John Costanzo | Bolton Estate Lawyer

• Member of the American Bar Association

I made a big difference in the quality of life of a woman who was living at home and was unable to take care of herself. Her hired caregivers were taking advantage of her financially. The woman's family contacted me and we hastily prepared a guardianship and conservatorship case to remove the woman from her home to a caring and loving family environment. Sometimes proud older persons try to stay independent far past their ability and, although generally looked on as a loss of independence, a guardianship and conservatorship usually significantly improves the person's quality of life. I prefer, however to make small differences, but preparing for the situation above long before a person's decline, by preparing a comprehensive estate plan which in addition to any Wills or Trusts, includes a Durable Power of Attorney, a Health Care Proxy and a Living Will. Having these items will generally avoid court involvement and oversight as described above, which is costly and burdensome.

With a free phone consultation, I can provide a relatively accurate description of what I think the client needs. When a consultation is about Estate Planning, I can generally narrow the client's choices to a few options before our first meeting. When a consultation is about Guardianship or Conservatorship, I can give the client a general overview of what to expect and the timeline for becoming a guardian or conservator. In consultations concerning Lemon Law or Used Car Warranty cases, I generally give advice concerning what the client may do in advance of hiring a lawyer and when they should seek representation.

If the consultation is surrounding Estate Planning, the client should be prepared to speak about their goals for their Estate Plan (Family Care, Medicaid Planning, Estate Tax Planning, Gifting), their family constellation, their assets and the favored distribution of those assets. With this information, I can start to talk to the client about their options. If the consultation is surrounding Guardianship and Conservatorship, the client should be prepared to speak of the status of the person that needs a conservatorship/guardianship, their assets, their family constellation, as well as, interested parties and what the plan is if they successfully become a guardian/conservator. If the consultation involves Lemon Law or Used Car Warranty, the client should be prepared to tell me when the vehicle was purchased and for what price, how many miles were on the vehicle at purchase, as well as a timeline of interactions with the dealer.

Personal service and convenience differentiates me from other lawyers in my community. As a solo practitioner, I am the only one involved with the client from start to finish. The number one complaint about lawyers is that the don't call back. I call back, usually the same day and I answers emails most of the time within a few hours. I also keep appointment hours in the evenings and on weekends, because nobody wants to take a vacation day from work to meet with a lawyer! Lastly, I make house calls at no extra charge. I am happy travel to a client's home to meet with them and this has the added bonus that the client can never forget to bring their paperwork!

For the past 15 years, I have worked at a private non-profit agency serving the needs of persons with mental health disorders and developmental disabilities. I continue working there as a part-time recruiter, trying to bring caring and hardworking individuals into the field to better care for and increase the independence of those persons served by the agency.