I talk a lot about being prepared here – having the legal documents in place so that your family and advisors can step in in the event of an emergency and make sure that your finances, health care and children are taken care of. It’s not that the chances of an emergency happening on any [...]
Estate planning, elder law, special needs, probate, guardianship. Leanna Hamill, Hingham
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Leanna Hamill, Attorney at Law, P.C. provides estate planning and related legal services to clients of all ages, with a focus on the needs of older individuals and their families. -
Category Archives: Parents of Minor Children
“We Can’t Decide On Guardians for the Kids”
This is, by far, the number one thing that holds up parents of young children on their way to the attorney’s office to get their wills and guardianship nominations done. I’ve had people tell me that their solution was to just wait until the kids turned 18 to do any sort of planning so they [...]
Who Should Be Trustee of Our Special Needs Trust?
When parents are setting up a Special Needs Trust in Massachusetts for a child, one of the primary considerations is who will serve as trustee in the event that the parents can no longer fill this role. The trustee is the person who would be in charge of making decisions about money and property, making [...]
What I Meant Was….
In my line of work, I spend a lot of time with my clients talking about their wishes for the future. Who they want helping them, what kind of help they want, where they want their things to go when they pass away. I spend a lot of time making sure I understand completely what [...]
How Does Property Pass Without A Will For A Married Person With No Children?
If someone without a Will passes away in Massachusetts, the law states how their property is distributed. When that person is married, but has no children, many people think that all property would pass to their spouse. But that’s not actually what the law says. Let’s say for example we have a couple named Carrie [...]
How Property Is Distributed Without A Will
Many people pass away without a will in place. When meeting with clients who have no Will I like to let them know how their property would pass if they died without a Will in place. This way, even if they decide not to proceed they will at least know what will happen, and explaining [...]
Quick Tip – Nominating A Couple To Serve As Guardians
Many times when people are choosing potential guardians for their minor children they will choose a couple. “My sister and her husband will be our primary guardians, and my husband’s brother and his wife will be our alternates.” I always ask another questions after this – if only one person in the couple was available [...]
How Should I Divide My Assets?
A lot of times when I’m meeting with clients they will ask me “how should we leave our stuff?” They have children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, nieces, nephews, charities they like to support and they are having trouble figuring out what to leave to whom. Obviously, I can’t answer it for them so I give the [...]
Changing Guardianship Nominations
If you find yourself need to change the guardianship nominations for your children, there are some steps you need to take. All parents of minor children (and parents of special needs children) should nominate guardians in legal documents so that if the parents become unable to care for their children, temporarily or permanently, someone has [...]
What Does My Lawyer Need to Know?
Before I meet with clients, I send them questionnaire so they can gather information that will help us both be more productive in our meeting. In general, clients bring this paper work back in one of three ways: 1. Completely filled out with attachments and tabs, 2. Partially filled out (meaning they put their name [...]
Leanna@HamillLawOffice.com | 160 Old Derby St., Suite 456 | Hingham, Ma 02043 | Phone: 781.749.2284 | Fax: 866.573.6429
Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, this web site must be labeled "advertising." It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. By using this site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the attorney. The website should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state. Leanna Hamill is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts only.
Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, this web site must be labeled "advertising." It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. By using this site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the attorney. The website should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state. Leanna Hamill is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts only.