Patricia M. Shumaker

We had recently moved from New York to the state of Massachusetts and learned through our CPA that our Will and Health Care Proxy was no longer valid here in this state. He highly recommended that we set up an appointment to meet with Patricia in handling our estate planning. In meeting with her, w...e found Patricia to very professional and extremely knowledgeable. Compared to New York, we were unaware of the many different estate planning laws here in the state of Massachusetts. Patricia was very patient and thorough in explaining detail in every issue and answered all of our many questions and concerns. She took the time to fully understand our needs in planning our estate. She was also very kind, genuinely caring, and trustworthy and made us feel very comfortable in knowing that we made the right decision in retaining her as our attorney. She guided us through the process from start to finish and in doing so, we developed a wonderful working relationship. Without a doubt, we highly recommend Patricia for your estate planning needs.

Patricia is a very knowledgeable, thorough, patient and pleasant attorney! She created and completed my entire estate planning. With all the complicated legal terms and situations, she explained in detail every issue and answered all my questions so that I could understand. She provides examples wh...en there are various options - which make my decisions easier. She always follows up with any questions and is extremely helpful to ensure that we (as clients) understand fully. Patricia is also very caring, takes great interest in her professional work and yet is down to earth. There are so many laws relating to estate planning and Patricia is always up to date with the latest rules and regulations. I am so grateful and thankful for Patricia's professional guidance, patience and her time in developing my estate planning and reviewing every year for any updates, changes, etc... that may be needed to make in any of the numerous documents. Although I may be one of her younger clients, I have peace of mind that my legal affairs and estate planning have been completed. You are never too young to have these important documents done. I consider Patricia as my "legal guardian angel" now! Patricia is truly an outstanding, knowledgeable and professional attorney! I strongly recommend her to all!

She is an excellent elder law attorney and genuinely cares about feelings and concerns for my elderly parents' needs. My case is very complicated but she has the expertise to handle all the complications. She is always there to answer questions and does not charge extra to do so and did not even char...ge for the long initial consultation. I checked into other attorneys but I'm glad I chose this one. I would highly recommend her to anyone who wants an attorney that is caring and knowledgeable.

Estate planning is natural extension of real estate law but a field in which our firm does not practice. Regularly, questions arise in the representation of a client that require the skillful eye of an estate planning attorney and in other instances, very simply, our clients have not contemplated an...d therefore have not thoroughly prepared for THE issue that no one wants to think about. In these instances, our firm always recommends Atty. Shumaker because very importantly, we know that when we hand over our clients to her, they will be well cared for as she is skilled, knowledgeable and thorough in her analysis.

My Mother has been a client of Tricia's for 5 years now, and I have had the privilege of working with Tricia as my Mom's needs have evolved over that time. I cannot say enough about the personal investment of time and energy that Tricia offered to my Mom and my family throughout this process. I us...ed to think of an estate plan as something you put in place and left on the shelf until after you pass. Tricia helps you see that the real challenges can come when the client is still alive but aging, and you have to figure out how to make the money last. In the last year, my Mom's memory has been failing, and she had to move out of her home to Assisted Living. It is a difficult transition for anyone, and especially so for an independent woman like my Mom. Stressful family dynamics can make a difficult situation even more complex. Certainly in my case, the family dynamics became a huge issue. Tricia stayed crystal clear that my Mother is the client; discussions remained focused on her needs and were always respectful of Mom's right to self-determination. Tricia took the time to understand how my mother expresses herself, especially when faced with another difficult family member. Tricia extended incredible patience to all family members, helping them to know that they are heard. Most importantly, Tricia treats my Mom with incredible care and genuine concern, helping to guide her through the decisions she faces, and anticipating the complications that may still lie ahead. Tricia brings the excellent, very knowledgeable legal counsel you would want when making estate plans for yourself or your loved ones. But Tricia also goes far above and beyond in truly getting to know the family and your needs, and in offering creative options when you need them most. She is well connected with other experts whom she can tap into as needed. Tricia's practice honestly seems to be a labor of love.