- Divorce
- Adoption
- GuardianshipGenerally speaking, those who practice elder law are defined by the clients served, rather than a particular substantive area of law. At our firm, elder law primarily means helping individuals and families plan for the big challenges in life: incapacity, disability, long term care, and making gifts to loved ones and charities. We counsel clients of all ages on estate planning issues, emphasizing the need to plan for incapacity and the possibility of long term care, including Medicaid planning. We often work as a team with financial advisors and other professionals to ensure that individuals’ and families’ needs are met with a holistic approach. When crises arise, such as a sudden, unexpected need for long term care, we respond with sensitivity to the financial and emotional strain that can occur, offering counsel and representation on issues ranging from asset protection to guardianship and advocating for our clients and their families to secure their rights and ensure access to quality care.
- Wrongful DeathPersonal Injury and Wrongful Death - Rutland VT Lawyers | Estates, Litigation, Business, Personal Injury - Pratt Vreeland Kennelly Martin & White, Ltd.
- FraudLitigation of claims of “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce” brought under the auspices of Vermont’s Consumer Fraud Act, 9 VSA §§ 2451...
- Murder
- Business TransactionsI graduated from Rutgers in 1981, passed the bar exam and joined Gladstone and Hart as an associate that year. I became a partner at Gladstone and Hart in 1985. I was admitted to practice in Vermont in 1987 and began working with Carroll, George & Pratt, predecessor to this firm, as an associate. In 1989, I became a partner. My experience in the practice has been varied and extensive. I have tried criminal and civil cases to juries and judges in state and federal courts. I have also briefed and argued appeals in state and federal courts. Decisions in many of my cases are reported and are cataloged under the practice areas headings. I have represented clients in large complex business transactions including mergers and recapitalizations. I have been appointed a Chapter 11 Trustee in the Vermont Bankruptcy Court and an Administrator or Special Administrator in a number of Probate cases. I have also acted as mediator in about 100 cases, as an arbitrator in numerous cases and a commissioner in a Partition case. My practice is primarily focused on commercial litigation, the representation of creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, and representing parties in Probate litigation.
- Limited Liability CompaniesChoice of the appropriate entity for our clients’ business ventures (sole proprietorships; corporations, general, professional and nonprofit; partnerships, general and limited; limited liability companies);
- Trade Secrets
- Employment LitigationOngoing operations, customer and vendor relations, employment issues, including employment handbooks, confidentiality, trade secret, and noncompete agreements;
- Non-compete Agreement
- Real Estate LitigationDuring law school, I interned with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife General Counsel, where I assisted with a multitude of projects ranging from boundary disputes to proposed statutory language changes. I also interned with Pratt Vreeland Kennelly Martin & White, where I primarily focused on estate and probate matters.
- Construction Litigation
- Real Estate TransactionsWe provide experienced, detail-oriented representation to commercial and residential owners, purchasers, sellers, and developers of real estate in Vermont. We advise clients concerning title insurance requirements and coverage issues. Our real estate lawyers are licensed title insurance agents and issue title insurance commitments and owner and loan policies of title insurance with policy endorsements required in both residential and sophisticated commercial real estate transactions. Our services include...
- Easement
- Land Use and Zoning
- Condominium Law
- Personal InjuryAlternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) - Rutland VT Lawyers | Estates, Litigation, Business, Personal Injury - Pratt Vreeland Kennelly Martin & White, Ltd.
- Medical MalpracticeAfter law school I returned home and began working for the Rutland civil law firm of Webber, Reis, Holler & Urso. Bob Reis was my primary mentor at Webber Reis. He tried over fifty cases to jury verdict in his career and was perhaps the only lawyer in the state who obtained a million dollar jury verdict in a civil case, a defendant’s verdict in a wrongful death medical malpractice trial, and an acquittal in a murder trial. We worked together for over a decade. Together we represented dozens of lawyers, motorists, property owners and businesses in high dollar value cases. A few representative matters that are part of the public record include...
- Auto Accidents
- Medicaid Planning
- Estate PlanningBroadly speaking, estate planning includes everything from gifts within the family during life to elaborate plans for the passing of property at death, taking into account tax and nontax issues between generations. While it includes tax planning for transfer taxes (gift tax, estate tax, generation skipping transfer tax), the relevance of tax planning is greatly diminished because of the amounts exempt from tax at the Vermont and federal levels. We are now better able to focus attention on the family and business relationships that need attention when property interests are passed down the family line or to satisfy charitable objectives.
- WillsWe are available to provide advice, document preparation, and plan implementation for plans that include simple Wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, special needs and supplemental needs trusts, ownership or registration of real estate, investment and bank accounts, vehicles, business succession planning.
- TrustsAlthough my primary focus is probate estates and administration of trusts, I have experience in corporate and real estate matters. I have worked on large, more complex estates and trust administration to small estates.
- Power of AttorneyWe are available to provide advice, document preparation, and plan implementation for plans that include simple Wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, special needs and supplemental needs trusts, ownership or registration of real estate, investment and bank accounts, vehicles, business succession planning. Our experienced practitioners provide advice and services to families, individuals, businesses, and charities on a wide range of issues from the planning stages to implementation and continuing administration. We offer particular expertise in the areas of tax planning and trust administration, including limited fiduciary services, as well as Medicaid and supplemental needs trusts. Whether you want a simple Will, power of attorney, an advance directive for healthcare, are concerned with estate taxes, or need to provide for a loved one with special needs, we are here to help.
- ProbateSince 2004 I have been co-chair or chair of the Probate and Trust Law Section of the Vermont Bar Association, overseeing and personally participating on committees for the adoption of a trust code, an update to our inheritance law, an update to our principal and income act, and conducting a general review and reform of decedents’ probate law.
- BankruptcyWe have represented debtors and creditors, in liquidations, reorganizations, and the many elements of complex bankruptcy actions. Our attorneys have successfully prosecuted Chapter 11 matters and obtained confirmation of reorganization plans proposed on behalf of debtors, secured creditors, and court-appointed Chapter 11 Trustees. We have represented parties, including Official Committees of Unsecured Creditors, in many of the larger bankruptcy cases in Vermont over the last two decades, and have extensive experience in all aspects of bankruptcy litigation. Our bankruptcy practice is now limited to the representation of creditors and other non-debtor parties in interest in bankruptcy matters. We also represent mortgagees and judgment creditors in foreclosure and replevin actions and have carried out numerous non-judicial foreclosures on behalf of mortgagee clients.
- ForeclosureWe have acted as mediators, arbitrators, and court appointed commissioners in hundreds of commercial, bankruptcy, and foreclosure cases throughout Vermont.
- Tax Law
- Debt CollectionI have a general law practice with concentration areas in real estate law, bankruptcy law, and business/commercial law including commercial transactions, business organizations, employment law, and debt collection. I am a 1988 graduate of Fordham University School of Law.