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Address
1441 Main Street, Suite 1100
Springfield, Massachusetts 01103-1406 (Hampden Co.)
Average Client Review Rating
Rating not available
Average Peer Review Rating
4.8
out of 5
(Main Office) Corporate - General counsel to business entities of all types in diverse industries, including organization and reorganization of corporations, professional corporations, limited partnerships, LLCs, LLPs, general partnerships, nominee trusts and business trusts; counsel to businesses requiring specialized legal services nationally and internationally in such areas as tax planning, mergers, acquisitions, plant expansions and financial reorganizations. Estate Planning and Probate - Comprehensive estate planning for individuals and owners of closely held business enterprises. Expertise in the areas of wealth transfer, GRATS, QPRTS, Family Limited Partnerships, including insurance planning, retirement planning, and the use of charitable remainder trusts in the sales of businesses to reduce income and estate taxes. Probate of simple and complex estates. Long term care and benefits planning for the elderly and disabled. Commercial and Tax-exempt Finance - Counsel to banks and insurance companies in secured and unsecured commercial loan transactions, including accounts receivable and asset-based lending, leveraged buy-outs, FHA and SBA loans, secondary market sales to GNMA and FHLMC, letters of credit and business loans of all types. Leading firm in the region in the area of tax-exempt bonds. Real Estate - Counsel to real estate developers and owners regarding acquisition financing, permitting, leasing and tax deferred exchanges and compliance with zoning, environmental and other laws; counsel to developers of residential and commercial condominium properties; counsel to wireless telecommunications companies regarding site selection, permitting and acquisition. Litigation - Trial practice concentrating in commercial, real estate, business, environmental, probate and employment litigation; practice in all courts. Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights - Representation of secured and unsecured creditors, debtors, and asset purchasers in both business and consumer bankruptcy, reorganization and workout proceedings. Litigation in bankruptcy courts, including fraudulent transfer and preference claims. Statement of PracticeGeneral Business Practice. Corporate, Commercial Finance, Creditors' Rights, Bankruptcy and Reorganization, Banking, Taxation, Estate Planning and Probate, Real Estate Development and Finance, Land Use Regulation, Litigation, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Industrial Revenue Bonds. Year Established: 1969
Firm Size: 14
Representative Clients:Bank of America, N.A.
Bayer Corporation
Better Homes, Inc.
The Cadle Company
Colebrook Realty Services, Inc.
The Community Music School of Springfield, Inc.
Conseco Finance Servicing Corp.
Cooperative Development Institute, Inc.
Crown Atlantic Company LLC
Deerfield Urethane, Inc.
The Dennis Group
Dielectrics, Inc.
Edens & Avant, Inc.
Excel Dryer, Inc.
Friendly Home Parties, Inc.
Goodwill Industries of the Springfield/Hartford Area, Inc.
Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
Hampden Bank
Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.
Jewish Family Service Center of Greater Springfield, Inc.
Lenox Healthcare, Inc.
Lunt Silversmiths, Inc.
Massachusetts Development Finance Agency
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
Monarch Life Insurance Company
Motherwear International, Inc.
National Graphics Supply Corp.
National Yiddish Book Center, Inc.
Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.
Pioneer Tool Supply Co., Inc.
Poly-Plating, Inc.
Preservation for Affordable Housing, Inc.
Pure Coatings, LLC
Quandt's Food Service
R.J. Greeley Company LLC
The Salvation Army
Sisters of Providence, Inc.
Spalding Sports Worldwide, Inc.
Springfield Neighborhood Housing Development Corp.
TD Bank, N.A.
Trident Realty Corporation
United Bank
Verizon Wireless
Westfield Bank
Valley Psychiatric Service, Inc.
WFCR (5 College Public Radio)
YMCA of Greater Springfield, Inc.
Address1441 Main Street, Suite 1100
Springfield, MA 01103-1406, (Hampden Co.)
PhonePhone: (413) 737-1131
Fax: (413) 736-0375
Website
http://www.ssfpc.com
Firm/Affiliate OfficesAlbany, New York Office: 6 Automation Lane, Suite 114. Telephone: 800-737-4178.
