Our firm specializes in the following areas. Please get in touch so that we can discuss your needs and goals. We would be happy to explain our clear, step-by-step process to help you reach your planning goals. If your needs are outside our areas of expertise, we will do our best to refer you to another qualified attorney.
ESTATE PLANNING
Estate planning is for everyone – not just the wealthy or the aging. It is simply a fact that anyone can become disabled or pass away at any time. One of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones is to establish a thoughtful and carefully crafted estate plan. A well-designed estate plan can provide for loved ones, including minor children or aging parents, provide for incapacity, avoid probate at death, reduce or avoid estate taxes, create gifts to specific charitable organizations, and, for certain clients, preserve agricultural and open space land for generations to come.
Our team meets with individuals and families to review their personal and financial situation, including their needs, concerns, hopes and goals. We explain the options available to them based on their situation. Options may include wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance medical directives, or a combination of these, depending on client needs and goals. Once their estate plan is in place, our clients enjoy peace of mind knowing they have provided for themselves and their loved ones when the unexpected occurs.
ESTATE ADMINISTRATION
Administering the estate of a family member can be time-consuming and emotionally draining. Handling the details of an estate can be particularly hard if you are grieving the loss of a loved one or if there is disagreement within the family. We regularly represent clients who serve in a fiduciary capacity to administer the estate of a loved one.
CONSERVATION LAW
We assist private landowners and nonprofit entities who desire to preserve agricultural land, open space, and natural resources through conservation easements.
Conservation easements enable landowners to preserve open space through private agreements. These agreements can provide tax benefits as well as long-term preservation of land and natural resources. While conservation easements may certainly be drawn up apart from an estate plan, they have become an effective tool to implement a thoughtful and cost-effective estate plan while creating an open space or agricultural legacy for future generations.
BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENT AND ADVISING
Starting a business, buying or selling a business, reorganizing the tax or liability structure of a business, and preserving a family business for the next generation are common goals with many hidden complexities. These and other business planning strategies require careful navigation through various systems of law at the federal, state and local levels. We work with business owners to help them successfully identify and accomplish their objectives. We frequently assist business owners in developing organizational documents and policies to clarify management issues, to minimize conflict among business owners and to coordinate business ownership with the client’s estate planning.
