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Private law practice concentrating on Estate Planning and Elder Law, in a convenient Bloomington airport location. R. 114 qualified neutral / mediator.. Litigator with specialized technology, account management, personalized training, teaching, researching, writing, and sales/marketing skills.. Educator/ CLE presenter since February 2019 on suicide prevention in the legal profession.

Kelley (Colleen) Scrocca is a northern Minnesota native who has dedicated her entire 20+ year career to the practice of estate planning.. Kelley is an expert in estate planning, trusts, estate administration, and tax-related issues. She has extensive experience with estate and tax planning for individuals to address issues related to income, gift, generation-skipping, and estate tax matters. These services range from drafting simple wills, powers of attorney and living will documents to incorporation of more complex trusts, addressing special-needs situations, the formation of LLCs or other entities, as well as additional estate planning options. Each estate plan is specifically tailored to the individual client’s personal situation and their personal wants and requirements.. Kelley earned her undergraduate degree from St. Cloud State University, her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, and her LLM in estate planning from the University of Miami Law School's nationally renowned Heckerling Graduate Program in Estate Planning.. Before joining Hellmuth & Johnson, Kelley worked at a boutique trusts and estates law firm in Philadelphia where she practiced exclusively in trust, estate and probate matters in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. She also worked with a large law firm in Delaware where she worked with high net-worth individuals on estate planning and with corporate fiduciaries, assisting them to take advantage of state-specific trust laws. She then worked for Swier Law in South Dakota extended her expertise into the South Dakota trust area as well as the areas of ranching and farming. Kelley also frequently forms and provides ongoing consultation for non-profit groups. She is currently licensed to practice law in seven states.. Kelley and her husband Joe have three children, Cedar, Sutton, and Shea, two well-traveled cats and an authentic German Shepherd. Joe's military commitment has allowed Kelley and her family to move nine times in thirteen years, travel to 28 states, and 72 countries. She enjoys travel, reading, hiking, singing, and geocaching.  They have settled back in Minnesota now that her husband has retired from military service.. Kelley holds legal licenses in six states: Minnesota, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Delaware and South Dakota.

September 13, 2014 was a beautiful day. It was my wedding day (The picture to the left was our actual wedding cake. My late wife designed it.). My wife and I were both a little older than typical, she was 32 and I was 36. Two days after the wedding, we jumped on a plane for our honeymoon, but my wife got sick on the plane. She never got better. After two months of tests, we found out my carefree (as she said, “Footloose and fancy free”) wife had terminal cancer.. I used to think estate planning was all about protecting and preserving assets, and that’s certainly a major part of it. But going through the loss of a loved one drastically changed my perspective. I have always done a good job of protecting the assets of an individual’s estate with the proper legal procedures. What I didn’t realize was how the lawyer can protect the survivors’ emotional needs.. All too often, lawyers do not think through some of the practical problems. Almost two years after my late wife’s death, I was in probate court for a client and had the chance to see several cases while waiting for mine to be called. The case right before mine could have served as a masterclass on what a lawyer should not do. From a legal standpoint, the lawyer had done nothing wrong. However, the lawyer’s plan was not practical. Because it wasn’t practical it very nearly cost the deceased’s children, who were in elementary school, their house. Fortunately, their aunt had been able to save the house just a few days before the kids lost it. If the lawyer who did that estate plan had considered the practical implications of the plan, that stressful situation could have been avoided.. At Reiff Law Office, we understand estate planning is not just about money and assets; it’s about people. We also understand the plan that works best for one person, or one family, may not be the optimal plan for others.. The best time to plan for the future is now. I learned that the hard way. I’d love to meet you and journey with you through this process.