D ealing with the death or incapacity of a loved one can be difficult. Our highly skilled professionals guide you through what can be a complicated process, whether in the probate courts or in the the complex world of trust administration. We will assess your situation and provide you with the services that you need. It is our goal to get you through the estate administration process as quickly as possible while insuring compliance with the complex laws that govern that process. If the estate you are administering is a taxable estate, we will gather the information necessary to prepare the estate tax return, and we will prepare and file the return on your behalf. We can also help you obtain a guardianship or conservatorship over a loved one who can longer manage their own affairs.
W hether you are buying or selling a home or a business property, having qualified legal representation is critical. When your business is buying or selling real estate, working with your lending institution to structure the appropriate financing and insuring that the deal is the right fit for your business are important steps. We have been representing businesses in the purchase and sale of real estate, as well as in refinancing existing debt, for over thirty years. We have dealt with all kinds of properties, from small professional buildings to large manufacturing sites. We will review and negotiate contracts and loan packages, research zoning requirements and environmental concerns, and give you the advice that will allow you to make informed decisions. When you are satisfied, we will see the transaction through to a closing. If you are selling your home or buying a new one, our team will see to it that your interests are represented through every step of the process.
I f you are a landowner interested in finding a way to protect your land in perpetuity from the forces of development, we can help you explore the options that may be available to you. Your land may be important as wildlife habitat, as a working farm or wood lot, because of hiking trails that pass through it, or for its scenic value: whatever its significance, we can help you find the best approach to accomplish your objectives. We can advise you with respect to a sale, a gift, or a bargain sale of all or part of the land itself, or of a conservation restriction on all or part of the land, and we can integrate these approaches into your financial and estate planning and advise you as to income tax and estate tax implications. Because we have extensive experience in negotiating and implementing land conservation transactions of all kinds, we can provide you with capable representation from the initial planning of the conservation of your land right through to the closing.
Wills
N adia McGourthy advises clients on simple and complex estate and tax planning matters, including preparing wills and trusts, probating estates, and preparing estate tax returns. She also represents buyers and sellers in commercial and residential real estate transactions and handles guardianships and conservatorships in the Worcester Probate Court. Attorney McGourthy is committed to and experienced in drafting, securing approval of, and enforcing historic preservation restrictions for architecturally significant commercial and residential properties. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Preservation Worcester, Inc. for over a decade, chairing its Urban Design Committee, and she was a member of the Regional Advisory Council of Preservation Massachusetts. After obtaining her Juris Doctor, Attorney McGourthy studied estate and gift taxation, taxation of trusts and fiduciaries, federal income tax, corporate taxation, and state and local taxation at Boston University School of Law’s Graduate Tax Program.
Trusts
G eorge Dresser focuses his practice on land conservation. He provides general counsel to a number of conservation land trusts and handles land conservation transactions of all kinds for both land trusts and landowners. He has extensive experience in drafting conservation restrictions and in shepherding them through the statutory approval process. He also advises landowners with respect to the federal income tax issues related to donations and bargain sales of land and conservation restrictions. Attorney Dresser’s practice also includes estate planning; he has a particular interest in planning for landowners and in helping families devise tax-efficient ways of transferring their land into the next generation. In addition, he handles estate and trust administration, and does some general real estate work as well.