Contact — Massachusetts

Michael Holmes is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts. Call the Massachusetts line below, or send a message and the office will get back to you. Most matters are handled remotely by phone, video and secure document exchange, which means clients across Massachusetts are served without anyone driving across the state for a signature.

Massachusetts Phone and Email

What Is Different About Massachusetts

Massachusetts is a separate property state. Property is owned as it is titled, and on divorce it is divided by equitable distribution rather than by a community property rule. Massachusetts has also adopted the Uniform Probate Code, which modernised administration here considerably and introduced informal probate as an alternative to the formal, supervised route — a difference that can decide how long an estate takes to settle.

The Massachusetts estate tax is where most planning conversations here begin. The state levies its own estate tax at a threshold far below the federal exemption, so a family that would never owe a dollar federally can still face a substantial Massachusetts bill. Massachusetts also protects equity in a principal residence under its homestead statute, with a much larger amount available to owners who record a declaration — a step that is very often overlooked.

What to Have Ready

None of this is required before you call — if you have only half of it, call anyway. It simply makes the first conversation more useful.

  • A sentence or two on what has happened, or what you are trying to arrange.
  • Where any real property sits — county and state for each parcel, because the state the land is in controls how it transfers.
  • Roughly what is involved: a home, retirement accounts, a business interest, life insurance, firearms, property in more than one state.
  • Any documents that already exist — a will, a trust, a deed, an operating agreement, a prior marital agreement — even if they are years out of date.
  • Who else is in the picture: a spouse, children from an earlier marriage, business partners, or the parent whose care is the reason for the call.
  • Whether anything is on a clock: a closing date, a court date, a probate deadline, a tax filing.

What We Handle in Massachusetts

Family law work outside Idaho is limited to prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.

How the First Conversation Works

The first call is a conversation, not an intake form. You describe the situation; I tell you whether it is something Holmes Law handles in Massachusetts, what the work would involve and roughly what it would cost. If what you actually need is a Massachusetts litigator, an accountant or a title company rather than an estate planning attorney, I will say so on that call rather than after you have paid a retainer. Engagement terms are put in writing before any work begins.

Schedule a Consultation

Tell us briefly what you are dealing with and the best way to reach you. There is no charge for the initial conversation.

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