Legal Services & Lawyers

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.

Paul Epstein, a native of Hull, graduated Hull High School in 1971. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a B.S. in Criminology. Mr. Epstein also has an M.S. in Criminal Justice from American International College, and a J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center.

Before starting law school, he worked as a police officer and an investigator for the public defender's office. Upon graduation from law school, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County, where he became the supervising ADA for the Lawrence area. As recognition of his extensive trial experience, Mr. Epstein was selected to be a clinical instructor of trial tactics at Harvard Law School.

Prior to forming The Law Offices of Epstein, Lipsey & Clifford P.C. with Bruce Lipsey and Scott Clifford, Mr. Epstein was a founding partner in The Law Offices of Spillane & Epstein, P.C. Attorney Epstein concentrates in Personal Injury, Education Law, Products Liability, Business Mediation, and Criminal Defense. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, The Federal District Court, The United States Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He has also been admitted to argue cases in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Florida.

Mr. Epstein is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, The Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, The Massachusetts Bar Association, The Plymouth County Bar Association, and has been named an Advocate by the National College of Advocacy in Alabama. Mr. Epstein has tried hundreds of cases in most Courts in the Commonwealth, and has mediated many business disputes.

Mr. Epstein lives in Hull and is a Board member of many civic and religious organizations. He has two daughters.

I am an attorney who practices solely in the areas of Workers' Compensation and Social Security Disability. I have written and lectured extensively on the subjects and truly enjoy the work I do.

I am an Attorney who understands the needs of my clients. In my practice areas of estate planning, probate administration, residential real estate, and elder law, I work directly with each individual client to tailor my work to my client's particular legal needs. I am a small office of one, which means that you are always dealing with me directly and will always get timely representation and response from me. I put my clients first.