Basic Information
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Company
Martin Heller Potempa & Sheppard -
What is your "why"? Why do you do what you do?
We do estate planning differently from other attorneys. Our passion and focus is on "family wealth preservation". When I first started practicing we would see families lose some or all of their wealth even though they had a "plan". It turned out that the plan was nothing more than paper and did little or nothing to help the family keep the wealth they worked hard to acquire. Time and time again we saw: (1) one spouse dies and the survivor remarries, then changes the will to give some or all of the family wealth to the new spouse and little or nothing to the children; (2) parents die and pass inheritance to child who later gets divorced and ex-spouse ends up with up to 1/2 the inheritance; (3) child receives inheritance, gives to his/her spouse at child's death, and then spouse remarries and family wealth ends up with in-law's new spouse and nothing to the grandchildren; (4) creditors reaching the family wealth; (5) payment of tax that could have been avoided. We develop Family Wealth Preservation plans so that the family wealth stays with the people who are supposed to have it and prevent "outsiders" cannot take away it away. -
About me
Prior to going back to law school I was a math/comp-sci person working mostly for a company that designed hospital computer systems. After law school I did an extra year and received an LLM (a masters law degree) in tax. From there, I have worked exclusively in the area of estates, estate planning, and probate. -
Title
Member -
Hobbies and interest
Reading, various sports -
Website
www.mhpslaw.com
Education
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College / University
BS-Carnegie Mellon University / JD-Widener Univ. School of Law / LL.M-Tax-Georgetown Univ School of Law -
Graduation Year
1984 / 1994 / 1995