Estate Planning

Meet Carolyn Duncan Committed to addressing the most pressing concerns of our clients, I recognized the need to concentrate my focus on the estate planning strategies. Helping people through their most complex and often emotional decisions, I bring together thoughtful strategic planning, extensive knowledge of the latest legal thinking and economic policies and the foresight I’ve developed in over two decades of practice. I understand the emotional toll major life decisions can take. When my husband of 17 years fell ill and passed away, I was left wrestling with many wrenching decisions and complex legal hurdles. And when my mother was diagnosed with dementia and needed to be moved into an assisted living facility, the decisions, and legal ramifications were huge—as were the potential costs. These difficult experiences have shaped my approach to estate planning and family law, and they powerfully reaffirmed my commitment to helping my clients through their complex legal challenges. Whatever your unique situation may be, I am dedicated to sharing my knowledgeable and trusted voice as a fiercely advocates for your interests. My approach is deeply human, designed to amicably resolve disagreements as a first option, reducing the stress and mitigating many emotional triggers that death, business dissolution, or other shift in family or financial dynamics can release. By planning strategically and helping to eliminate the unknown, I offer peace of mind, ensuring protections for your family and the knowledge that your legacy is being preserved according to your wishes.

At The Hansen Law Firm we are dedicated to providing quality legal solutions and aggressive representation for people facing difficult legal issues. When you hire us, we will represent you with passion and perseverance, because you deserve nothing less. Proudly taking Estate and Injury cases. When not practicing law, Mr. Hansen works on his cattle and hay farm in Yamhill, Oregon with his wife and children. Mr. Hansen raced motocross since childhood and still actively enjoys riding and racing.

I specialize in estate planning for families, probate & estate administration, business succession planning, and resolving your IRS problems. I am an expert in the field, but it is my commitment to you that differentiates me from others. You can count on personalized, focused attention. Your estate plan will reflect your unique values and concerns. Your questions will be answered promptly and with respect. When you’re done, you’ll understand how the documents work and what you need to do to keep them current during your lifetime.

James Clifton is the founding member of The Clifton Law Firm, LLC and oversees the firm's multi-state practice. During the course of his career, James has focused primarily on real property, bankruptcy, wills, trusts, and estates, car accidents and slip and fall cases. Additionally, he possesses vast experience in suits to quiet title, real property and commercial lending transactions, comprehensive contract formation, title insurance claims, will drafting, estate planning, and probate litigation. On the weekends, James enjoys donating his time to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation's Saturday Lawyer Program where he represents indigent clients on a pro bono basis. In addition, he represented Fayette County in the Georgia Attorney General’s state wide food drive, The Legal Food Frenzy. In the past, he has served as an elected member of the Executive Council of the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division and is a graduate of the prestigious Young Lawyer Leadership Academy. James is also a past president of the Fayette County Bar Association. James is a member of the American Bar Association and its Real Property, Trust, and Estate Section. He is also an active member in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia and its Real Property Law Section, Bankruptcy Section, and Creditor's Rights Section; the Florida Bar and its Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section; the State Bar of California and its Real Property Law Section; the State Bar of Texas and its Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section; and the District of Columbia Bar and its Real Property Law Section. In addition to the state licensures, James is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, and the United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit. On May 14, 2012, James was sworn into the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Monica P. Patankar is a partner with the law firm of Patankar Law P.C. Monica takes a compassionate approach to helping clients solve their legal issues. She listens to each story carefully and understands that no two issues are alike. Monica's legal training and experience have prepared her to handle your legal needs. Monica gained her legal knowledge at University of Notre Dame Law School in Notre Dame, Indiana. Upon graduation, Monica worked for a large law firm, Chapman and Cutler LLP in Chicago, Illinois. At Chapman, Monica worked with large municipalities and other governmental entities to raise capital for large infrastructure projects. After working for Chapman, Monica also had the opportunity to focus her legal acumen on individuals with family law issues and businesses handling general litigation and transactional matters, before forming Patankar Law P.C. Moreover, through her previous work experiences, she gained an interest in taxation and furthered her education at Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law receiving an LL.M. in Taxation. Monica is trained as a Guardian ad Litem, an attorney that is appointed to determine what is in the best interest of the minor children, in Kane, DuPage, and Kendall Counties. To schedule an initial consultation with a skilled Aurora Tax Attorney, call 630-820-8877.

Christopher J. Finley is the Managing Attorney at Finley Law Firm. He practices primarily in the areas of estate planning, probate and trust dispute law. Chris is motivated by the proactive nature of estate planning and utilizes strategies to bring peace of mind to his clients and prevent court action. His former practice areas include commercial litigation, real estate law, employment law, contract law, collections, and business organization and administration. He has extensive experience as support for complex commercial and civil litigation matters, including claims in such areas as civil RICO, fraud and fraudulent transfer, real estate, medical malpractice, personal injury, and bankruptcy adversary proceedings. Chris was selected with the Mountain States Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Cristian R. Arrieta serves clients with comprehensive estate planning and handles business matters including transactions, dispute resolution, expert advocacy and trust and estate litigation. He also serves as general outside legal counsel to many of his business clients. His expertise includes handling business partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies; sales, mergers and acquisitions; due diligence; contracts; probate and trust administration; will contests and trust litigation; property disputes; elder law matters; and asset protection. Cristian is a volunteer with the Ventura County chapter of SCORE – Counselors to America’s Small Business, Womens Economic Ventures, as well as Senior Concerns in Thousand Oaks. He is a cum laude graduate of California Western School of Law, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy, cum laude, at California State University, Northridge. Cristian was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2005 and began in his practice the same year. Born and raised in Southern California, Cristian has also lived in Lima, Peru, where he co-owned and managed an American-style food and spirits establishment and taught English. Cristian is fluent in Spanish. He and his family live in Newbury Park.

John F. “Jack” Whitworth was born in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1959. Jack earned a B.B.A (Accounting) from the University of Texas at Austin in August, 1981. He subsequently worked in the oil and gas industry in Houston, Texas for several years. He became a Certified Public Accountant (Texas) in October, 1984 and attended law school at South Texas College of Law, graduating in August, 1990 with a J.D. degree. Jack practices primarily in the area of estate planning and probate and strives to develop long-term professional relationships with his clientele based on mutual respect and trust. He is committed to giving each client’s matter his undivided attention. Before relocating to San Antonio in 2005, Jack was a member of the Northside Rotary Club of Victoria, Texas. He serves as a Lector at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, and Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Jack serves as an associate member of the Board of Directors for Security Service Federal Credit Union.

As a lawyer for over 30 years, on a daily basis, John Teter has assisted thousands of clients in achieving their business and personal goals. He draws on this wealth of real-world experience, coupled with interaction with colleagues and a lifetime commitment to continuing education, to provide his clients the best legal representation possible. It is a great source of personal pleasure to apply these tools to assist others. Mr. Teter considers each case to be a personal challenge to achieve what is best for each of his clients. As an experienced taxation law attorney, he has the knowledge and resources to handle complex tax problems of individuals and business owners. Whether it involves a tax audit, tax appeal, or other matter, you can depend on John D. Teter for insightful analysis and skillful representation. Mr. Teter founded his own law firm to provide personalized service to each and every client. The law firm has the resources and experience of a large firm but the focused and customized attention you would expect from a smaller firm.