Services

My Service Pledge

In my practice, I place all emphasis on providing a great client experience, and all services come with my Three-Point Service Pledge:
  1. I will meet you when and where it's convenient: house calls, "work" calls, nights and weekends are no problem.
  2. Every aspect of my work for you is completed by me personally, not secretaries, law students, or paralegals.
  3. My rates are extremely reasonable (as low as one-third of what larger firms charge), and I'm happy to structure my fees to meet any budget.
I offer a full complement of services in the estate planning and elder law fields, as well as all related services and the handling of some civil matters. Please click the links below or scroll down for a full description of the services I offer:

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Basic Estate Planning

Many people assume that "estate planning" is only for the wealthy, and for everybody else, a will is all that you really need. That is simply not the case. Regardless of how much money they have, most people's desire the same things of their estate plans:

The truth is that a will only covers the 'who gets it' half of that final goal. However, a few simple (and very affordable) estate planning tools can take care of them all. A basic estate plan will typically include the following documents: Back to Top | Home

 

Estate Tax Planning

When a person or couple has a significant investment portfolio, a small business, a vacation or rental property, or even certain life insurance policies, their net worth can reach threshold where estate taxes may be due with surprising ease. A few simple planning measures can open up additional tax exemptions that will reduce or eliminate this tax burden. Such measures frequently include:

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Advanced Estate Planning

People who own substantial assets may not merely owe substantial estate taxes when they pass; they may also owe significant gift taxes and generation-skipping transfer taxes (GSTT) throughout their lives as well. Additionally, if a family business is a significant chunk of your portfolio, you may be worried about how the next generation may take over that business, or whether there will be enough money left to cover estate taxes owed on the value of the business. Advanced estate planning employs a wide range of techniques to reduce the tax value of your estate and smoothly transition your business and assets from one generation to the next, without necessarily losing control of them. Specific options may include:

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Planning For Infirmity

As people enter their golden years, knowing that they will be well cared for if they become unable to care for themselves become a matter of increasing concern. Failure to plan ahead could force your family to apply for a guardianship over you - an invasive and expensive court process - to look out for your interests, and even then, they may have little guidance over how you would like to be treated. You may have seen Medicaid take someone's house and life savings before providing the long-term care they need, and you don't want the same thing to happen to you. Lastly, even if you are at the pinnacle of health, you may want to ensure that your property is set up to pass on to your loved ones with minimal probate involvement. I offer comprehensive services to help seniors deal with each of these issues:

  1. Planning for Incapacity
    • Durable Power Of Attorney
    • Advanced Healthcare Directive (Living Will / Health Care Proxy)
  2. Healthcare Planning
    • Long-Term Care Insurance
    • Medicaid "Spend-Down" Planning
    • Medicaid Planning Trusts
  3. Planning to Avoid Probate
    • Living Trusts
    • Totten Trusts
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Conservatorship Petitions and Defense

Conservatorships should be the last line of defense in making arrangements for an individual's wellbeing, but all to often, an elderly loved one did not have the foresight to execute estate planning documents in younger years, or those named find themselves overwhelmed or living great distances away. In these situations, petitioning for a conservatorship with the Probate Court may be a family's only option. Conservatorships can be difficult both in their expense and the strain it places on families who don't always agree on what is best. Placing aside the legal mechanics, the task of planning a loved one's finances, lifestyle, and/or long term care can be a daunting task all its own.

At the Rosenberg Law Office, my network of geriatric service providers can help evaluate your loved one and recommend/implement a comprehensive and financially-responsible plan of care, while my holistic approach to the probate hearing will help ensure that the necessary arrangements are made with as little expense and damage to family dynamics as possible.

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Probate of Estates

When someone dear to you has passed away, the last thing you want to think about is the mechanics of probate. While Connecticut tries to keep the process simple, there are strict deadlines for the filing of certain probate reports and tax returns, the payment of debts, court fees, and taxes, and a multitude of other detailed rules. If you have been named executor of a will, or wish to be administrator of a family member's estate, these obligations fall on you. My affordably-priced services will help to streamline this process for you by:

  • Ensuring the will is accepted by the probate court or that an administrator is properly appointed.
  • Drafting all probate paperwork and tax returns.
  • Advising on liquidation of personal effects and real estate, balancing speed of sale with revenues generated.
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Tax Matters

In addition to the tax aspects of estate planning, I am happy to help with the following tax Matters:

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Related Matters

Estate planning regularly requires services in other areas of law, and I am happy to offer those services directly. These include:

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Other Civil Matters

In addition to the above services, I'm happy to offer assistance on small civil matters, including:

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