Top best Estate Planning Lawyers Near me in ZIP 01103

Susan A. McCoy, partner with Cooley Shrair, manages our Estate Planning department. An Agawam native, Susan brings a diverse background of legal experience assisting clients with their personal and business planning.. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (B.A., English) and the Western New England College School of Law (JD, 1996, cum laude). Susan received the American Jurisprudence Award in Torts in 1994, and was a member of the Law Review from 1994-1995.. Susan is a member of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Hampden County Bar Association, Western Mass Eldercare Professionals Association and the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County. Susan was a 2010 recipient of BusinessWest’s “40 Under Forty” award and was recognized in 2012 as one of the top twenty-five “Women To Watch” by Western Massachusetts Woman’s Magazine.. Susan provides a broad spectrum of estate and trust planning services for our clients, ranging from simple plans for young families to more sophisticated estate tax plans and planning for children with special needs.. She also focuses her practice on meeting the needs of elders in our community, providing elder law planning for those preparing for the increasing costs of nursing home care, as well as assistance with Medicaid/MassHealth applications.. Representing small, closely-held businesses, Susan provides assistance with formation, financing, succession planning and general business needs.. In addition to assisting with planning needs, Susan also provides her clients with assistance in all matters of residential and commercial real estate, including purchases, sales and refinances.

I am a shareholder of Shatz, Schwartz & Fentin, P.C., and focus my practice in the areas of estate and special needs planning, trust and estates litigation, guardianships, estate settlement, and elder law.. I am a contributing author of the three-volume treatise, "Estate Planning for the Aged or Incapacitated Client in Massachusetts," and has lectured before numerous professional and civic organizations, including Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, the Suffolk University Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, and the Massachusetts Bar Association. I also taught elder law for one semester as an adjunct professor in the LL.M program at WesternNew EnglandLawSchool.. My professional affiliations include the American College of Trust and Estates Counsel, membership and past president of the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County Inc., membership in the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), editorial board member and book review editor of the NAELA Law Journal, vice chair of the NAELA Advocacy and Litigation Committee and past director and vice president of the Massachusetts chapter of NAELA.. I received my J.D., magna cum laude, from Western New England School of Law, and her B.A. in journalism from the University of Rhode Island.. I am a Massachusetts and New England "Super Lawyer"  in the fields of elder law, estate planning and probate, and trust and estate litigation, Boston Magazine's "Top 100 Women Lawyers in Massachusetts,"  and listed in "Best Lawyers in America" in the field of elder law.. I also serve on the board and as treasurer of the Hilltown Land Trust.. Law is my second career. For 20 years prior to entering the legal field, I worked as a journalist, editor and writer for such general interest publications as the Providence Journal, Berkshire Eagle, Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald, New York Times, Newsweek, Esquire, Mademoiselle, and New England Monthly.

I knew that I wanted to become a lawyer at a young age.  I argued with my high school history teacher to persuade him to allow me to do my term paper on a constitutional law topic, which he claimed wasn't a true "history" topic.  I won that battle and my paper was ultimately published in The Concord Review.  Most importantly, that experience was the start of a great relationship with that teacher.  He is now retired and I am long out of high school, but we still run into each other around town from time to time.. Since realizing my childhood goal 19 years ago, I've grown and changed, both as a lawyer and as a person.  What I've realized is that the core of my practice - and the part I enjoy the most - is working with people to help them successfully solve problems or otherwise get through a difficult time in their lives or business.  I've truly enjoyed and valued the client relationships that I've built over the years, and I look forward to continuing and expanding those relationships into the future.. I am also very involved in my community and with my two children.  I served several years as President of my Church’s ladies’ guild, I served as a Board Member and Clerk of Longmeadow Baseball Association, and I was a Board Member and still am a regular member of Bon Vivants cooking club.  In addition, I've coached youth baseball, basketball and soccer.  I am very active in my children's schools, including serving as a room parent, field trip chaperone, lunch/recess monitor, and Editor-in-Chief for the school's annual Yearbook.. People ask me all the time - "how do you do it all?"  I usually reply somewhat tongue-in-cheek, "I don't sleep very much."  And although I am definitely tired most nights, I wouldn't change a thing!

I focus my practice on helping people plan for the future. Even young people should start thinking about how they will support themselves in their retirement years, and everybody needs a basic estate plan, including a will, health care proxy and power of attorney. I am down to earth, and I pride myself on making difficult and complex issues easy to understand for my clients. I have a broad client base including a mix of ages, genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations.. Founder: Joy of Jasper Horse Sanctuary, 2007 - Present. Estate Planning Council of Hampden County, President 2013-14; Board Member 2010-12. Hampden County Bar Association, New Lawyer's Section, Chair, 2003-2004; Probate Court Bench Bar Liaison, 2003-04. Greater Springfield Business & Professional Women's Club, First Vice President, 2005-06, Second Vice President, 2004-05. Western Massachusetts Elder Care Professionals, Member, Steering Committee. Holyoke North Business Network International. Women's Partnership Board of Directors, 2003-2005. Meadows Homes Human Rights Committee, Past Member. Women's Business Owners Alliance of the Pioneer Valley, Inc., Community Connections Co-Chair

Attorney Karolina Weagle joined Shatz Schwartz & Fentin, PC in 2022 and concentrates her practice on estate planning. Prior to joining Shatz, Schwartz & Fentin, PC, Attorney Weagle worked at a firm in Boston representing clients in litigation and criminal defense matters, and later returned to western Massachusetts where she practiced in the areas of real estate, estate planning, and estate administration . Originally from Southampton, Massachusetts, and now residing in Westfield, Attorney Weagle graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Westfield State University in 2015. Soon after, she enrolled at New England Law | Boston, where she graduated cum laude in 2018. While in law school, Attorney Weagle made the dean’s list every semester, was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Property II in spring 2016, and earned the New England Scholar Award for 2015–2016.. Attorney Weagle is also fluent in Polish.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Springfield and surrounding areas.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Springfield and surrounding areas.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Springfield and surrounding areas.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Springfield and surrounding areas.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Springfield and surrounding areas.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Springfield and surrounding areas.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Springfield and surrounding areas.