North Washington Estate Planning Lawyers

I help people take care of their families. I have extensive experience with all types of estate planning including wills, trusts, financial and medical powers of attorney. I also engage in digital asset estate planning because so many of our assets are online or in the cloud these days. I help my clients protect their assets from nursing home costs. The best time to plan for nursing home costs is in advance. I also engage in crisis Medicaid planning. If you have a loved one who is facing a long stay in a nursing home, I...

Currently taking cases in Beaver County for adoption, child custody, child support, divorce, guardianship, grandparent visitation rights, and estate probate and planning (Wills, Power of Attorney, Living Will.)
Call (724) 683-6304 to schedule a free consultation.
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm
Weekend and evening meeting times are always available.

John B. Payne, Attorney, established his practice in 1983, becoming a full-service general practice and litigation firm in 1988, when John received his LL.M. in Taxation. John lectures on estate planning and other topics to groups interested in legal issues. He is the author of Michigan Probate and Counseling the Elderly Client in Michigan, plus numerous articles and seminar manuals. Experienced in appellate matters John has appealed many criminal, civil rights and tax cases in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Attorney Jeffrey Weinberg is a native Pittsburgher who has successfully defended clients in front of judges and juries in multiple counties across Western Pennsylvania and in Federal Court. He attended law school at Duquesne University where upon graduation he was admitted to practice in Pennsylvania as well as all Federal Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.

He has been in practice for 37 years.

Areas of Practice
Criminal Law
Civil Ligitation
Personal Injury
Workman's Compensation
Immigration Law
Estates/Contracts Law

Bar Admissions
Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania

Education
Washington and Jefferson College
B.A. 1977?
Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
J.D. 1980

Professional Associations and Memberships
Allegheny County Bar Association, Member

Dean Phillips is an attorney that focuses his practice in corporate and business representation, real estate, and civil litigation. Dean prides himself on his responsiveness and attention to detail. Dean is a 2019 graduate of Allegheny College where he received a bachelor's degree in History, with honors. In 2022, Dean graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar later that year. Dean is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Practice includes all phases of estate planning and estate administration.

Attorney Merwin grew up in New Bethlehem Pennsylvania. He received his high school diploma from Redbank Valley High School, his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and his Doctorate of Juris Prudence from the Massachusetts School of Law. Attorney Merwin's areas of practice include, but are not limited to, Divorce, Bankruptcy, Estates/Probate, Criminal Defense, DUI, Family Law, Landlord/Tenant and Civil Litigation. Attorney Merwin is admitted to the bar of: Pennsylvania Massachusetts Federal District of Massachusetts Federal Western District of Pennsylvania

Jay Alberstadt is a senior partner with MacDonald Illig. He concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate, commercial and economic development ,and conventional and tax-exempt financing. He provides legal services to individuals, business entities, lending institutions, municipal authorities and development agencies. Mr. Alberstadt handles matters ranging from residential real estate transactions to detailed title and development issues. He also provides representation in commercial financings and tax-exempt municipal, industrial development and 501(c)(3) bond issues. He is co-chair of the Firm's real estate practice group and chair of the firm's marketing committee.

David T. Leake is the owner of the Law Office of David T. Leake, Esq. located in downtown Somerset. Attorney Leake opened his office after working for Joseph B. Policicchio, an attorney with 40 years of experience in Somerset, who transferred his law practice to Attorney Leake. His office occupies an entire building on Center Street and he has a full time paralegal/secretary/public notary on staff with over twenty years of experience to assist him as well as an assistant paralegal. Attorney Leake has extensive courtroom experience as his practice focuses mainly on courtroom litigation. He has presented countless cases before...

Shaun B. Adrian is a senior partner at MacDonald Illig and a member of the firm's Estates and Trusts Group. He works with individuals and families to establish estate plans tailored to the client's needs, personal goals and tax objectives during life and after death. Shaun concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, and elder law.

Shaun's practice includes the preparation of wills, trusts, trusts for children with special needs, durable powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney and living wills, estate tax planning, guardianship matters, elder law and long-term care planning. He is...

John A. Lauer is a Senior Partner with the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP, where he is Chairman of the firm's Trusts & Estates Group. He is also a member of the firm's Business and Tax Groups. John's practice consists primarily of Estate and Tax Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Elder Law, and Business Law.

John received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Gannon University in 1986 and his Juris Doctor from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1996. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to beginning...

To sum me up....I care about the lives of the people who call me. Every person is unique and their needs are paramount to me. I'll never treat a person like a piece of paper and it's one of the reasons I don't like the legal field and what I see happening to it anymore. Commercials/ Billboards. The lack of caring between the attorney and client...the personal dynamic is getting lost so much out there. Not with me. My practice areas include: Personal Injury - Wrongful Death, Car and Truck Accidents, Slip and...

Michael P. Thomas is a Partner with MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP. He assists individuals, closely held companies, and larger entities on a wide variety of estate planning, estate and trust administration, wealth transfer, succession planning, tax, and business matters.

Mike routinely assists clients with the design and implementation of both basic and complex estate plans that focus on accomplishing the client's individual objectives and minimizing the related tax consequences. He works closely with individual and corporate fiduciaries throughout estate and trust administrations. Mike has experience advising clients on a wide variety of sophisticated business transactions, employee benefit plan matters,...

Nate is a lifelong resident of the Erie area. After graduating from Girard High School, Nate attended Cornell University where he earned his undergraduate degree in Industrial & Labor Relations. Afterward, he attended the Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. While at Penn State Law, Nate was a senior editor of the Yearbook on Arbitration and Mediation. Since joining Bernard Stuczynski Barnett & Lager, Nate has focused his practice on Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Estate Administration, and Workers’ Compensation.

Attorney Stumpf develops estate plans for her clients and competently assists in the administration of estates of all sizes. She also provides expertise in the areas of trust administration, asset protection, elder law and guardianship issues. Attorney Stumpf's business law practice includes entity formation for both for-profit and non-profit organizations, structural questions, general counsel and the development of succession plans. Additionally, she assists in the representation of several school districts, an intermediate unit and multiple private schools.

Attorney Stumpf received her undergraduate degree from Grove City College in 2003 and her Juris Doctor from the Penn State - The Dickinson School...

Attorney Benjamin F. Goodwin, Esquire was born, raised, and educated in Southwestern Pennsylvania. For nearly a decade, Attorney Goodwin has strived to practice law with the same virtues that Southwestern Pennsylvania and its people have come to embody- integrity, tenacity, and above all things hard work. Attorney Goodwin has represented countless individuals and has a proven track record of excellence successfully trying numerous cases to a jury verdict. He is a partner of Goodwin Como, P.C.

As a native of Western Pennsylvania and a current area resident, I am strongly invested in the community. Since founding my Somerset criminal defense and personal injury law firm in Somerset in 1997, I have worked hard to protect the rights and best interests of the individuals and businesses I represent. In addition to my legal practice, I serve on the Somerset County Bar Association Board of Directors.

Reported cases

Commonwealth v. Three Hundred Ten Thousand Twenty Dollars ($310,020.00) In United States Currency, Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 894 A.2d 154 (2006)
Gilmour Properties v. Board of Assessment Appeals of Somerset County, Commonwealth...