Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Attorney Leanna Hamill provides Estate Planning and related legal services to clients of all ages, with a focus on the needs of older individuals and their families. Based in Hingham, Massachusetts, Attorney Leanna Hamill provides the following services:

• Estate Planning
• Estate Administration
• Guardianship and Conservatorship Services
• Comprehensive Estate and Medicaid Planning Evaluations
• Medicaid Advocacy

Leanna works with her clients to plan for and face life’s exciting changes, unexpected challenges and inevitable transitions. By listening to her clients’ needs and helping them identify their goals, Leanna is able to provide solutions to the issues facing today’s families and seniors.

ATTORNEY PROFILE

Leanna graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School, and has a degree in Sociology from the University of California, Davis. Prior to practicing law, Leanna worked at Tufts Health Plan, in the Appeals and Grievances Department, for over seven years. Leanna lives in Hingham and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the South Shore Coalition of Workers with the Elderly. Leanna is also one of the co-founders of the Women Attorneys Network of the South Shore ( http://www.wanss.org/ ) and can sometimes be found on Weymouth Community Television doing yoga with Back to Your Senses.

PRACTICE AREAS

Estate Planning

Leanna provides estate planning for clients of all ages and circumstances. For young families this can include selecting a guardian for minor children and planning for their future, while for older families or individuals this can include long-term care and disability planning, or simply updating their previous estate plans to reflect their current situation. Leanna works with clients to draft Wills, Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies and Living Wills that that take into account each client’s particular needs and wishes.

If necessary, Leanna can refer her clients to a trusted network of financial planners, accountants, geriatric care managers and other professionals to ensure all of her clients’ needs are met.

Estate Administration

Leanna provides full representation of fiduciaries administering estates. Probate administration includes filing the petition for appointment of the personal representative, preparing and filing the inventory of estate assets, paying decedent’s debts, distributing assets, filing tax returns, and filing accounts with the Probate Court.

Guardianship and Conservatorship Services

Leanna represents clients seeking guardianship and conservatorship of relatives who can no longer manage their personal or financial affairs and assists family members in fulfilling the duties imposed by these new roles.

Comprehensive Estate and Long Term Care Planning Evaluations

Leanna begins her representation of many clients with a comprehensive estate and long-term care planning evaluation. This evaluation determines the best planning strategies to pursue in order to meet the estate planning and long-term health care objectives of the client. Leanna examines all aspects of the client’s financial well-being and issues a follow-up letter which summarizes the client’s unique situation, reviews the law, and explains her recommendations for the best possible estate plan for the client.

Medicaid Advocacy

Leanna prepares or assists in the preparation and submission of the Medicaid application to the appropriate long-term care unit of the Division of Medical Assistance (DMA). At the client’s request, she co-ordinates all communications with the DMA, thereby removing the individual as much as possible from the tedious and often frustrating application process. If needed, Leanna can represent clients in connection with Medicaid appeals in administrative hearings before the Board of Hearings.

My practice is restricted exclusively to divorce and family law. I offer professional mediation, collaborative divorce, and traditional court -based representation when other options are not appropriate.

I am committed to superior client service, and use technology to help lower the stress of my clients while providing efficient and creative solutions to family law problems.

I am the owner of The Divorce Collaborative LLC in Medway, MA. Prior to forming this practice, I was the founder and Managing Parter at a Norfolk, MA law firm and was also an Associate Attorney at the Rosen Law Firm in North Carolina.

Please visit my website/blog at www.divorcecollaborative.com

Katie Lenihan was admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2004. Since that time her primary focus has been in the area of family law. She is currently an associate at the firm of Otis & Associates, P.C. and has been there since June, 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Lenihan worked in Lexington for the Law Office of Miriam G. Altman, P.C. She has worked in the following Courts: Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Middlesex, Essex and Worcester. She now primarily practices out of Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk and Middlesex.

Peter C. Herbst Jr. joined Baker, Braverman and Barbadoro, P.C. in September of 2008. Attorney Herbst concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial real estate, estate planning and estate administration. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Herbst was a partner in the firm of Herbst & Herbst, LLC where he concentrated on residential real estate, estate planning and land use.

Mr. Herbst is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Connecticut. Mr. Herbst graduated cum laude from Vermont Law School where he served as a member and Managing Editor of the Vermont Law Review. Mr. Herbst was also active in the Student Bar Association serving as its Webmaster and IT Coordinator. During his third year of law school, Mr. Herbst taught Legal Writing and Reasoning to first year law students. As an undergraduate, Mr. Herbst attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources and the Environment. He is also an alumnus of Phillips Andover.

Mr. Herbst served on the Board of Directors of LARC, Inc., a non-profit organization working to improve the lives of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mr. Herbst also served as a Zoning Hearing Officer for the City of Torrington, a position appointed by the City's Mayor.

Kevin W. Gaughen, Jr. joined the firm in August of 2009 from the Norfolk County District Attorneys office. Gaughen served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Wrentham, Quincy, Stoughton and Dedham District Courts and as the Assistant District Attorney in charge of the Brookline District and Juvenile Courts. Attorney Gaughen is known for his zealous trial advocacy. In a recent appeals court case, opposing counsel characterized him as to have "pummeled into the jury's consciousness"1 important portions of the case. The case was decided in his client's favor.

Attorney Gaughen is a graduate of American University where he was awarded a B.A. Gaughen received a Juris Doctorate degree from Suffolk University Law School. Gaughen was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2007.

Attorney Gaughen concentrates his practice in the areas of Criminal Law, Litigation and Family Law.

Attorney Gaughen is a member of various professional associations including the Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, Norfolk County Bar Association and Plymouth County Bar Association.


1. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Appeals Court. 2009-P-0154. Commonwealth v. Francis Fisher. Brief for the Defendant.