Faith E. Delaney
Attorney at Law - Legal Services for Life Planning
We understand your desire to protect your legal and financial future.
Practice Areas
We offer comprehensive services to ensure your legal and financial security now and in the future — Whether you are planning for the future with your estate plan, involved in a medical crisis requiring Medicaid planning and application, or need to probate an estate for a deceased family member.
We provide compassionate, cost-effective representation in Merrimack Valley and Southeastern New Hampshire in the following areas:
Estate Planning
Many clients think a will is the only part of estate planning. Estate planning is a comprehensive set of documents designed to allow others to assist you when you need help with medical decisions and finances, and managing your estate during lifetime and after death.
Estate planning documents take into account your unique personal and financial situation, including estate and income taxes, and a spouse or a child’s disability.
BASIC PACKAGE
WILL
A document which disposes of all of your property titled in your name alone which does not have a named beneficiary at death – “Probate Property”. The will has to go through a court process called probate administration before your wishes in the will can be carried out.
Durable Power of Attorney
A document in which you designate an agent or “Attorney in fact,” a trusted person, to have the authority to administer all of your financial affairs.
Health Care Proxy
Also called "Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare." A document in which you give the authority to another person, a “Health Care Agent”, to make medical decisions if you are incapacitated, including life-sustaining treatment.
HIPAA Release
A document that allows others to speak to your medical professionals while you are still competent
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS
TRUST
A document that takes effect the moment you sign it. Trusts are designed so that your assets avoid the costs and delays of probate after death.
A-B TRUST (CREDIT SHELTER TRUST)
Trusts that help minimize federal and state estate taxes at your death if your estate exceeds the federal or state estate tax exemptions.
IRREVOCABLE TRUST
Irrevocable Trusts can shelter assets from nursing home costs, qualify you for Veteran’s Aid & Attendance benefits, or retain a disabled person’s eligibility for public benefits.
Long Term Care & Medicaid Planning
We can help you create and implement a plan to protect your assets from future nursing home costs, whether by using an irrevocable trust or other protection strategies that are available.
We can provide swift crisis intervention if a loved one has already been placed in a nursing home, qualifying that person for Medicaid and protecting assets immediately.
We can also assist Veterans of World Wars and their surviving spouses to plan and qualify for Veteran’s Aid & Attendance benefits, a monthly stipend to pay for care at home or in an assisted living facility.
Guardianship & Conservatorships
Sometimes family members have not done their estate planning when they suffer a medical crisis and need help from others with making their medical and financial decisions. Our office is experienced in navigating the probate courts to obtain guardianship and conservatorship for a loved one so that someone else is in charge to make those crucial medical and financial decisions.
Probate of Estates
When a family member or close friend passes away, our office is ready to assist you in all aspects of administering that person’s estate including:
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Probating the estate or trust in the probate courts in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
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Collecting, selling, and distributing estate assets
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Selling real estate in the estate
Special Needs Planning
In an era of shrinking government benefits it is crucial to set up a plan for some of your family’s assets to be set aside for a disabled child that will allow the child to maintain public benefits. We can help you with that plan.
An adult disabled child may also need his or her own estate plan, or need a guardian appointed to make medical and placement decisions.
Finally, we can help a disabled adult who obtained assets that will disqualify him or her from public benefits by the use of a trust or other planning options, which will permit that adult to maintain such public benefits.