Denise Leydon Harvey

I concentrate my practice on protecting elder and disabled clients and their assets. I regularly appear in probate court to obtain guardianship and conservatorship authority for family members whose loved ones are no longer able to make their own decisions, whether it is an elder who has been diagnosed with advanced dementia or Alzheimer's disease, a disabled child who is reaching adulthood, or someone who suffers a traumatic brain injury. I also work to avoid these scenarios by proper estate planning, such as wills, durable powers of attorney, health care proxies and medical care directives. I help protect assets through the use of trusts, transferring or re-titling property, and homestead protection.

When the time comes, I also assist families in getting a proper personal representative appointed to administer the estate of their deceased loved ones. I advise the personal representative and the family in navigating the probate process and settling the estate, including selling real estate, negotiating the payment of debts, distributing any inheritance and resolving inter-family disputes. When necessary, I also litigate probate matters that cannot be settled among family members. I most frequently practice in Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk and Norfolk Probate Courts.

My work is primarily aimed at helping my clients retain as much independence and control over their lives as possible. I served two terms  as a member of the Massachusetts PCA (Personal Care Attendant) Workforce Council, to which I was appointed by Attorney General Martha Coakley in 2009. The Workforce Council aims to improve the quality of care available to individuals who would be in a nursing home without the care provided by in-home care providers and to assist PCA users in obtaining and keeping qualified home care.

Due to the nature of my clientele, I am always happy to meet with people at their homes or at the hospital or nursing home.