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MA Wills and Trusts:
​The only law we practice

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781-863-8606

Law Office of Joel Bernstein, Lexington, MA
www.jbernsteinlaw.com 
 email: joel@JBernsteinlaw.com

Clients review us here

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"You seem to know something about law. I like that in an attorney,"

• ​​​​Revocable Living Trusts
• Wills with guardians for children
• Estate tax planning
• Health Care Proxy 
  
• Durable Power of Attorney

• ​Trusts for Problem Beneficiaries
• Post Death administration of wills and trusts
• Fiduciary Accounting for Trusts
• Income tax planning for Terminally Ill
• Review/Updating Documents

• On the Internet I recently viewed two educational videos by a law professor and NY attorney.
• Because I think each is highly informational I've added links.

VIDEO
​Click here: Professor Mary Radford on "Revocable Trusts"

COMMENT:    I mostly agree with the professor. But she doesn't go into how a Living Trust works in Massachusetts to lower State estate taxes for a married couple.  For married clients,  we talk about how this works.

VIDEO
Click here: Attorney Bernard Krooks on "Understanding Powers of Attorney"

COMMENT:   For many years our Durable Power of Attorney document is about 30 pages.  Over the years we've worked to improve it and now it even deals with digital assets. 

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MA ​Estate Planning Attorney
​Joel Bernstein - Serving Clients Throughout Massachusetts
​Do you want to -

• Get an estate plan including a comprehensive will or living trust with health care proxy and durable power of attorney documents that legal experts recommend?
• Deal with the MA estate tax for estates over $1 million? Protect beneficiaries with issues (overspending, alcohol, addiction, bad marriage)? Avoid probate? Name a child's guardian just in case?
• Get legal assistance after the death of a family member? Probate a will or administer a trust?
• Learn from an in-depth discussion of your estate planning options, by direct talk with an experienced attorney?
• Do all of these with a 'plain English' approach to discussion and written documents?​

​

​I asked a leading authority and acclaimed author Vickie Schumacher to write about estate planning topics.

She is the author of the best-selling book 'Understanding Living Trusts' a classic in the field.​

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20+ Plain English Articles by guest author Vickie Schumacher

  REVIEWS

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Joel was great in helping my husband and I with our estate planning. He was incredibly knowledgeable, and very patient as we worked out complicated details. I would recommend him for both simple and complex issues.
                                                     Mary

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I first met Joel six years ago. I was a clueless client who needed help and advice. I had many questions about estate planning and post death administration in general, and many more about my specific situation. I was impressed and touched by how intently Joel listened to my questions and how thoughtfully he answered them.
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Joel recently provided us with an estate plan. We found his firm's service to be exactly what we had hoped for. The process was clearly described in an initial meeting. The paperwork produced was organized and his explanations to the questions we had were thoughtful and understandable. Joel is a pleasure to work with and very knowledgeable. I recommend his legal expertise in crafting a will wholeheartedly. 
                                                                             William McIIroy
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My wife and I recently (December 2017) established living trust plans and updated our wills and other end-of-life documents. Our interactions with Mr. Bernstein and staff was at highest professional quality. He understood our family and our wishes, which he translated into an estate plan.  We highly recommend him.
                                                                Robert Harvey
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Joel took the time to understand my situation. He then made a recommendation that was the right "product" for me. He took the time to explain why his recommendation was more appropriate than something else. He made me feel very comfortable and I trusted him. I would refer him in a heartbeat!
                                                                           Cartoon 101
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Joel Bernstein and his office provide amazingly comprehensive services in a personable and professional way. Everything is explained in "Plain English," making every part of planning comfortable and easy-to-understand. There is simply no better attorney or law office for wills, estates, and trusts than Joel Bernstein and his staff.  
                                                                    Stacy Stableford

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 ​We had the good fortune to meet Attorney Joel Bernstein at his
office, and spent a very productive afternoon. His experience and
charisma made the process of doing legal paperwork easy for us. I would highly recommend Attorney Joel A. Bernstein for his knowledge and professionalism.
                                                                           Sincerely,
​                                                                           Michael Earl Gordon  

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Attorney Bernstein is highly skilled at what he does. He made the process creating wills, actually enjoyable. 
                                                                             Katherine Pike

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Very clear in letting us know how and why to set up our Trust, and very organized!  
                                                                              Jane Beswick

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Joel is very personable, and good at demystifying the scary business of planning one's own will. I definitely would recommend.  
                                                                              Lizbeth Piel

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Joel did a great job legally expressing my intentions while setting up my estate and health care proxy.
                                                                             Gary Edelstein

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 Joel Bernstein is an exceptional attorney. Joel has a keen and impassioned focus on his craft, which is estate planning, tax planning and trusts. Not only does Joel possess a tremendous legal expertise in his field, but more importantly, he is clearly passionate about what he does. Joel's expertise and passion are delivered in a legal framework that is clearly enlightened and ethical.