Steven J. Schwartz (Member) born Springfield, Massachusetts, December 5, 1941; admitted to bar, 1967, Massachusetts; 1984, New York. Education: Babson College (B.S.B.A., 1963); Boston University (LL.B., 1966). Director and Member, Development Committee, The William J. Gould Associates, Inc. (Gould Farm). Member: Executive Committee and Board of Directors, The Pioneer Valley Council Boy Scouts of America; Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises (AFHE). Former Director: Urban League; Jewish Community Center; South End Community Center. President: Springfield Tax Club, 1983-1984; Western New England Enterprise Forum, 1984-1986. Member: Hampden County, Massachusetts and New York State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Law; Estate Planning.Email: Steven J. Schwartz
Stephen A. Shatz (Member) born Springfield, Massachusetts, September 10, 1942; admitted to bar, 1967, Massachusetts. Education: Brandeis University (B.A., 1964); Boston College (LL.B., 1967). Member: Hampden County, Massachusetts and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate Development; Real Estate Finance; Commercial Leasing.Email: Stephen A. Shatz
Gary S. Fentin (Member) born Boston, Massachusetts, November 15, 1944; admitted to bar, 1969, Massachusetts; 1972, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1987, New York. Education: Duke University (A.B., 1966); Boston College (J.D., 1969); Boston University (LL.M., Taxation, 1983); Harvard Law School (Mediation Workshop, 2002). Member, Order of the Coif. Editor, Boston College Law Review, 1968-1969. Adjunct Professor of Law, Boston College Law School, 1973-1975. Staff Attorney, 1970-1971 and Director, 1971-1973, Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. of Springfield. Member: Hampden County and Massachusetts Bar Associations; National Association of Bond Lawyers. Practice Areas: Commercial Finance; Real Estate Finance; Industrial Revenue Bonds; Estate Planning; Business Law.Email: Gary S. Fentin
Timothy P. Mulhern (Member) born Cooperstown, New York, August 10, 1953; admitted to bar, 1979, Massachusetts; 1980, New York and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1985, U.S. Tax Court. Education: Linfield College; University of New Hampshire (B.A., summa cum laude, 1975); Boston College (J.D., 1979). Phi Beta Kappa. Editor, Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, 1978-1979. Author, "Transferring the Family Business to the Next Generation: Installment Sales, SCINS, GRATS & Annuities," with Ann I. Weber, Esq., Mass. Bar Association, 1995. Committee Member, Western New England College Tax Institute, 1985. Instructor, "How to Incorporate and Counsel a Business," Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, 1990, 1991. President, Springfield Tax Club, 1987-1988. Member: Hampden County, Massachusetts and New York State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Taxation; Corporate Law; Estate Planning.Email: Timothy P. Mulhern
James B. Sheils (Member) born New Rochelle, New York, May 18, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Massachusetts; 1977, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1983, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: College of the Holy Cross (A.B., with honors, 1972); Boston College (J.D., 1975). Co-Author: "Massachusetts Collection Law," Butterworth Press, 1983; "Counseling Low and Moderate Income Clients," MCLE, 1978; "Don't Get Left Picking Up The Check," UCC Articles 3 and 4, MCLE, 1984. Author, "What the General Practitioner Needs to Know About Consumer Protection in Massachusetts," MCLE, 1982. Member, 1983-1987 and Chairman, 1984-1987, East Longmeadow Zoning Board of Appeals. Director, Smaller Business Association of New England, 1983-1985. Former Member, Massachusetts Advisory Council, U.S. Small Business Administration. Chairman, Goodwill Industries of the Springfield/Hartford Area, Inc., 1988-1994. Member, Board of Directors, Massachusetts Moderators Association, 2005. Town Moderator, East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, 2004. Member: Hampden County, Massachusetts and American Bar Associations; Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys; Commercial Law League of America. Practice Areas: Commercial Finance; Creditors Rights; Banking Law; Telecommunications Law.Email: James B. Sheils
