M. Gayle Corley

My widowed mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. My sister and I want her to live independently as long as possible. Part of our concern is her becoming the financial victim of criminals who prey on the elderly. We suggested and she agreed that creating an irrevocable trust was the right thi...ng to do. I can’t imagine having had a better experience with any attorney than we had with Mary Gayle Corley. Helping a parent establish an irrevocable trust to put the bulk of their assets aside and out of their control for their children to receive when they pass, can feel awkward. I appreciated the checks and balances Gayle had in place to ensure the grantor, my mom, was fully willing and able to make the decision to create the trust and was not being victimized. The service we received was extraordinarily personal. The strategy of the trust felt very individualized to our family rather than a template where our names were merely inserted into standardized forms. I recall when we were discussing how much money to leave out of the trust to ensure my mother had all she needed, Gayle recommended a certain amount. I suggested doubling it. Instead of telling me that the action was “wasteful” as some could easily argue, she understood and supported my need to ensure the creation of the trust would never leave my mother wanting for her needs. That’s when I knew we were in great hands as we were working together. Gayle's level of communication with us was truly remarkable. I never felt “talked down to”. She kept the legal jargon to a minimum and explained things in layman’s terms we could understand. Since the service was so personalized, we talked and emailed a good bit. The speed of her responsiveness was incredible. There were times I felt like my family was her only client. Of all the service she gave us, I have to say the education was the most valuable. Of course we have a solid, legal document but more importantly we understand how it works. While the trust won’t require a lot of maintenance, we know what to do and what not to do. Finally there is the cost of creating a trust. For anyone questioning the value, I’d recommend they figure the cost as a percentage of the value of the assets they want to protect. It will be in the low single digits for most families and less than one percent for some. Months after our business was concluded, I still get an occasional email from Gayle with information she thinks would be beneficial to our family's situation. Her service to us was and continues to be beyond exceptional. She comes with my family's highest recommendation.