Looking for an attorney

[chasedawg]

Hello...I'm looking for an attorney that specializes in real estate and trusts in lakes region. I appreciate your response in advance.

[oliviernh]

Highly recommend Randy Walker of Walker and Varney in Wolfeboro. Has done tons of lakes region real estate and also estate and trust work. Handled our lake front real estate transaction (as there was no RE agent involved) and was great to deal with!

[MeredithMan]

While I cannot recommend a firm in the lakes region, I would strongly recommend that if you are doing estate planning and setting up trusts/wills/DPOA, etc, use an attorney whose only business is estate planning. It is very specialized and the laws change frequently.

If your issue is real estate only- focused, (i.e., put the property in a trust), then a real estate attorney should be sufficient I would think. (Unless you need to figure out how you protect your other assets, then I would go with the Trust/Estate Planning attorney)

[longislander]

http://beasleyferber.com/attorney-beasley-biography/

http://beasleyferber.com/

Book:
http://beasleyferber.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/BF-PS-Trusts-For-The-Average-Person.pdf

Has had free seminars in different towns for quite a while. Seminar I went to, was packed with folks.

[joey2665]

Hello...I'm looking for an attorney that specializes in real estate and trusts in lakes region. I appreciate your response in advance.

Frank Michel in Meredith. I have used him for both residential and commercial he is excellent.


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[BroadHopper]

https://www.wescottlawnh.com/
excellent estate planning! Many professionals and business owners highly regard their counsel.

[Slickcraft]

While I cannot recommend a firm in the lakes region, I would strongly recommend that if you are doing estate planning and setting up trusts/wills/DPOA, etc, use an attorney whose only business is estate planning. It is very specialized and the laws change frequently.

If your issue is real estate only- focused, (i.e., put the property in a trust), then a real estate attorney should be sufficient I would think. (Unless you need to figure out how you protect your other assets, then I would go with the Trust/Estate Planning attorney)

Agree. It is very specialized.

Alan

[Slickcraft]

https://www.wescottlawnh.com/
excellent estate planning! Many professionals and business owners highly regard their counsel.

We have used Wescott Law in another one of their practice areas and have been very satisfied.

Alan

[Fastfury]

Randy Walker in Wolfeboro
He Is very good and a one stop shop


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[longislander]

https://www.nhbar.org/lawyer-referral-service

[Mr. V]

https://www.nhbar.org/lawyer-referral-service

I'd rather rely on a recommendation from a satisfied former client then throw a dart at the dartboard using a lawyer referral service.

[longislander]

I'd rather rely on a recommendation from a satisfied former client then throw a dart at the dartboard using a lawyer referral service.

And how do the "satisfied customers" know their opinion is worth a dart? Compared to what, and how knowledgeable is their expertise?

Shop and compare, is another opinion. Not all legal specific "needs" are the same. Rely on the forum for a legal recommendation ... sure!

Maybe the forum for some members carries more "weight" than the NH Bar Association. After all, it, the NH Bar, is made up of only licensed individuals to deal with legal issues.

Surely, individual forum experiences, outweighs NH Bar.

[Mr. V]

A bar sponsored lawyer referral service typically does not grade or base its recommendations on the perceived quality of the attorney's work, whereas a former client is able to personally comment on an attorney's performance based on the product and results generated by the lawyer.

A referral service will give you info on attorneys who claim to practice in certain areas, with contact info, but with limited or no information as to how "good" they are and / or how former clients and their peers view them.

Once a potential client has an attorney in mind, there is a website out there which he / she should check out to learn more about the attorney: Avvo.com where former clients rate their attorney.

There is also Martindale.com, which rates attorneys by their peers.

[upthesaukee]

And how do the "satisfied customers" know their opinion is worth a dart? Compared to what, and how knowledgeable is their expertise?

Shop and compare, is another opinion. Not all legal specific "needs" are the same. Rely on the forum for a legal recommendation ... sure!

Maybe the forum for some members carries more "weight" than the NH Bar Association. After all, it, the NH Bar, is made up of only licensed individuals to deal with legal issues.

Surely, individual forum experiences, outweighs NH Bar.

From the LRS website:

When you need guidance on selecting and hiring a qualified, conveniently located attorney for your legal issue, look no further than the NH Lawyer Referral Service (LRS). You can rest assured all LRS attorneys:

belong to the New Hampshire Bar Association;

are licensed to practice in NH,

and carry malpractice insurance.

Just thinking this is not a ringing endorsement.

Most ads for an attorney tell you where they are licensed. When I read a recommendation from a Forum Member, especially one I admire for their candor and being forthright, if I'm interested in their recommendation, I will, and have, sent a PM to ask questions.

Maybe that's just me.

Dave

[longislander]

Most ads for an attorney tell you where they are licensed.

All attorneys must be licensed. Practice in different jurisdictions may or may not be pertinent, although impressive to some.