Ann I. Weber (Member) born Nashville, Tennessee, January 3, 1948; admitted to bar, 1985, Massachusetts; 1986, Connecticut; 1987, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1988, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut; U.S. Tax Court. Education: Duke University (B.A., 1970); University of Connecticut (M.A., 1973; J.D., with honors, 1985); Southern Connecticut State College (M.S., 1975). Listed: One of the Leading Top 50 Women Lawyers in the Field of Estate Planning, New England Super Lawyers, 2004; One of the Top 50 Massachusetts Women Lawyers in the Field of Estate Planning, Boston Magazine, 2007; Best Lawyers in America, Field of Elder Law, 2004. Author: "Marital Deduction Formulas: Fun for the Entire Family," National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, 2007; "Irrevocable Income-Only Trusts in Medicaid Planning," 2009; "Estate Planning for Authors and Artists," The Hotel Northampton, Northampton, Massachusetts, 2008; "Estate Planning for the Modern Estate," MCLE, 2008; "Safeguarding the Castle: Can a Trust Keep the Dragon from the Gate?," The Estate Planning Council of Hampden County, Inc., 2008; Co-Author: Attorneys Carol C. Klyman and Michele J. Feinstein, "Planning for Long-Term Care: New Laws and Regulations," 2007; "Massachusetts Medicaid Today: Long-Term Care Policy," 2007; "Learn How Trusts can Protect: You, Your Family and Your Charitable Interests," Legacy Bank, 2008. Co-Author: Attorney Carol C. Klyman, "Selected Tax Issues in Estate Planning For the Elderly," Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, 2004-2007; "Estate Planning for Unmarried Partners and Same Sex Couples in Massachusetts: Pitfalls and Opportunities," Western New England College, 2006; "Basics of the Transfer Tax System," Berkshire County Estate Planning Council, 2005; "Income Only Grantor Trust: Preserving the Home and Other Assets under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005," MCLE, 2006; "Paying for Long Term Care," Hampden County Estate Planning Council, 2002; "Medicaid Planning with Tax Deferred Assets," National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, 2002; "Generation Skipping Tax Changes, Estate Planning and The Use of Trusts Under Tax Repeal," Western New England College Tax Institute, 2001; "Oops! What to Do When the Gong Has Rung: The Use of Disclaimers with the Previously Taxed Property Credit," MCLE, 2000; "Post Mortem Planning for Married Decedents: The Top Ten on Your Hit Parade," Western New England College Tax Institute. Board Member and Past President, Estate Planning Council of Hampden County Inc., Former and Founding Board Member and Current Member, Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA); Former Member: Internal Revenue Service, Examination Division, Hartford, Connecticut; Probate Court, West Hartford, Connecticut. Member: Hampden County, Massachusetts, Connecticut and American Bar Associations. Fellow: American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Estate Administration; Probate; Elder Law; Estate and Gift Taxation.Email: Ann I. Weber
Ellen Weiss Freyman (Member) born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 7, 1955; admitted to bar, 1988, Massachusetts. Education: Pennsylvania State University (B.S., 1977); Western New England College (J.D., 1988). Member: Hampden County, Massachusetts and American Bar Associations; ICSC; Massachusetts Real Estate Bar Association. Practice Areas: Commercial Finance; Real Estate Development; Real Estate Finance; Zoning, Planning and Land Use.Email: Ellen Weiss Freyman
Steven Weiss (Member) born Kingston, New York, May 30, 1958; admitted to bar, 1985, Massachusetts; 1986, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut; 1994, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit. Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Michigan State University (B.A., 1980); Boston University (J.D., 1984). Law Clerk for the Hon. Arthur J. Spector, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Eastern District of Michigan, Northern Division, 1984-1986. Author: "Post-Petition Tax Claims," Norton Bankruptcy Law Advisor, Issue 7, July 1985; "Bankruptcy Court Power to Enjoin the Internal Revenue Service from Collecting the Debtors' Taxes from its Officers: An Analysis of Recent Developments," Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law, 1986; "Undoing the IRS Wrongful Levy," 106 Banking Law Journal 336 (July-August, 1989). Member, Standing Panel, Chapter 7 Trustees, District of Massachusetts, 1987. Member: Hampden County and Massachusetts (Member, Business Law Section) Bar Associations; Commercial Law League of America; American Bankruptcy Institute; National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees. Reported Cases: Piccicuto v. Dwyer (In re Dwyer), 39 F.3d 37 (1st Cir. 1994); In re Three Partners, Inc., 199 B.R. 230 (Bankr. D. Mass. 1995); In re T.A.C Group, Inc., 294 B.R. 199 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2003); In re Chevalier, 330 B.R. 21 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2005); In re Lowenstein, 361 B.R. 326 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2007); In re Schlichtmann, 375 B.R. 41 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2007). Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Creditors Rights; Commercial Litigation; Bankruptcy Reorganization.Email: Steven Weiss
