Top Best Probate Lawyers | 4061 Available

In today's complex society, it's important to be well informed and prepared. Many times we are faced with making difficult decisions without sufficient information. Circumstances may also place us in complicated situations that could have been handled easily if proper planning had been undertaken.. My name is Nick Giuditta. I represent individuals seeking advice in estate and tax planning, probate, elder law and guardianship matters. I regularly prepare Wills, Durable Powers of Attorney and Advance Directives (Living Wills). I also represent executors and adminstrators of estates to guide them through the technical probate and estate administration process. These services begin with probating or validating the Will through the completion of inheritance and estate tax returns and distribution of assets to heirs.. Procrastination, whether it be in planning your estate or acting in a timely manner to administer an estate, invariably leads to lost opportunity and  greater expense. We can assist you with difficult and personal decisions regarding these family matters and expedite the process. Telephone calls and emails are returned within 24 hours and usually the same day.. I am committed to ensuring the law works as effectively as possible for you. Please feel free to call so I can assist you in making the right choices for you and your family.

Mr. Pontoppidan has over 35 years experience representing individuals and small businesses in the State of Louisiana in a variety of legal needs.       His practice focuses primarily on succession and probate matters, from the preparation of wills to handling estates, as the attorney or executor. His small business practice includes the preparation of corporate and limited liability company documents, advice regarding appropriate business structure and collections. He has experience in personal injury cases and family law matters.       Mr. Pontoppidan is active in the civic community as well. He has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of New Orleans for over 30 years, and held every local office, as well as served the Kiwanis District Foundation as an officer and board member, including President. He is actively involved with the National World War II Museum located in New Orleans, as a charter member and restoration volunteer. His service has included the complete restoration of a 1943 Higgins LCPL Landing Craft, which is now on display in the main lobby of the museum. He is currently on the restoration team of the 1943 Higgins built PT305, which will be brought back to sea-worthy condition.    Mr. Pontoppidan received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Tulane University in 1977 and a Juris Doctorate from Tulane University School of Law in 1980.Bar Admissions Louisiana, 1980 U.S. Federal Court, 1980Education Tulane Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana J.D. Tulane University New Orleans, LA B.A.

Melanie Ritter takes great pleasure in being able to assist families with their legal needs especially in the areas of special needs planning involving special needs trusts, protective arrangements, guardianships, probate and estate administration.. Melanie currently works at Manes & Weinberg advocating for people with special needs. Melanie is a fomer associate with the Law Offices of G. Emerson Dickman and is a former judicial law clerk to the Honorable Judge Marguerite Simon and Judge Peter Doyne in the Chancery and Probate Divisions of the Bergen County Superior Court.. Melanie graduated University of Maryland-College Park, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice.  Melanie received her law degree from Seton Hall Law School where she was a president of the Student Honor Council.. Melanie is a member of Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains. She enjoys spending time with her children in her free time.

