COMPETENCE:

I have been rated by the national attorney peer review rating service, Martindale Hubble, to have "very high legal ability." I have been Florida Bar Board Certified in the area of Civil Trial or Business Litigation since 1993. This certification indicates that I have special knowledge, expertise, and experience in this area of the law. I graduated from one of the top law schools in the country, the University of Michigan in 1978. I have a degree from the University of Montpellier in Montpellier, France. I graduated with High Honors from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Over the last several years I have attended more than 100 hours of continuing legal education in the areas of estate planning, probate, guardianship, litigation, and lawyer ethics.

INTEGRITY:

I have a "Very High" rating from the Martindale Hubble Peer Review service in the area of lawyer ethics. I have never been disciplined by The Florida Bar. In order to be Board Certified, a lawyer must have a clean disciplinary record.

FRIENDLY, RELAXED OFFICE ATMOSPHERE:

I have been practicing law in Winter Garden, Florida, as a sole practitioner since 1979. We maintain a friendly neighborhood atmosphere in our office where clients feel comfortable dropping by without appointments. We don't stand on formalities. I don't wear a suit and tie unless I'm going to court. I try hard to return my client's phone calls promptly. I do not subject my clients to any high-pressure sales pitch to convince them to purchase expensive estate planning. I do not attempt to sell them life insurance or anything other than my personal legal services. To sum it up, we treat our clients as our friends and neighbors, which they often are.

CONVENIENCE AND EFFICIENCY:

Over the years, I have utilized and adapted information technology to make my office more productive and efficient. For example, I have created a library of computer-generated probate forms which dramatically reduces the amount of time involved in producing the documents that are required to be filed with the court in a probate proceeding. This allows me to charge less for probate proceedings. I also make extensive use of voice recognition software, document scanning, computer data storage, estate planning and case management software to produce documents, store and retrieve my files, manage my cases, and communicate with my clients in the most productive manner.

For estate planning clients who are unable to travel, we can make special arrangements to visit them at their home, hospital, or assisted living facility. For other clients who are short of time or have difficulty in traveling, we offer our "Will While You Wait" service, whereby, with prior notice, we can consult with, prepare, and have signed basic wills and other estate planning documents in a single visit to my office of approximately one hour.

REASONABLE FEES:

Most estate planning work and probate proceedings are handled on a flat-fee basis which is discussed and agreed to up front. Compared to what other attorneys charge for similar services, I believe that my charges would fall squarely in the middle of the range. My hourly rate is most definitely in the middle of the range for attorneys with my experience and qualifications. Although I have no desire to be the cheapest attorney in town, I strive to keep my charges reasonable in comparison to what other attorneys charge.