Top Best Estate Lawyers

My focus is to help individuals and families with their estate planning needs.  This would include wills, living trusts, irrevocable trusts, estate tax planning and asset preservation, powers of attorney, health care directives.  I work with young families looking to ensure protection for their children to retirees planning their estate plan for the first time.  I also focus on professionals with assets in excess of the federal and state estate tax exemptions to ensure maximum tax free asset transfer at death.. I also work closely with individuals and families upon the death of a loved.  I understand the grieving process and walk individuals through the estate and probate administration process.. Disabled individuals have special needs when it comes to planning for their estate.  I assist families with disabled individuals to ensure they are receiving the benefits needed, protecting assets and ensuring the proper individuals have decision making authority through special needs trusts, guardianships and conservatorships.. I thoroughly enjoy assisting my clients achieve peace of mind to ensure their estate will be a smooth process, even in the event of a tragedy.  My passion comes from seeing my clients achieve their goals, feel peace of mind and settle a family member's estate.. I spend my time outside of work with my husband, son and daughter.  I love to watch sports, spend summer weekends at the lake, watch movies, read and bake.

Mary was born and raised in Cloquet, MN.  She loves the outdoors and has paddled many miles in the BWCA, hiked to the top of Mt. San Jacinto, the second highest peak in Southern California, and hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.  Besides Minnesota, she has lived in Oregon, California, Montana and Oklahoma.. In her spare time, Mary enjoys walking her mixed breed dogs, working with her husband in their antiques and collectibles business, playing disc golf and reading John Grisham novels.

Jennifer Mortel focuses her practice in the areas of Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts, Probate and Trust Administration, and Personal Injury. Jennifer endeavors to partner with families to secure their future goals through wills, trusts and other appropriate estate planning. She is a compassionate counselor who helps grieving family members find their way through the probate and trust administration process after the death of a loved one.  Jennifer also has extensive experience negotiating top-dollar personal injury settlements, as well as handling cases through litigation. She is a zealous advocate for her clients' rights to obtain medical, wage loss and disability benefits.. Jennifer previously served as Assistant Vice-President and head of the Personal Trust Division at Union Bank & Trust where she was responsible for the administration of all personal trusts, including revocable and irrevocable living trusts, testamentary trusts and charitable trusts, as well as probate estates. She was a partner at the law firm of Bowden Cyr Mortel, PLLC from 2009-2013 and represented clients in the areas of estate planning and personal injury and continues to act as an of counsel attorney with Bowden Cyr, PLLC.  Jennifer is a 2002 honors graduate of William Mitchell College of Law and is admitted to practice law in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Jennifer also serves as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and has been an Adjunct Representation Professor at William Mitchell College of Law.

Sheila received her Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law and her BS from St. Mary's University of Minnesota.  She is licensed to practice law in the state of Minnesota.Sheila has extensive experience in the business world and is a US Navy Veteran, where she held Top Secret Clearance.  Sheila is a member of several professional organizations including the Minnesota Bar Association, and the Ramsey County Bar Association.Sheila has long standing connections to the White Bear Lake Area.  She grew up in White Bear Lake and graduated from White Bear Lake High School.  She is a long-time resident of Vadnais Heights where she raised her son, Justin.  She is active in her church and community. Currently she is Chairperson of the St. Mary of the Lake Parish Leadership Council, Chairperson of the St. Mary of the Lake Stewardship Committee, and a member of the St. Mary of the Lake Outreach Ministries Committee.  She is the former President of the Villas on Edgerton Homeowners Association.  She is a member of the MN National Healthcare Directives Day Planning Committee and donates her time and skill to other causes, such as Wills for Heroes.Sheila enjoys spending time with her family and participating in church activities.  She enjoys traveling, reading, and playing board and card games.

"My goal is to make estate planning understandable and convenient.". The internet is filled with estate planning information that may be difficult to understand and often contradictory. Additionally, finding time to consult a lawyer may be difficult.. Whether the issue is finally getting that estate planning done, navigating probate and family court to help an ill loved one, or providing for your family's future, I listen to you, analyze your situation, provide you with choices and draft your documents based on your decisions. I take as much time as you need to explain your documents so that you are confident in your choices.. I don't have time to take a day off of work and find someone to watch my children while I sit in an attorney's office and neither do you. That's why I am available in the evening and on weekends and why I make arrangements to meet with you where you are. Let me do the traveling and the work for you, so you can concentrate on making the choices in your family's best interests.

When I graduated from Law School, I was hired by the Law Offices of James L. Doyle in Lowell, Massachusetts.  Jim Doyle specialized in medicaid law and protecting assets for people in Nursing Homes.  Jim taught me how to protect the home and assets and I have been helping sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and friends of loved ones in Nursing Homes to do just that for over 18 years.  I work in all areas of Elder Law which account for about 80% of my practice.  I also practice in criminal defense and have over a 90% success rate in Operating Under the Influence cases and I also handle personal injury cases.