Recent Notable Cases and Representations:. 2024: Terminating a Biological Father’s Parental Rights after trial in a contested adoption proceeding;. 2023: Successfully stayed a civil Wrongful Death proceeding in its entirety (including any pleadings and discovery) pending the conclusion of a notable criminal proceeding pending in Kane County, Illinois, where my client is accused of murdering an individual approximately twenty (20) years ago. Said murder case is regularly covered in the news media;. 2022: Successfully obtained a Plenary Order of Protection against a Mother on behalf of the guardian and two minor children from having any communication or interaction with the children based on Mother’s egregious behaviors and previous endangerment of said children;. 2021: Successfully obtained a dissipation award in excess of $116k against a Husband after trial in a marital dissolution proceeding who had another “secret” family out-of-State;. 2021: Successfully terminated the guardianship of a minor child and obtained reunification between child and father from a grandmother who actively prevented the minor child from having a relationship with her father for years [upheld on appeal];. 2020: Successfully obtained over a hundred-acre farm and placed same into a special needs trust for a disabled person’s benefit that a Bank Trustee sought to sell over four years of litigation;. 2019: Obtained a One Million Dollar Judgment against an individual for the wrongful death of his mother, specifically for being the intentional cause of her death (his murder trial is still pending). Additionally, I applied the “Slayer Statute” in a Declaratory Judgment against said individual in a separate proceeding so that said individual could not receive any benefit as a result of his mother’s death from any source;. 2019: Successfully defeated a spouse's claim to a business with a yearly gross revenue in excess of $10 million (determined premarital), as well as successfully retaining the marital residence worth in excess of $1.50 million in a highly contested marital dissolution proceeding;. 2018: Successful application of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (“HAGUE”), as well as the International Child Abduction Remedies Act (“ICARA”), to compel settlement with a mother who, without permission, retained a Minor Child in the United States and would not allow contact between said minor child and her father;. 2017: Successful retrieval in excess of $175k pursuant to a Citation to Recover Assets in a Probate proceeding where there was a dispute as to whether the Decedent intended her cousin to be named as a pay-on-death beneficiary of her account;. 2016: Successful representation as Court-appointed counsel for an elderly man whose family member sought guardianship of both his person and estate and who involuntarily committed him to a nursing home, where he was forced to take psychiatric medications against his will. After successfully petitioning for an Independent Medical Examination, the Petitioners withdrew their Petition for Guardianship, and my client was set free of his own accord;. 2016: Litigation Counsel of Record for Erin Merryn (nom de plume). Erin is a world-wide activist against child sex predators and a proponent of Erin’s Law, an initiative to promote education in public schools to prevent childhood sexual abuse, for which she regularly speaks before Congressional Committees both domestic and abroad. As of May 2016, Erin’s Law has been passed in 27 States, having first been signed into law in Illinois by then Governor Quinn. Most recently, she was the primary participant in a TLC special “Breaking the Silence” about this topic;. 2015:    Successful representation of a pregnant woman detained and tried in Indonesia for the premeditated murder of her mother. I successfully obtained $150k from her mother's trust to ensure my client had criminal legal representation in Indonesia that could have resulted in death by firing squad. Additionally, I ensured that my client’s daughter was born in a hospital in Indonesia as opposed to the prison infirmary.  Finally, I was designated by Order of the Court to be responsible for stipend funds to ensure my client had access to adequate food, toiletries, and medicinal care while pregnant and incarcerated;. 2015:   Successful representation as Court-appointed counsel for a woman diagnosed with schizophrenia whose family member sought guardianship of both the person and the estate over my client. After preliminary hearings, the Petitioner withdrew his Petition for Guardianship, and, to my knowledge, my client is free to exercise her wishes both medically and financially to this day;. 2015:    Successful defense of a removal action preventing Wife from leaving the State of Illinois with the parties’ two minor children. Complexities of the case included, but were not limited to, Wife filing no less than five (5) Orders of Protection against Husband within a two (2) year period for, inter alia, physical assaults and abuse.

I am licensed attorney in the State of Illinois, admitted in November 2019. I primarily practice in the areas of family law litigation and probate litigation. I am Court approved Guardian ad Litem for the Probate Division in Kane County, Illinois. Additionally, I am a member of the Illinois Bar Association, Kane County Bar Association, and Chicago Bar Association. Recently, I was published in the Kane County BarBriefs magazine.

2014 and 2015 Top Probate Lawyer award given by KC Business Magazine .  Probate, Trust, Guardianship, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Litigation are my areas of legal services.   It is my goal to provide cost effective legal services and work closely with all parties in probate and trust matters.   I am currently in practice in downtown Olathe, Kansas.. I provided one hour free consultation for you to consider your options.

Admitted: 1983, Arizona and U.S. District Court, District of Arizona; 1986, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth CircuitLaw School: Temple University, J.D.. Member: State Bar of Arizona; National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA); Arizona Association of Justice (formerly Arizona Trial Lawyers Association).. Biography: Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Alpha Delta.. Mr. Price has maintained a general civil practice, since 1985. Mr. Price was first admitted to practice in this District in May, 1983 (Arizona Supreme Court) with admission to the United States District Court in September, 1983. Mr. Price was a sole practitioner with the Law Offices of Douglas B. Price, P.C. until October 22, 2009 when the firm merged with Greeves, Roethler, PLC and now practices as a member of the firm Greeves, Price & Roethler, PLLC.

Jim Abood is originally from Michigan where he obtained his B.A. from Michigan State University and Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan Thomas Cooley Law School. Jim’s father, Fredric S. Abood, established the Abood Law Firm in Lansing, Michigan over 60 years ago. He was a shining example of a great lawyer who always said it was the highest honor to represent those who were unable to represent themselves.  Jim and several of his siblings followed in his footsteps and joined him in practice at the Abood Law Firm. During that time, Jim developed his practice in the areas of domestic relations, juvenile law, criminal defense, probate, and estate planning.. In 2006, Jim relocated to Phoenix where he spent the first 8 years in-house with a local private commercial real estate lender. In that role, he was heavily involved in real estate transactions and corporate law and served as secretary of the board. Thereafter, Jim returned to private practice where he leverages his broad legal experience to provide excellent legal counsel to business owners and families with probate and estate planning needs.. In his spare time, Jim enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering his time to several worthy organizations including St. Mary’s Food Bank, Community Legal Services, Inc., and the Arizona Chapter of Wills for Heros, a program that provides free estate planning legal services to first responder personnel in Arizona.. Jim maintains active licenses in Michigan and Arizona and is a member of the following professional legal associations:  Business Law, Real Estate & Real Property, and the Probate and Trust Law Sections of the State Bar of Arizona, State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, and Wealth Counsel.

