Selecting an attorney to assist in completing an estate plan, or to assist in settling an estate, can be a bewildering experience. There may be a dozen or more well-established, technically proficient, estate planning attorneys in the Wilmington area. Which one to choose?
Some of the factors my clients often mention as reasons for having chosen me are listed below:
No hourly fees. After an initial meeting to determine a prospective client's needs, I quote a fee to complete the work that needs to be done. If a prospective client chooses not to proceed, there is no charge for the initial meeting. If a client does ask me to proceed, the client knows exactly how much my services will cost before making a commitment.
Convenient suburban location. My office is in Greenville Center, with free parking immediately in front of my office.
Direct communications. I am able to serve my clients without the assistance of clerical staff by making full use of computers, voice mail and CD ROM legal research databases. The absence of staff allows me to make my services affordable to a broader range of clients and to confidently ensure them of complete confidentiality. Moreover, clients know that they are dealing directly with the person who will do the work for them. Nuances in their instructions are not lost in passing between lawyer and staff.
Biographical Information
I was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1952 and lived there until 1969, when my father's job took our family to Brussels, Belgium. I finished high school at the International School of Brussels.
After serving in the United States Army, I returned to Lancaster to attend Franklin and Marshall College, where I received a bachelor's degree in Economics in 1975. Also in 1975, I married my wife, Alice.
We moved to Wilmington in 1977 so that I could attend Widener Law School. At Widener, I was a member of Moot Court Honor Society and graduated in the top quarter of my class. In my second year, the faculty appointed me to serve on the school's Honor Board, which investigated and ruled on alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct. During this period, my wife worked as the public relations director for Hagley Museum. I worked as a law clerk for a variety of small Wilmington law firms.
After passing the bar, I obtained full time employment as a Deputy Attorney General in 1981. During most of the four years that I worked for the Delaware Department of Justice, I was assigned to the Appellate Division.
In 1985, I joined American Guaranty & Trust Company, a small trust company then based in Greenville. I eventually became Vice President and Assistant Trust Counsel of that firm. My duties included personal trust drafting, trust administration, and supervising the company's Retirement Plans Department. In addition, I aided the company's sales effort as a public speaker, conducting estate planning seminars in California, Florida and through out the Mid-West.
In 1989, I joined Mellon Bank's personal trust department, but soon discovered that working for a large corporation was not for me. I started my own practice in 1991. I am amazed by how my practice has grown, and I am very grateful that it continues to do so.
Alice and I have two children, Paul, born in 1984, and Marguerite, born in 1990. Alice continues to work, part-time, as free lance writer. A few years ago, her book, "Places To Go With Children in the Delaware Valley" was published by the San Francisco Chronicle's book division. We live at 130 Downs Drive, in Limerick, off Lancaster Pike.
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