Trusted. Experienced.

Offering a unique perspective & customized approach to your planning needs.
Estate Planning & Elder Law

Call Today: (315) 724-5147

Trusted. Experienced.

Offering a unique perspective & customized approach to your planning needs.
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Estate Planning

Who will get your house, your money and other assets when you die? We’ll help you make these important decisions, and put them in writing, so your family will have clear direction on your wishes. We’ll explain what a Health Care Proxy, a Power of Attorney and a Disposition of Remains Appointment are and how they fit into your overall estate plan.

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Probates & Trust Administration

Did you know that the process used to prove your will and distribute your property and assets can take anywhere from seven months to over multiple years to complete and may require that lawyers or other professionals be hired? A probate is a court supervised process to review the provisions of a will.

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Medicaid and Long-Term Care Planning

Working in elder law, we handle a wide range of legal matters affecting an older or disabled person, including issues related to health care, long term care planning, guardianship, retirement, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Not only do we manage important financial and estate planning matters, we also keep in mind day-to- day issues affecting the actual care of seniors, such as assisted living.

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Special Needs Planning & Guardianships

Our services offer a holistic approach to estate planning needs of an individual with a disability. Services include both decision making for the disabled individual either through the use of a Durable Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy or through a guardianship. We also assist with estate and benefit planning for the individual, as well as the application for Medicaid benefits.

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Real Estate Law

Real Estate can be owned by not only individuals but also by entities like a Trust or LLC for asset protection purposes. Ownership in Real Estate should be evaluated when developing an Estate Plan and it is important to keep in mind that New York State, the Federal government and local governments all have their own laws regarding the zoning and fees for real estate transactions.

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Business Succession Planning

Developing a plan to appoint new leaders of a company who will replace old leaders when they leave, retire or die can be difficult. The plan should detail how the owner will transition out of the company’s day-to-day operations. Succession planning is an option to transfer the owner’s role internally to a family member already employed in the business or a member of the existing management team.

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We have over

75 years

of combined experience in Trusts,
Estates and Elder Law

Compson & Pimpinella, PLLC offers individualized Estate Planning, Trust and Estate Administration and Elder Law services to private clients, their families and family owned businesses. The mission of Compson & Pimpinella, PLLC is to provide effective, professional and timely service to our clients, and to excel in our chosen areas of practice. Our attorneys have significant depth of knowledge and expertise in carefully selected fields of law, which we believe provides superior representation and a unique perspective on our clients’ planning needs.

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Paul Pimpinella

Paul Pimpinella is the managing partner of Compson & Pimpinella, PLLC. He is a member of the Trusts, Estates and Elder Law sections of the Oneida County Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association. Mr. Pimpinella is the principal owner of Compson & Pimpinella, PLLC, having joined the firm in 2009.

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Lisa M. Heintz

Lisa M. Heintz joined Compson & Pimpinella in April 2011. Lisa’s practice focus is in Estate Planning and Elder Law where she specializes in Long-term Care Planning and asset preservation for the elderly, Guardianships, Special Needs Planning, Tax planning and Estate Administration.

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G. Kevin Ludlow

Mr. Ludlow is an attorney at Compson & Pimpinella, PLLC. He was admitted to the practice of law in New York in 1984, Florida in 1987, and Washington D.C. in 1989. His concentration of practice is real property, wills, estate planning and administration, business acquisitions, and landlord/tenant.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Happens if You Die Without a Will?

In the event that you have no will at the time of your death, state law will decide who will get your property and who will raise your children. That is typically not the desired result.

What is a Revocable Living Trust?

Revocable Living Trusts are one of the only ways to effectively avoid probate. These types of Trusts work like wills but do not require going to the Probate Court in order to administer, thus saving significant time and expense. Further, Revocable Living Trusts remain private versus a probate of a Will which is public record.

Will My Power of Attorney Expire?

If the principal under the POA dies, then the POA is no longer valid. Further, if the principal failed in naming an alternate or successor agent, the POA document is also terminated upon the death of the named sole agent. Thus, it is essential when establishing a POA to name successor agents.

Why Have Health Directives?

If you become seriously ill, you may lose the ability to participate in decision-making about your own treatment. A health directive gives you a voice in decisions about your medical care when you are unconscious or too ill to communicate. Health directives speaks for you when you are unable to do so. Providing such guidance may also prevent painful family arguments about how you would want to be treated.

What is a Probate?

The legal process transferring legal title from the decedent to the person receiving the property. This process is necessary when someone dies with a will or no estate plan in place.

Contact

Need help? Call us

(315) 724-5147

2310 Genesee St.
Utica, NY 13502

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