Mark W. Heckele is a licensed attorney in Arizona and Washington. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a Masters’ degree in business administration (M.B.A.) from the Eller College of Management and a doctoral degree in law (J.D.) from the James E. Rogers College of Law, Mr. Heckele joined the Law Office of Drue A. Morgan-Birch, P.C. before founding The Heckele Law Firm PLLC, in March 2010. In July 2010, Mr. Heckele was invited to affiliate with the reputable firm of Karp & Weiss, P.C., as an attorney of counsel. In April, 2012, Mr. Heckele joined Dorris & Giordano, P.L.C. as an attorney of counsel. And, in May 2013, Mark Heckele helped form Lancer Law and has served as Managing Partner since that time.. Mark W. Heckele’s legal practice focuses on Civil Litigation and transactional law in the areas of Real Estate, Business Law, Estate Planning and Probate. His experience includes: escrow and title insurance; commercial and residential sales/purchases and leasing; contracts; Construction Defects; easements; Foreclosures and Loan Modification; Landlord-Tenant Laws; Land Use Acquisition and Development, property management; homeowners associations (HOAs) and CC&Rs; corporate formation; Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A;); Alternative Dispute Resolution; Debt Collection; Estate Planning; Probate; and general legal counsel.. In addition to his legal career, Mr. Heckele has been a licensed real estate agent in Arizona for over 10 years, focusing primarily on residential resale, contracts, property management and landlord-tenant issues. Along with his legal expertise, Mark W. Heckele approaches each legal issue from a highly practical standpoint, providing his clients with comprehensive representation.

Shelby Loveless is a dedicated lawyer practicing at Weaver Loveless Law in Lake Wales. She earned her B.A. from the Florida State University Honors College and her J.D. from the Florida State University College of Law in 2016. During law school, Shelby was a member of the Law Review, the Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, and was the executive editor for the Journal of Transnational Law and Policy. While earning her J.D., she worked in both the public and private sectors of law and gained extensive experience in various practice areas. She worked for Novey Law, Sandra Green, Esq., and the Public Interest Law Center. She also externed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, and completed her pro bono hours with the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence

Brandon Robinson, Esq. received his Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management in 2011, from Hannibal-LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri, the boyhood home of Mark Twain. Brandon earned his Juris Doctor degree and a Certificate of Concentration in Elder Law from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, graduating cum laude in 2015. Upon graduation, Brandon received the Matthew Bender Elder Law Book Award as well as the William F. Blew Pro Bono Service Award, having provided over 470 hours of pro bono services during law school. Brandon was sworn in as a member of The Florida Bar in 2015, is also licensed to practice before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and is a United States Department of Veterans Affairs Accredited Attorney. His practice is focused primarily on wills, trusts, estate planning, probate, guardianship, and veteran’s disability benefits.. Brandon was named a 2024 Rising Star by Super Lawyers, and is rated A/V Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell for the highest level of professional excellence. Brandon was selected by his peers as a Rising Star in the area of Wills in 2020, and as an Elite Top Attorney in the area of Wills each year from 2021 - 2025 as published in SRQ Magazine.. Prior to joining Battle Law, Brandon worked to combat elder consumer fraud and exploitation while serving for two years as the Elder Consumer Protection Fellow for Stetson University College of Law. His community and professional commitments include serving on the Board of Directors for the Manatee County Bar Association; serving as a Volunteer Judge for Manatee County Teen Court; and serving on the Florida Bar Elder Law Section Estate Planning Committee. Brandon previously served three consecutive terms on the Florida Bar’s standing committee on Military and Veterans Affairs; previously served for five years on the Board of Directors for the Manatee County Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Division, including terms as Secretary and Treasurer; formerly served as the Treasurer of the Thomas E. Penick Jr. American Inn of Court; formerly served one term as a member of the Florida Bar’s 12th Judicial Circuit Attorney Grievance Committee; and formerly served three terms as a board member for the Town of Kenneth City Planning and Zoning Board. Brandon is a member of the Florida Bar Elder Law Section; the Florida Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section; the Florida Bar Speaker’s Bureau; and is active in the St. Petersburg Community Law Program’s annual Wills for Warriors Program. Brandon is a Life Member of Marine Corps League Detachment No. 57, and served for ten years on the Board of Trustees, including terms as Adjutant and Paymaster, and seven consecutive terms as the Judge Advocate. Brandon also serves as a member of the Marine Corps League Honor Guard for military funerals, parades, and other civic events, and is a Life Member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4364.. Before college, Brandon enlisted in the United State Marine Corps, serving honorably in combat as an Ammunition Specialist Technician in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded several different medals, ribbons, badges, and citations including the Presidential Unit Citation, Iraq Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Following his discharge from the Marines, Brandon worked as an emergency medical technician, became a CPR and first-aid instructor, managed a horse ranch, trained as a welder, and became a master scuba diver trainer and full cave diver before finishing his undergraduate degree.. Brandon and his wife Dawn have two sons, two daughters, and a smattering of grandchildren. They also have a Great Dane, a Coconut Lab, a Black Goldendoodle, a Maltese, and two spoiled cats. In his spare time, Brandon enjoys spending time with his family, exploring underwater caves and shipwrecks, visiting National Parks, watching college football (Go Gamecocks!) and other sports, playing music (trumpet, percussion, and guitar), flying, skydiving, traveling, and attempting to cook good BBQ.