Big difference from ads for one lawyer tooting his/her own horn, and peddling the services of many lawyers. What attorney doesn't carry necessary insurance?

https://www.courts.state.nh.us/rules/pcon/pcon-1_19.htm

https://www.courts.state.nh.us/press/rules/pcon/pcon-1_17.htm#APPENDIXB

When I read a recommendation from a Forum Member, especially one I admire for their candor and being forthright, if I'm interested in their recommendation, I will, and have, sent a PM to ask questions.


Not a question of admiration and friendship ... facts and expertise in the subject matter are what matter... whether in this forum or any other.

Just my thinking.

[tis]

Some of them don't bother to return your calls even if they are very good attorneys and it is very frustrating.

[longislander]

Some of them don't bother to return your calls even if they are very good attorneys and it is very frustrating.
Today 03:32 PM

You'll find that in most minority reviews of companies.

[jeffk]

Donna Depoian, Partner at Normandin Cheney & O'Neil. Donna has over 25 years of legal, tax and business experience and concentrates her practice in estate planning, corporate and business matters and related areas of law.

She did our trust and was professional,knowledgeable, and reasonably priced.

HOWEVER, the best "lawyer" for you is yourself. Look over the information on the web. Understand the basic issues and figure out the basic structure of what you think will be needed. Come prepared and you will help your lawyer, whoever it is, to be more efficient in doing what YOU want. Lawyer time is big money. If you expect them to do all the work it will cost you more and perhaps miss some of your intentions that YOU failed to express.

One of the things Donna's firm offers is storage of the original will. When you die, your executor calls them and they have the paperwork and can start working in your behalf immediately. We have a copy in our safe deposit box and in the house as well but getting the lawyer involved with just a phone call is very helpful.

[Winnigirl]

I highly recommend Kristen Gardiner of Gardiner Law. She recently helped us with a real estate transaction in Gilford, and was recommended to us by our friend who had her do his family trust.
Her turn around time was unbelievable and she provided invaluable guidance with a challenging transaction.

We were most appreciative about her responsiveness as we’ve had a difficult time getting return calls from other local businesses.

https://www.gardinerlawpllc.com/our-practice



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[SteveO123]

Donna Depoian, Partner at Normandin Cheney & O'Neil. Donna has over 25 years of legal, tax and business experience and concentrates her practice in estate planning, corporate and business matters and related areas of law.

She did our trust and was professional,knowledgeable, and reasonably priced...

I second Donna Depoian. She did our estate recently Efficient and thorough, she really knows estates. Very reasonable fees and transparent billing.
Steve

[longislander]

Not meaning to downplay personal recommendations, but not all needs are the same.

Estate/probate law is fairly settled law. It's not rocket science. The application to specific circumstance may be what requires attorney expertise. Good chemistry between client and attorney is a good thing, and good business practice.

Some of us have used Legal Zoom for real estate trusts and were please with the results. I might have an advantage since I did get an NHTI certificate in paralegal studies in 1998, as a lark. I never worked professionally as a paralegal. A good deal of my course electives in undergrad (BSBA) and grad school (MBA) were in law. I was accepted in law school, but never went since the high-tech work was fine.


https://www.legalzoom.com/personal/estate-planning/

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/NHTOC/NHTOC-LVI.htm

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/X/137-J/137-J-20.htm

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/X/137-J/137-J-19.htm

[joey2665]

Not meaning to downplay personal recommendations, but not all needs are the same.

Estate/probate law is fairly settled law. It's not rocket science. The application to specific circumstance may be what requires attorney expertise. Good chemistry between client and attorney is a good thing, and good business practice.

Some of us have used Legal Zoom for real estate trusts and were please with the results. I might have an advantage since I did get an NHTI certificate in paralegal studies in 1998, as a lark. I never worked professionally as a paralegal. A good deal of my course electives in undergrad (BSBA) and grad school (MBA) were in law. I was accepted in law school, but never went since the high-tech work was fine.

https://www.legalzoom.com/personal/estate-planning/

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/NHTOC/NHTOC-LVI.htm

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/X/137-J/137-J-20.htm

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/X/137-J/137-J-19.htm

Legal zoom is great for the simple items like setting up an llc Corp dba etc. but in my professional opinion I would never use an online service for estate and probate documents and issues.


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[longislander]

Legal zoom is great for the simple items like setting up an llc Corp dba etc. but in my professional opinion I would never use an online service for estate and probate documents and issues.

https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/what-is-a-limited-liability-company-llc


We all have our opinions, professional or otherwise. I'm not pushing Legal Zoom. I've used it for my needs as another option.

I've gone to court, Pro Se, and prevailed. They we're not big cases where an experienced lawyer in that field was required ... for me.

Wills, trusts, avoiding probate, beneficiaries etc. The legal paperwork is more complicated than the laws.

Just another opinion.