Ashley Anne Dotchin

I'm the founder of Dotchin Law LLC, an estate planning law firm focused on helping families throughout Massachusetts.

My grandfather had a stroke when I was nine. Luckily, he survived and lived for many more years. My grandmother became his primary caretaker and took on the role of handling everything for both of them. My grandfather had worked with a lawyer to create an estate plan, and everyone thought everything was taken care of. So, when he passed away, my grandmother went through the probate process. And, when she was done, she went back to the lawyer to update her own plan. 

In fact, my grandmother updated her estate plan pretty frequently. When she passed away, my uncle started the probate process so assets could get distributed. During this time, there was a lot of fighting in my family among the siblings. Some of the siblings kept calling the lawyer who was handling probate, and he was happy to bill for each of the calls. And, while assets were tied up in probate and the bill kept getting higher, my dad noticed some assets in unclaimed property. More specifically, a life insurance policy that my grandfather had taken out and my grandmother either didin't know or forgot about. She was named as the primary beneficiary, but my grandfather didn't name a contingent beneficiary. So, there was no one to give it to when she didn't claim it, and it went to unclaimed property. And, my dad and one of my uncles wondered what other assets had been overlooked. But, they didn't have an asset inventory from my grandfather or my grandmother, and they were only able to make educated guesses as to where all the accounts had been. 

And, while I was watching all of this, I knew there had to be a better way to serve families. There's a better way to avoid the chaos, conflict, and court all together. There's a way to make sure none of your assets get lost or forgotten. And, I made it my mission to help families like yours make educated, informed, empowered decisions. And, I invite you to speak with us to find out how we can help you protect your family and make things as easy as possible for your loved ones when you can't be here.