Injury and Death
The firm has a long and successful history of handling many types of personal injury claims, including injuries resulting from motor vehicle collisions, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, dog-bite, slip and fall incidents, and other injuries resulting from negligent acts.
Wills and Trusts
The firm prepares a number of estate planning documents, including Last Will & Testaments, Wills containing Trusts, Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts, General Powers of Attorney, Medical Powers of Attorney, and Living Wills (also known as Advanced Directives.) Because we are familiar with real property law, we are able to make certain our clients trusts are “funded” by re titling real property into their trusts, which saves clients the time and money incurred when they have to go to yet another attorney to get deeds to their trusts drafted and recorded. Our Register of Wills office reports that 60% of trusts are never properly funded therefore defeating one of the primary purposes of the trusts, which is to avoid the time and expense of probate. If property is not titled into the name of a client’s trust, probate is still required upon their death. We are capable of creating unique clauses in client documents to allow clients to equalize distributions to children in the long run if they did not have the opportunity to do so during their lifetime. All you have to do is voice your concerns or facts and we will share the different possible ways to address your situation so you can make informed decisions and ensure your wishes are honored.
Estates and Probate
When someone dies, the process of taking care of the deceased person’s final debts, assets and distribution thereof is called probate or administration of the estate of a decedent. The complexity of an estate depends on the assets owned by the decedent. Our attorneys advise personal representatives and trustees on all aspects of estate and trust administration, including the court-supervised administration of a decedent's estate known as "probate."
Real Estate, Land Use and Development
We believe that the depth of knowledge and the breadth of the experience of our real estate lawyers are virtually unmatched in the area. Senior Partner James R. Clifford, Sr., has been actively involved in real estate matters for more than 40 years. Our lawyers are widely recognized for possessing an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of the entire spectrum of land use and zoning issues. We also understand the significance of property titling or preserving the integrity of a client’s estate plan. It is not uncommon for a client to refinance a property and take it out of trust then fail to put their property back into their trust following the refinance, therefore causing that real property to be subject to probate. Sometimes parents add their children to their deeds to real estate as a means of avoiding probate; but they do not recognize that they are risking gift tax implications, huge capital gains exposure and the risk of the liens of their children attaching to their property. We make an effort to consider the client’s overall goals which may encompass multiple areas of the law, and advise them so they may evaluate the implications of actions in one area of their lives over another; then help them implement their plans accordingly.
We handle residential and commercial real estate settlements and have done so for over 40 years. We have a boutique type settlement practice rather than a volume driven title company, taking the time necessary to take special care of our existing clients and peers who value our expertise. We are capable of drafting equity sharing agreements, private lender documentation, easements, sales contracts, rights of ways and covenants when needed to protect a client’s interest or guarantee access to property.
Business Law & Commercial Litigation
Our firm has represented many, many business clients in several different industries, including local banks, commercial lenders, business owners, construction companies, land developers, and property management companies. We also assist with entity formation of limited liability companies and corporations, operating agreements, succession planning and buy sell agreements for those businesses.