Carol Cioe Klyman (Member) born Providence, Rhode Island, September 27, 1952; admitted to bar, 1996, Massachusetts. Education: University of Rhode Island (B.A., cum laude, Journalism, 1975); Western New England College (J.D., magna cum laude, 1996). Member, Western New England Law Review. Contributing Author: "Estate Planning for the Aging or Incapacitated Client in Massachusetts," MCLE, 1998, 2002, 2005. Author: "Taxing Issues Involving Life Estates," National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, March 2001; "Demystifying the Value of Life Estates and Remainder Interests," Suffolk University, Elder Law Institute XI, 2005. Member: Westhampton Arts Council, 1989-1992; Friends of the Westhampton Library, 2004. Hampden County Estate Planning Council, 1996 and Director, 2003; Adjunct Faculty, Western New England College School of Law, LLM Program, 2006. Member: Hampshire County, Hampden County and Massachusetts Bar Associations; National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (Massachusetts Chapter, Director, 2005; Vice President, 2003-2004). Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Elder Law; Estate Administration; Trust Planning; Guardianship; Probate Litigation.Email: Carol Cioe Klyman
Michele J. Feinstein (Member) born Springfield, Massachusetts, December 31, 1958; admitted to bar, 1985, Massachusetts, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, U.S. Tax Court and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Boston University (B.S., summa cum laude, 1981; LLM., 1990); Western New England College (J.D., cum laude, 1984). Scarlet Key. Member, Western New England College, Law Review, 1983-1984. Recipient: American Jurisprudence Book and Prize Creditors Rights Award; John F. Shaw Scholarship. Adjunct Faculty, Western New England College School of Law, LLM Program, 2005. President, Hampden County Estate Planning Council, 1998-1999. Member: Hampden County, Massachusetts and American Bar Associations; American Health Lawyers Association; National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Estate Planning and Administration; Probate Litigation; Health Law; Elder Law.Email: Michele J. Feinstein
Edward V. Sabella (Member) born Hackensack, New Jersey, July 25, 1950; admitted to bar, 1976, Massachusetts. Education: St. Michael's College (B.A., 1972); Western New England College Law School (J.D., 1976). Practice Areas: Commercial Law; Business Law; Bankruptcy; Real Estate Development; Business Litigation; Corporate Law; Licensing; Environmental Law.Email: Edward V. Sabella
——————————Lina Alexandra (Alex) Hogan (Associate) born Northampton, Massachusetts, August 29, 1973; admitted to bar, 2008, Massachusetts. Education: Bay Path College (B.S., magna cum laude, 1996); Western New England College School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2008). Member, Western New England College Law Review. Author: student note, "Guilt by Relation: If Your Brother is Convicted of a Crime, You Too May Do Time," 30 W. New Eng. L. Rev. 543, 2008. Member: Hampden County and Massachusetts Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Civil Litigation; Business Transactions.Email: Lina Alexandra (Alex) Hogan
Erin F. Thron (Associate) born Neenah, Wisconsin, September 29, 1977; admitted to bar, 2006, Massachusetts. Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.S., 2001); Western New England College (J.D., 2006). Member: Hampden County and Massachusetts Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Law; Litigation; Estate Planning.Email: Erin F. Thron
David K. Webber (Associate) born Pasadena, California; admitted to bar, 2008, Massachusetts. Education: University of Massachusetts, Amherst (B.A., cum laude, 1999); Western New England College School of Law (J.D., 2008). Recipient: CALI Excellence for the Future Award, Accounting for Lawyers; Best Oral Argument, Legal Research and Writing. Notes Editor, Western New England Law Review, 2007-2008. Law Clerk to Justice Francis X. Spina, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Member: Pioneer Valley Business Executives, 2009; Town of Amherst Planning Board, 2009. Member: Hampden, Massachusetts and American Bar Associations.Email: David K. Webber
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