I concentrate my practice in estate planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney), probate, and in elder law (guardianships, powers of attorney, living wills, and Medicaid and nursing home issues). As, a former New Jersey state mediator, I am also Collaboratively trained to resolve family issues in elder and probate matters.
Since becoming an attorney in 1985, I have experienced the area of Elder Law grow from an occasional question about powers of attorney and guardianships, to a full-blown specialized practice area. It hit home when I saw the effects of poor planning when my wife became executor of her uncle’s estate. The estate left a large sum of money to a severely disabled person, who was then in danger of losing all of his benefits – including his apartment in a specialized home.
I am not a veteran, having reached the age of service just after the end of the Vietnam War. My father was a Korean War Veteran, and my grandfather, World War I. I spent some time at the local VFW Post, where my father served as Adjutant for many years. As a boy, I remember World War II veterans telling me stories and being amazed. They have all passed, but I still remember their faces and their names. As a Boy Scout, I spent many hours with my father selling “Buddy Poppies”, and even volunteering to raise the flag, daily, at the veteran’s circle in town. I respect these men greatly, and felt a sense of honor being around them.
From this and other life experience, I learned to appreciate people and their stories (I love history). This has served me well because Lawyers have to spend time finding out, not only about the individual client, but about his or her family, taking a “holistic” approach to the preparation of these documents, and helping with these issues.
I am very active in the community, advocating on behalf of the elderly and their families. A former member of the Hunterdon Medical Center Ethics Committee, and the Hunterdon Regional Ethics Committee, I maintain an active role in Volunteer Guardianship One on One, Inc., (Past President), presently as counsel to its Board of Trustees (pro bono). I served as President of the Hunterdon County Bar Association from 2010 to 2011. I am a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and am active in its New Jersey Chapter.
I enjoy teaching and make myself available to clubs and organizations, and present at county bar association continuing legal education programs and elderly outreach programs.
I received my law degree from Temple University School of Law, where I was Associate Editor of the school’s Environmental Law & Technology Journal. My undergraduate degree is in history, cum laude, from William Paterson College of New Jersey.
Designations & Certifications
- Trained as a mediator by the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators (2014).
- President of the Hunterdon County Bar Association-2010-2011.
- President of Volunteer Guardianship One on One, Inc. 2012-2015.
- Honoree, Volunteer Guardianship Volunteer of the Year 2018.
- Trustee, New Jersey Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys 2015.
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