I became an attorney to help people. After more than 30 years of practice, I enjoy helping people as much today as when I started practicing law.
Alan Secures Purchase of Property for Client
In a case that resulted in a nearly unprecedented result, Alan recently secured the repurchase of property for a client who had been foreclosed upon by her lender. Alan was contacted by the client, who had been foreclosed upon four…
Continue reading »“Pit Bull” v. “Peaceful Warrior”: Is There A Difference?
A few years I was taking the deposition of a defendant in a will contest. During a particularly tense of line of questioning the defendant’s attorney started ranting that the questioning of his client was “demeaning” and “inappropriate”. He threatened…
Continue reading »Litigation “Venture Capital”: Contingency Fees in Probate Litigation
The growing income inequality between the very wealthiest Americans and the middle and working classes have made legal services more and more of a province of those who can afford attorneys and not those who need them. Fortunately, contingency fee…
Continue reading »Challenging A Will: The Importance of The Affidavit of Objections
Here’s a pretty grim statistic from 2015: On three separate occasions last year, a prospective client contacted me about assisting them in challenging a will, then decided to represent themselves. In each of these instances, the court ended up dismissing…
Continue reading »The derivative lawsuit: A little-used weapon against estates
When you step back and think about it, the administration of an estate carries with it the potential to provoke disagreement between the estate and its heirs. The personal representative (formerly known under prior law as the execturor) has the…
Continue reading »Alan secures arbitration victory in corporate creditor dispute
Alan’s client was recently awarded a substantial victory in a dispute concerning the creditors of a local company. The company was a closely-held firm that was in the business of real estate development. Alan’s client, one of the company’s original…
Continue reading »Alan Secures Victory For Widow in Bitterly Contested Estate Dispute
An arbitrator has issued a decision in favor of Alan’s client in a bitterly disputed, lengthy case that has its roots in events that occurred in the early 1990s. In late 1992, Gloria died without a will. Gloria’s husband, Peter,…
Continue reading »Alan Secures Favorable Trial Decision in Two Issues of First Impression In Homeowner-Contractor
Alan has scored a major victory following a jury-waived trial where he represented a homeowner who had claimed to be the victim of unfair business practices by contractor. After five days of trial, the court found that the contractor violated…
Continue reading »The Burden of Proof – Challenging a Will or Trust in Massachusetts
There are not many circumstances under which someone would normally challenge a will or a trust. But if you are a beneficiary, an heir, or another interested party and you are concerned about the validity of the documents pertaining to…
Continue reading »Can They Sit on Their Hands? Obligations of Personal Representatives to Diligently Administer Estates
I have received several inquiries recently from heirs of estates, expressing frustration over delays in the administration of those estates. In some instances the estates have existed for more than a decade, yet distributions have not been made to heirs…
Continue reading »
