Family Law

• Guardianship
  Our attorneys assist families in obtaining guardianship (SCPA Article 17) over minor children when they are in need of a court-appointed guardian of their property such as when they receive funds from a decedent’s estate or as a beneficiary of a lawsuit.
• Child Abuse
  Ms. Massett has counseled health care providers with respect to patient care issues such as informed consent, end-of-life decision-making, the disclosure of private medical information, and reporting of child abuse. She has overseen due diligence in major corporate restructurings and represented clients in the course of such transactions. Ms. Massett has represented hospitals in medical staff relations matters, such as physician corrective action and the revisions of medical staff bylaws.

Criminal Law

• Theft
• Restraining Order

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  We serve as general counsel to many not-for-profit corporations. With attorneys who are experienced in different and complementary areas of law, Hancock Estabrook delivers well-rounded legal representation attuned to the needs of nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. We advise our clients on governance, tax-exempt rules and other operational and regulatory matters. Representative corporate governance matters we advise clients on include...
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  As a corporate attorney, Ms. Palladino assists clients in the drafting, negotiating and execution of buy/sell agreements and other contracts. She also drafts documents for transactional and day-to-day corporate matters and assists with compliance and governance for corporate and nonprofit clients. At her previous firm, Ms. Palladino assisted clients by providing strategic tax consulting services including tax due diligence, and tax structuring and planning for mergers and acquisitions.
• Business Transactions
  Mr. Etoll serves as Chair of the Firm’s Real Estate Department and represents landlords, tenants and various other businesses, property owners and developers in all types of commercial real estate and business transactions. His work focuses on property acquisitions and development, title insurance, construction loans and permanent financing. His commercial real estate clients include Granite Development Company, LLC, Lundy Development & Property Management, LLC and Westlake Development, LLC.
• Limited Liability Companies
  Our attorneys are experienced in dealing with complex issues concerning partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations and alternative entities, and we also counsel clients on matters concerning business succession planning.
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
• Unfair Competition

Employment Law

• Employment Discrimination
  Successfully defended various employers and obtained “No Probable Cause” findings and summary judgment in numerous employment discrimination and retaliation claims filed with state and federal administrative agencies and in federal district courts.
• Employment Contract
  Additionally, we understand the importance of protecting an employer’s customer/client/patient relationships, trade secrets and other intellectual property and confidential information.  Our team regularly drafts company policies, employment contracts, non-compete agreements, non-solicitation agreements, anti-poaching provisions, non-disclosures and other restrictive covenants.  When needed, we vigorously pursue and defend claims in federal and state courts to protect these interests and have obtained favorable results for clients, including issuance of preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders, monetary settlements and awards.
• Employment Litigation
  Fortune 500 companies.  We provide prompt and effective advice to help employers comply with their legal obligations in a manner that allows them to accomplish their goals while creating a healthy and compliant work environment. We ensure that our clients minimize their risk of legal exposure and position themselves to successfully defend labor and employment litigation that may arise.  Should litigation become necessary, we have a team of experienced trial attorneys who have successfully defended numerous cases in federal, state and local courts.
• Non-compete Agreement
• Severance Agreement
  Assisting in the construction, evaluation and defense of executive compensation packages, including drafting executive employment, benefits and severance agreements.
• Sexual Harassment
  Obtained a jury verdict in favor of an employer and an alleged joint employer on sexual harassment and retaliation claims brought against the company president. (U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York).

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
• Real Estate Transactions
  John R. Appler is a partner in the firm’s corporate and real estate departments assisting clients in a variety of matters including mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, commercial leasing and private equity placements. He represents a multitude of clients across New York State including professional service entities, manufacturers, banks and other lending institutions and technology companies.
• Land Use and Zoning

Immigration Law

• Citizenship and Naturalization

Health Law

• Personal Injury

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Our attorneys work with clients to properly structure beneficiary designations and distributions from individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and deferred compensation plans to ensure that the retirement planning conforms with the client’s estate planning goals and individual needs.
• Wills
  Our Trusts & Estates Practice attorneys represent clients in Surrogate’s Court proceedings throughout New York State. We handle contested matters including accounting proceedings, discovery proceedings, will contests, construction of wills and trust agreements, and other litigated matters involving decedents or trusts.
• Trusts
  We support our clients through every stage of their life cycle, providing comprehensive legal support. Our attorneys prepare organizational documents, bylaws, trust and member agreements; assist with the purchase of appropriate insurance protection; assist in obtaining necessary government approvals; advise on corporate structures, including joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and dissolutions; and represent entities in regulatory matters and transactions of all sizes. We regularly counsel organizations in matters of charitable giving. We know and understand the rules regarding investments, endowments, charitable trusts, supporting organizations, private foundations and restricted funds. Our expertise, encompassing both state and federal law, is wide and deep, and we approach problems with sensitivity to multiple regulatory regimes.
• Power of Attorney
  Our Trusts & Estates Practice attorneys advise clients and prepare all documents necessary for a complete estate plan, tailored to each individual client’s needs and circumstances. Such documents include wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, asset preservation trusts, supplemental needs trusts, testamentary trusts, life insurance trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, and charitable trusts. We also handle any real estate transfers resulting from estate and trust planning.

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
• Tax Law
  Our attorneys help nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations structure projects in a way that minimizes the negative impact of New York State and federal tax laws on their charitable pursuits, including unrelated business income, sales and real property taxation. We have successfully worked with clients on issues relating to private benefit, political activity, lobbying, and complex structuring, including the use of subsidiaries, joint ventures and partnerships. Representative tax matters we advise clients on include...