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Areas of Practice


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Areas of Practice


Family Law


Family Law


 
 
 
 

Family Law & Divorce

Divorce is complicated.   Every marriage and every family is different.  The circumstances in which each of you find yourselves during a breakup will be different with new and different challenges.  Nerves are raw.  Old relationships become volatile.  The law and the judges who apply the law appear unpredictable.  What you may want for yourself today may be different from what you want a few months later.  In this strange new world where the landscape is always shifting, you will need the guidance of an experienced family law attorney.

A divorce may typically raise questions about how to separate, custody, parenting time and support for a child, maintenance of a spouse, the value of a home, business or other assets, whether and how you can get back property you brought into the marriage, who will receive the home or pension and how the other party may be compensated for their interest. These and other difficult issues are overwhelming and have filled many books and workshops and dominate on-line divorce web-sites.  While useful knowledge can be obtained from these sources, it is unlikely that good answers to your specific questions will be found there. Good answers will be mined only after you immerse yourself with knowledge from trusted resources such as The Lilac Tree and get advice from an experienced family law attorney.  Interview two or three different family law attorneys and compare their respective recommendations, approaches and styles so that you can gauge who may be best for you.  Since harmful missteps often occur at the beginning of a breakup, that knowledge and advice should be sought out as soon as possible.

ENGELMAN & SMITH has practiced family law for nearly 40 years. We will focus that depth of experience in a thorough investigation of the facts and an adept advocacy of your interests. We will strive for creative solutions to maximize your financial recovery and minimize the emotional scarring to you and your family. We will develop, with you, a strategy and approach we think will work best in your circumstances.

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Real Estate


Real Estate


 
 
 
 

Residential & Commercial Real Estate

At ENGELMAN & SMITH, we have extensive experience with both residential and commercial properties, representing buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants, financiers and borrowers, investors, developers and converters. In approaching any transaction we strive to minimize risk while maximizing return. We are always mindful of the need to balance these goals with the objective of getting the deal done.

Whether it is buying a house, leasing an office, converting an apartment building, seeking zoning for a mixed use project or structuring a real estate investment, the attorneys at ENGELMAN & SMITH have the knowledge and expertise to move the deal forward while protecting your back.

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Estate Planning & Probate


Estate Planning & Probate


 
 
 
 

Estate Planning & Probate

The challenges faced by clients and their families when confronted with aging, illness, disability, death and estate distribution can be daunting.

The attorneys at ENGELMAN & SMITH have nearly four decades of experience in addressing the legal challenges of planning in uncertain environments.

We can help you create a plan to manage, administer and distribute assets both during your lifetime and after, while considering the personalities of future recipients, and the issues of business succession, asset protection, tax reduction and insurance. If you are a young family starting out, you may need a simple will, one that provides for guardians to raise your children in the event something happens to you and your spouse and also includes a testamentary trust to address your children’s financial needs. If you have accumulated assets, you may need a will that takes full advantage of the estate tax exclusion, portability, the marital deduction and other techniques used to minimize tax consequences on your estate or a living or revocable trust to avoid the costs, expense and delays of probate.

Life is uncertain, and estate planning requires the ability to adapt to unforseen events. At ENGELMAN & SMITH, we can assist you in seeking guardianships over loved ones who cannot care for themselves, whether due to age, accident, or illness. And we can also assist you through the process of trust administration or probate when necessary.

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Business & Entrepreneurship


Business & Entrepreneurship


 
 
 
 

Business Formation, Planning & Contracts

If you are starting a new business, or buying or selling an existing one, you need experienced business law attorney to help structure the transaction.

At ENGELMAN & SMITH we have assisted hundreds of entrepreneurs in bringing their ideas to market, maintaining their businesses in good standing, growing and cashing in on the fruits of their labor.

We can:

  • assist you in creating and documenting your relationship with your partner, investor or financier;
  • help you in selecting the type of organizational entity which best suits your needs and business operation;
  • explain to you the advantages and disadvantages of various business forms and
  • assist you in documenting financing for acquisition or operations.  

We will work to protect your interests when preparing necessary contracts and will advise you regarding compliance with regulatory requirements, obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and drafting documents required to maintain your business in good standing. And if you are selling your business we not only document the transaction, but strive to ensure that returns are maximized, deferred receipts protected, and lingering liabilities eliminated.

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Litigation


Litigation


 
 
 
 

Litigation

The lawyers at ENGELMAN & SMITH are dedicated to aggressively protecting pursuing your interests. In each case we handle, we put your interests first. We take considerable time to understand your unique circumstances and needs. We thoroughly investigate the facts and carefully analyze the law applicable to litigation. We provide a candid assessment of case strengths and weaknesses to allow you to make informed decisions about your case. Because we have handled numerous transactional activities on behalf of clients, we understand how deals are put together and where the trouble spots are. This makes us able to better understand how to enforce a deal or unravel it.

We have a long history of proven success in litigation and have earned favorable results from juries, judges and in negotiated settlements.