Joel Bernstein, Estate & Trust Attorney
​I have decades of experience putting clients' minds at ease. |
You'll understand your estate plan because I'll explain in plain English. |
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Joel A. Bernstein is a highly accomplished attorney specializing in trusts and estate law in Massachusetts, with an impressive career spanning over 30 years. He began his journey in 1983 as in-house counsel at Hawk Mountain Corporation in Vermont, where he made significant strides by automating their deed production system to enhance compliance with state permitting procedures. In 1985, he moved to the real estate law firm of Scheier, Scheier, and Graham, where he continued to innovate by automating their extensive real estate conveyancing practice.
Bernstein's career took a significant turn in 1987 when he joined the Boston law firm of Kopelman and Paige. There, he partially automated their litigation practice, showcasing his ability to integrate technology into various legal processes. After earning an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University, Bernstein founded his own law firm, first in Wellesley, MA, and then, since 2000, in Lexington, where he resides. His decision to start his own practice followed his authorship of three nationally published articles on the economics of law and the automation of legal practices. In addition to managing his practice, Bernstein has been deeply involved in professional legal organizations. He served on the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and was a columnist for the ABA's "Probate and Property" journal in the 1990s. His nationwide lectures for Surgent McCoy on the income taxation of estates and trusts, as well as his significant contribution to "Loring and Rounds: A Trustee's Handbook," where he edited a chapter and introduced an automated system for post-death administration, further highlight his expertise and influence in the field. Bernstein is known for conducting over 300 workshops advocating the use of trusts over wills for effective estate planning to reduce taxes and legal costs post-death. His efforts have been pivotal in educating both professionals and the public about the nuances of estate planning. Throughout his career, Joel A. Bernstein has been a vanguard in integrating technology with legal practices, a dedicated educator, and an innovator in the field of trusts and estate law. His extensive experience, commitment to legal education, and contributions to legal literature establish him as a distinguished and respected figure in the Massachusetts legal community. |
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"You achieve plain English when you use the simplest, most straightforward way of expressing an idea. You can still choose interesting words. But you'll avoid fancy ones that have everyday replacements meaning precisely the same thing."
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I have the education and experience to help you, including a Tax Law degree. And will try to share it as plain as I can. |
Masters in Tax Law
Boston University, Boston, MA
Masters in Environmental Law
Vermont Law School, S. Royalton, VT
JD Law degree
Western New England University School of Law, Springfield, MA
Bachelor of Arts in English
Hobart College, Geneva, NY
Boston University, Boston, MA
Masters in Environmental Law
Vermont Law School, S. Royalton, VT
JD Law degree
Western New England University School of Law, Springfield, MA
Bachelor of Arts in English
Hobart College, Geneva, NY
A law office that is focused, streamlined, and clear. Really? |
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For almost 35 years I've been fascinated with the often-neglected intersection of three areas of legal work.
Knowledge in one area of law Websites of other lawyers generally list many areas of practice (divorce, personal injury, etc.), leading to dispersed knowledge. These all-purpose firms aren't optimized for wills and trusts and they have weak post-death administration systems. I feel that more in-depth understanding, more nuanced thinking, and better results tend to come from a single focus. I've continued to learn from other leaders in the field, including world-class Trust attorney, Charles Rounds of Boston, MA, and leading Living Trust attorneys on the West Coast. Legal automation process Legal automation is an approach to simplifying the management of the many documents, reviews, tasks, and deadlines needed to complete a legal project. Automation improves efficiency and accuracy of the legal work. I was a published columnist for legal automation from 1986–89 for the American Bar Association's Probate and Property journal. Plain English approach I've been fascinated with the plain English approach to legal communications, first learned from author/attorney Bryan A. Garner. I have studied Garner's writing for many year. Worked to eliminate much of the legalese in documents, letters, discussions with clients, my published writing, and my public appearances. I feel that greater understanding is good. So that you can better plan for the disposition of assets. Yes, it is important! Your stuff! Your money! Your death! Big stuff, eh? |
Publications
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"I began writing for publications early in my career and have enjoyed writing about legal topics that interest me. I've been published in over 15 national publications and was even mentioned in a 120-year-old treatise on the topic of the Administrative Trust."
A Trustee's Handbook (1898), Edited by Professor Charles Rounds, Jr.
In 2008, I met and studied under Professor Charles Rounds, Jr., of Suffolk University, the editor to the (1898) Loring and Rounds: A Trustee's Handbook, a leading authority in the trust field. I suggested and edited a section in the treatise on the topic of the Administrative Trust. Professor Rounds refers to me in the book for my work in the area of automating the post-death administration of trusts. Columnist and writer for national law publications
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Public appearances
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I've enjoyed speaking about estate planning and providing continuing education to attorneys and accountants. Thanks to my automation practices and efficiency skills, I found the time to do this despite a busy law practice!
Early proponent of the revocable living trust
Starting in 1993, I was among the first attorneys in Massachusetts to give public talks about the revocable living trust as a better alternative for some people to having a will. I enjoyed speaking on the topic and still do it, although less frequently. Continuing education for attorneys and accountants After seeing me speak, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MA, Charles Schwab, and the Foundation for Continuing Education engaged me to give continuing education to attorneys and accountants. By 2000, I had given over 300 public and private talks. The audiences included the American Bar Association, MA Society of CPAs, MA Society of Enrolled Agents, and Surgent McCoy on a national CPA level. |
Earlier work
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I began my practice as a real-estate attorney. Within a few years, I explored the specialty of estate planning and decided to make that my life's work.
Board of Governors: American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, 1992
In 1992, I learned about revocable living trusts (the modern approach to estate planning) from the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, based in San Diego, CA. The Academy appointed me to its board of governors. In-house counsel for Hawk Mountain Corporation, 1980s My first legal job was the attorney for the then well-known Vermont company, Hawk Mountain Corporation. The company built environmentally sensitive homes in Vermont's Green Mountains. By 1984 I'd computerized the way the builder created deeds to achieve higher accuracy and speed. PCs were still new, so my work was innovative, an early example of legal automation. While living in Woodstock, Vermont, I wrote my first article, describing the process I'd created at Hawk Mountain. By 1985, the American Bar Association (ABA) read the description and appointed me as technology chief for their Real Estate User Group and columnist for their national journal, Probate and Property. |