Joseph R. Burcke | Saint Louis Estate Lawyer

• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis | Member
• Missouri Bar | Probate and Trust Law Committee

• Attorney Burcke is AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale Hubbell,(the highest professional rating available both as to ethics and professionalism) and has been named a “Top Rated Lawyer in Trusts and Estates” and a “Top Rated Lawyer in Litigation”. He serves on the Missouri Bar Probate and Trust Law Committee.
• The “AV Preeminent” rating is the pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous peer review process that is managed and monitored by the world’s most trusted legal resource, Martindale Hubbell.

I successfully settled a case after several days of trial in which an attorney had mismanaged the administration of a trust to the detriment of my client's interests. My client was an income beneficiary for life and disputes arose between my client, the residuary beneficiaries, and the successor trustee of my client's parents' trusts..

Prompt service, good client communication, good results yield client referrals

An attorney skilled in the area of law involved; who listens to the prospective client's recitation of his/her issue and asks probative questions; who can explain the issues involved, the applicable law, and possible outcomes, both good and not so good; wHo clearly explains the client's fee obligations ( so as not to be unpleasantly surprised later).

Being a lifelong St. Louisian, knowledge of where potential clients went to high school always provides a touchstone for better familiarity with prospective clients. Seriously, due to the nature of my practice, local knowledge really is not that important. However, the probate court's knowledge of me is important as the court is aware of the manner in which I conduct litigation and my reputation for honesty and preparedness, and knowledge of the subject matter of cases I bring or defend.

In my initial phone conversations, I try to determine the issues involved in a prospective client's matter; explain the legal basis of his/her issue and, in at least general terms, explain what I can do for him/her and a general outline of costs involved.

I seek the name and contact information of the client, a general recitation of the issues the client has and a summary of the facts that constitutes the basis of his/her call.

As an experienced, solo estate planning attorney, my depth of knowledge as to how to structure an estate plan far exceeds most general practitioners both in methods of probate court and estate taxation avoidance. Without extensive experience in the handling of trust and estate administrations, many attorneys do not know the proper questions to ask much less the best way to handle complex distribution provisions. By being in solo practice, I can provide services to clients at a substantially lower cost than larger firms with equally experienced estate planning attorneys, due to redcued overhead.

The most rewarding aspect of my profession is seeing the successful completion of a client's plan.

I love to ski and have recently commenced the frustrating practice of golf. I also read voraciously on a number of subjects.

I have consistently, throughout my career, dedicated time to worthy causes. I have served on the boards of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The American Parkinson Disease Association, served as chairman of the stewardship committee of my parish, and presently serve on the ALumni board of Chaminade College Preparatory School.