Stuart Charles Bear

Stuart helped my children and I with the estate planning for my ex-husband who was in the hospital. The three of us met with him and hired him on the spot. His knowledge and experience were undeniable but he was also empathetic, friendly and caring. Our first meeting was probably 1.5 hours yet we ...never felt rushed, actually the opposite. He made sure all our questions were answered and the conversation grew past just estate planning. When it came time to sign the documents, Stuart insisted on having my ex-husband sign the documents himself even though our daughter had power of attorney. Stuart said he just wouldn't feel right representing someone he hadn't met. We all met at the VA hospital and there was no additional charge for the visit. He notarized the documents on the spot and everything was completed in two visits. My children and I were determined to interview three attorneys before hiring, but during our meeting we knew Stuart was the perfect fit and we hired him on the spot. I subsequently went through a divorce and hired Stuart for my estate planning. I never considered anyone else. I had ideas of what I wanted to do but Stuart showed me better options and explained not only the benefits of his recommendations but the potentially negative financial consequences of my original plans. Stuart has been a blessing to our family because of his expertise and his caring nature. I feel completely taken care of and secure in my estate planning and my children would say the same. Clearly I'm a huge fan of Stuart's and I recommend him wholeheartedly!

Stuart did my mothers' end-of-life documents, and mine, several years ago and his work was invaluable. Knowing that this paperwork is in his vault is a comfort to me. But even more important to me was that he answered all of the questions I had all through my mother's probate gratis. I kept waitin...g for him to tell me that he was going to have to charge me for the time I was taking up but he never did. He really does stay with you as long as you need him. (I do expect to be charged if I rewrite anything, of course.)

Regarding my wife's early dementia situation, he advised both of us to turn over $400,000 to our children whom he knew nothing about. The children's obligation to use those funds in our behalf would be based upon a "mutual verbal agreement". He urged us to act quickly. As an attorney, I was hop...ing he would have researched our children's financial situation (this could be an explosive mistake). Usually attorneys are legal like, but a "mutual verbal agreement" involving $400,000 sounds a little bit risky to us. Other options that we proposed in writing were never considered. And finally, all this for a flat fee of over $7000, only. The more my wife thought and talked about this, the more unnerving we felt about working with him. Unthoughtful, expensive, ineffective are words that come to mind. He offered expensive complex solutions, but never considered simple effective and economical solutions that didn't involve the possibility of creating destructive relationships.