Use these links to learn a little more about our practice areas, or contact us to find out more.
Elder Law – Elder law encompasses many areas of the law and issues that concern older individuals and their families. The practice of Elder Law is the practice of law that specializes in these areas.
Estate and Healthcare Planning – Estate Planning is the process of analyzing what may happen to all of your things when you die and planning and putting documents in place for making sure it happens as you wish. It may include planning to avoid probate proceedings, to minimize estate taxes, and to protect disabled persons whom you may wish to have benefit from your estate. Healthcare Planning is the process of planning and putting documents in place for making sure that your affairs, medical and financial, can be handled if you were unable to handle them for yourself.
Guardianships and Conservatorships – Guardianships and Conservatorships are court proceedings that involve someone seeking to take legal responsibility for the care of an incapacitated/disabled or minor (under 18) loved one.
Long-Term Care Planning – Involves consideration of the sources of payment for potential long-term care needs. This includes planning for potential public benefits programs like Medicaid (called MassHealth in Massachusetts) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). It also includes considering or assisting in obtaining a home equity or reverse mortgage on a home, as well as issues involving contractual or other relationships with long-term care providers like home care providers, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes.
Medicaid Applications and Appeals – Medicaid (called MassHealth in Massachusetts) is the primary source of funding for long-term care in Massachusetts. Applying for MassHealth can be a lengthy and complicated process, but we work with our clients to simplify that process. We also help people that have been denied benefits at one level of decisions with the appeals process to seek to have the denial overturned.
Probating an Estate – Probate is the legal process required to allow someone to be appointed by a Court to administer the estate of someone who has died with assets in their own name. This may also involve proving a Will or determining legal heirs if there was no Will. There are several options to consider when facing the need to probate an estate depending on the size of the estate, the assets in the estate, whether there is a Will or not, and whether family or heir problems exist. There are more decisions to be made when closing an estate or facing a creditor’s claim. We represent persons named to act in a Will, family members or friends seeking to probate an estate, and beneficiaries or persons who may have questions on how an estate was administered or whether they may be entitled to money from an estate.
Real Estate – We can assist in many aspects of dealing with real estate. Whether it be sales or purchases, leasing or renting, putting real estate into a trust or taking it out, releasing liens from estate taxes or Medicaid, protecting a home or income producing property from potential long-term care expenses, obtaining, releasing or advice about mortgages and reverse mortgages, land disputes, landlord-tenant disputes, probate issues involving real estate, or the many other issues that arise with real estate matters, we can help.
Trust Administration – Trusts are often created for many reasons, and there are many types of trusts. Trusts can be used as Asset Protection for long term care, to minimize taxes, to protect disabled persons, to avoid probate here or in another state, and for asset management. We help our clients decide if a trust is something they should put into place, assist in making changes to trusts as circumstances change, and represent both trustees of trusts in advising them on how to properly perform their duties, and beneficiaries of trusts who may have questions or issues regarding how they are being treated under a trust.