In addition to the general estate planning and probate administration services mentioned in Practice Areas, it is often necessary to integrate planning that involves choice of entity, whether S corporation or Limited Liability Company, for individual business activity and protection of these business interests and so business entity choice and ongoing counsel is part of the practice.
Since Divorce, we’re told, affects as many as 50% of married and other couples, almost always with impact on property and so the future prosperity and life potential of all concerned, especially children, divorce representation, direct or background, is integral to George’s practice. The best approach to managing the potential that any relationship may come to an unexpected and disappointing end is to consider a mutually respectful exit strategy, however counter intuitive that may seem, prior to committing to the relationship, whether it be marriage, civil union, business or other joint ventures in which property issues may be affected.
The goal is not merely property protection but rather thoughtfully considering the impact property has on the goal potentials for all concerned.
In the case of personal relationships, a person’s approach and attitude toward cohabitation, prenuptial, postnuptial and other agreements, grounded in fairness and transparency, are clues to what to expect if the relationship as so many do.
For people who own businesses the value of the business can be enhanced and preserved by careful entity choices, ownership succession planning and buy-sell agreements as applicable. Within families, clear understandings as to who will manage the business upon illness and who will take control and/or inherit on death can be sticky issues and ought to be addressed in the context of estate planning as well as independently.
Collaborative Law, meaning working together cooperatively vs. fighting for personal advantage, is George’s recommended approach whenever parties have basic respect for one another and are mindful of the consequences of all out legal warfare’s toll on combatants and families. See the Collaborative Solutions page or article in our Legal Service Blog.