I am an Attorney specialized in estate planning and estate administration/probate, and a periodic Adjunct Professor at New England Law | Boston.  I have experience working with clients from diverse backgrounds, involving complex financial and family dynamics.. I focus on estate planning and trust and estate administration (probate).  My professional hallmark is to not only provide exceptional representation, but also to provide service with compassion and clarity.. "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Albert Einstein

I concentrate in Elder Law and Estate Planning, including Medicaid Planning, Wills, Trusts and Powers of Attorney.  I am a former teacher and reference librarian, and I have served as a Trustee of the Tewksbury Public Library.

Rebecca G. Neale has years of experience advocating for clients in the courtroom and the conference room, and enjoys helping people navigate some of the most difficult chapters of their lives.. She has represented and advised over 300 clients in divorce cases, housing proceedings, Social Security appeals, and more. Rebecca has represented homeowners in nationwide class action lawsuits against banks and small businesses in contract disputes, and clerked for the highest state courts in New York and California.. Before she became a lawyer, Rebecca was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Turkmenistan and a community health educator in Marin County, California.

“I believe that 95% of my job is listening.  My objective is to address all of your concerns and accomplish your goals by providing a personalized estate plan designed to fit your specific needs which includes preserving the wealth that you have accumulated throughout the years. I am a firm believer that estate planning is not a one-time event.   As life changes, the plan should change with it.  I believe in developing lifelong relationships with my clients so that my clients view me as not just an advisor, but also a trusted friend.”. Attorney Marco A. Schiavo is one of the founding partners of Simmons & Schiavo, LLP and has been a devoted legal advisor to families since 2001. He has guided a number of families through the probate administration process and has personally witnessed the impact that the lack of a proper estate plan can have on loved ones. These experiences continually reaffirm his strong belief in the countless benefits of a well-drafted and well-implemented trust-based estate plan. A proper estate plan allows for a smooth transition in the event of the disability of a grantor and provides privacy and ease of property distribution without delay and oversight from the probate court upon the grantor’s death.. Marco’s primary focus is assisting his clients preserve the wealth that they have accumulated to pass it on to their loved ones using creditor protection trusts, estate tax minimization techniques, business succession planning and Medicaid/Long Term Care Planning. Marco handles all levels of estate planning ranging from basic plans to complex, multi-million dollar estates involving marital deduction trust planning, irrevocable life insurance trusts, stretch IRA inheritance trusts, multi-generational dynasty trusts, gifting strategies, charitable remainder trusts, special needs trusts and a number of other complex trust planning vehicles.. Marco has a passion for business; he received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Babson College with a double major in Finance and International Business Studies. At Suffolk University Law School, Marco focused his law school studies on Estate Planning and Real Estate Law.. Marco lives in Walpole with his wife and three young daughters. Marco speaks Italian and Spanish fluently. His interests include traveling, reading, hiking, and most of all, spending time with his family.

I am an estate planning and administration attorney based in Wellesley, Massachusetts. I work closely with individuals and families to develop tailored estate plans and provide guidance through the often complex process of estate administration following the loss of a loved one. I am dedicated to making the legal process more approachable and value the meaningful relationships I build with my clients.. I earned my J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 2014 and went on to complete an LL.M. in Estate Planning and Elder Law at Western New England University School of Law in 2022. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont in 2011.. To me, professionalism means keeping commitments and approaching every matter with integrity, honesty, and reliability. This philosophy shapes how I practice law and is one of the reasons I appreciate working at a small firm where I can give each client the focused, individualized attention their situation deserves.. Outside of work, I live in Littleton with my wife and children. I enjoy boxing, spending time at the lake, and taking advantage of any chance to be outdoors and active.

My practice concentrates in simple and complex estate planning,  elder law, including long-term care and Medicaid eligibility planning, special needs planning and probate and trusts administration.. I have a wide range of clients from single and married individuals with modest and high net worth estates; young and mature families desiring to develop efficient tax and succession planning strategies for unexpected incapacity and death; mature families (parents & adult children) desiring to preserve assets in the face of enormous long-term-care costs (nursing facilities, assisted living & home care) through asset protection strategies; and families with children, young and old, that have special needs who want to preserve government benefits yet provide them with financial stability and care management.

I concentrate my practice in the areas of estate planning, corporate and business law, tax and real estate matters. My clients include individuals, corporations, closely-held businesses and estates and trusts. I received my J.D., magna cum laude, from New England Law | Boston in May 2012.