And Joel brings to his clients more than just his own experience and expertise. He brings to the table an entire office team that can deliver to his clients a seamless continuum of value and service.

Thank you Joel, and Joel Bernstein Law, for your exemplary service.
                                                                             Michael & Lauren Smith 

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 Joel is very knowledgeable in the are of wills and trusts. He created our initial trust and updated it a couple of years ago. He is pleasant to deal with and and has provided valuable advise. It is important that he also provides post death financial follow-up to make sure everything happens as it was planned. His fees are consistent with others.
                                                                         Steven Stamm 

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Joel and his staff were great, explained everything to me in a way that I could understand. That was very important to me. My documents were done and I have peace of mind!!! Thank you, Joel. I also went to one of his info sessions and that too, was very helpful.
                                                                              Vicki Andrews​  

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 Joel was fantastic and responded extremely quickly to my questions. While I now live in RI and Joel couldn't help in my situation, he directed me to folks that could. Thanks for going the extra mile! 
                                                                         Michael Bonnell

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Joel helped us understand our options relative to our own personal situation and to our goals in a complete and clear way that we had not had with other lawyers. We were able to make well-considered decisions as a result. He was thorough, patient, and good-humored. We really feel like we are in good hands.  
                                                                             Michelle Hoiseth

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My offer to you:
A personalized, objective, clearly presented discussion about your estate planning options.

People come to us when they want a clear, understandable discussion of their estate planning situation. To understand what you get, let me tell you about our approach:
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"Most mornings, around 6 a.m. I brew a pot of coffee at home and read for 45 minutes. I focus on the law involving wills, trusts, or post death administration of these estate planning approaches.

I've found that my concentration and understanding is best at this time of day, And reading for this period of time.

I do this because all my professional work is dedicated to this area of law. So I often see my reading helping prospects and clients daily, often multiple times in a week. I've been doing this for about 20 years.

When I finish, I put a bookmark in place and go to the office. There I want to communicate with each new person  or existing client in as plain English as I can. 

​Like a farmer, I arise early so others don't have to. I love the morning, and the quiet. And learning on a daily basis. So, come talk about your own estate planning."
     
Joel Bernstein
​Lexington, MA
April 2018

Contact Us

Call us at (781) 863-8606 or email us at joel@jbernsteinlaw.com. We will contact you and set a date and time to meet to discuss your estate planning. 

Focused
​We concentrate in this ar​ea of law, and I've studied many aspects of MA estate planning using wills, and particularly trusts, for 26 years.

​Through regular, early morning study, I've kept away from trying to master many (too many) areas of law. And by studying a single area (or two).

Another's website frequently shows many areas of law - one after another. Instead, I want to know one, well. 

​Easier to understand  
Plain English for you and your family (when you're gone). And for 24 years we've uniquely updated clients twice a year on law changes, reminding them about changes in their own lives as well.

Recognized in field
Conceived and edited chapter in 119 year old treatise Loring and Rounds: A Trustee's Handbook. Regular lecturer to  professionals on income taxation of trusts and estates. Former American Bar Association columnist on technology. Three major law articles.

Efficient post death system 
We've taken the time and effort to systemize accomplishing the steps needed after death. The bereaved appreciate this approach and the Trustee's Handbook  takes note. So we can expedite post death administration of trusts and probate of wills - while giving the client a better understanding of the process.

Non-U.S. Citizens - Green card holders
This is one of the areas we frequently deal with. There are special concerns, both during life and after a death has occurred.

Experienced 
Over 26 years in the field.  Over 2700+ trusts and wills. 

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Would you like a quick overview?
​
​Click on the video to see Joel on public TV.

Public TV Interview of Joel Bernstein

From the TV interview on Lexington cable, August 2016. Discussing:

• the basics of wills and trusts
• how he works with clients
• the importance of keeping your estate planning up-to-date

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How to make it more readable
​

• use headings
• create shorter sentences
• more white space
• highly readable font
• delete useless words

But remember that legal drafting involves precision and they cannot be read like a book or newspaper. It is a technical subject. I like to think of our work as 'Plain(er)' and not easy to digest without some focus by the reader. 

"Now read me the part again where I disinherit everybody."

Abit of legal humor - Permission of New Yorker

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