Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning 

We engage clients in a collaborative process that identifies the client’s needs and personal values that will be transmitted through gifts and bequests. Wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, charitable giving, tax planning, and succession planning for business interests are some of the most common areas addressed by this area of our practice.

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Elder Law

We assist clients with Article 81 guardianship proceedings; Supplemental Needs Trusts; long-term care issues; Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts; and advance healthcare directives.

 

Real Estate Contracts and Closings

We represent both buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. For sellers, we will represent you through contract negotiations, draft the contract, interact with the buyer’s attorney, prepare the documents required for the closing, and represent you at the closing. For buyers, we will represent you through the contract negotiations, negotiate contract terms so that they are favorable to you, review all closing documents, and represent you at the closing. 

 

Co-op Board Counsel

We will assist you in updating co-op by-laws and proprietary leases as well as eviction proceedings of non-paying tenants. Additionally, we have experience in guardianship proceedings for mentally incompetent tenants. Our practice also offers guidance with transfers into trusts of shares and probate and public administration proceedings. 

 

Establishing Tax-Exempt Nonprofit Organizations

We will explain the process for forming a nonprofit that is exempt from federal and state taxes.  We will prepare the articles of incorporation, the corporate by-laws, the governance documents, the IRS Form 1023, and the state exemption forms. We will also be present at your first board meeting to answer questions about the formation process.

 

Prenuptual & Domestic Partnership Agreements

If you and your intended spouse want to minimize the damage from a possible divorce, you may be ready to enter into a prenuptial agreement. We will draft the prenuptial agreement, a contract, to  cover areas such as how finances will be managed, how you will own and pay for joint property, how you will parent children, and the issues related to spousal support in the event of dissolution. 

 

Our office will assist a party wishing to enter into a domestic partnership by first registering the domestic partnership with the county clerk. We will then make sure that partners have coverage on any family health insurance policies; work with employers with respect to family leave for a sick partner, and for bereavement leave; and we will work with hospitals, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes for visitation rights.

 

Civil Litigation

Our firm will represent you at trials, hearings, conferences, arbitrations, and mediations. Our civil litigation clients include co-op boards, tenants in co-ops and condos; parties with insurance claims; closely held corporations; family-owned businesses; and nonprofit organizations.

 

Maritime Law Counsel for Recreational Boat Owners

The law firm represents recreational boat owners in the areas of LLC formation; liability insurance coverage; and contracts for sale and/or purchase of recreational boats. 

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