At my kindergarten graduation, I announced to the crowd that I wanted to be an attorney like my father. Some in the crowd laughed, and some groaned (see the numerous lawyer jokes), but I like to believe my father saw potential. Many years later, I was fortunate enough to join my father, along with several skilled attorneys and the exceptional staff at DeLoach, Hofstra & Cavonis, P.A.. The opportunity to join a highly respected law firm, and work closely with my father and those I look up to is a blessing. The ability to serve the same community I was born and raised in is an even bigger opportunity. I was born here, I was raised here, I graduated from law school here, and I feel at home serving people here.. As your probate attorney, I am tasked with guiding you and your family through the difficult process of handling your loved one’s estate. This is not a process that most enjoy, and I and my staff understand that. We approach each step with the understanding that our clients are dealing with loss, grief, and difficult decisions. We do not forget the human aspect of estate administration and that is what sets us apart.. As your estate litigation attorney, I am here to be your zealous advocate when an estate plan is unjustly administered, or a loved one is taken advantage of in the sunset of their life. Most do not hope they or their family face legal troubles in the disposition of their estate. I don’t wish that for you either, but if we are needed, we are up to the task of making things right.. I very much look forward to representing you.

For over 30 years, I have drafted wills and trusts and administered estates and trusts in the Sarasota area. In 2001, I opened my own law office with a team of three employees.  After running my own office for over 13 years, I merged my firm into Shutts & Bowen LLP, a firm with eight offices throughout the state.  However, my office in Sarasota is a small office with seven attorneys.  Each person in my Trusts and Estates Department at Shutts believes it is our mission to guide clients through challenging decisions and difficult times to preserve their legacies across generations. My team is dedicated to providing outstanding service to our clients. We know that each client is more than just a name on a file folder. Our clients are individuals and families facing unique challenges and sometimes difficult decisions or situations. We understand. We guide our clients with compassion, understanding, and a true commitment to the highest professional standards and ethics. We strive to “go the extra mile” on behalf of our clients. This environment allows clients to feel at ease and comfortable in their decision to work with our team.. Of the more than 106,000 attorneys in Florida, I am one of only 342 in the state of Florida and one of only 28 in the Sarasota and Manatee Counties who have been certified by the Florida Bar as a Specialist in Wills, Trusts, and Estates. Board certification recognizes an attorney’s special knowledge, skills and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of an attorney.

Neil is an attorney licensed to practice in the State of Florida. He resides in Sarasota with his wife Mary and their sons Luke and Dylan. He has been a Sarasota resident since 1995 and attended Cardinal Mooney High school graduating with the class of 1999. He attended University of South Florida and was awarded his Bachelor’s degree in 2004, and further attended the University of South Florida for graduate studies earning his Master’s degree in Education in 2008. He attended Stetson University College of Law and earned his Juris Doctorate in 2011.. While attending law school, Neil was invited to present an original theory of the evolution of modern legal systems at the 2011 Socio-Legal Studies Conference at the University of Sussex, in the United Kingdom. The topic of his presentation was selected for publication in a collection of essays entitled Law, Justice, and Miscommunications: Essays in Applied Legal Philosophy, (Vanderplas, 2011).. Neil has been a member of the Florida bar since 2011, has been practicing in the area of elder law since 2014, and has previously practiced in the area of commercial insurance coverage specifically for construction defect disputes.