouse, a family member, a friend or even your attorney. By establishing a DPOA you can determine what aspects they can control. You can divide DPOA responsibilities. You could choose one person to manage your medical care and someone else to manage your finances, or they can be the same person. Regardless of who you choose as your DPOA, you will have a voice should illness or an accident prevent you from making decisions.
Health Power of Attorney or Medical Power of Attorney
A health power of attorney or medical power of attorney is the person who will determine your medical care and treatment when you require it but are unable to communicate your wishes yourself. A DPOA for healthcare can go into effect even when you’re expected to recover from your incapacitated state. You can state what type of treatment and care you are for or against, and your DPOA for healthcare is required to follow these wishes when making your medical decisions. The document allows you to designate who can have access to your medical documents if you are hospitalized and who can provide consent for needed treatment. The treatment you want to receive may be difficult for some loved ones to accept, so you need to ensure the person you choose will respect them, even if they are difficult to make.
Living Will
A living will is used to ensure you receive the end-of-life care you want when you are incapacitated. This document ensures your final wishes are protected and your family is informed when making difficult end-of-life decisions.
Your peace of mind starts here
Thinking about life after you’re gone can be hard. You’re not alone. Most find it challenging to work through all the “what if” conversations. While it can be a challenge, the time you take to make a plan ensures wishes will be respected and your loved ones are able to have the guidance and protection they need to make decisions to move forward. Our estate planning bundle offers you an easy and affordable way to start planning your future today. You will never regret having peace of mind.
