Law Office of Christine M. Tree

06/23/2022

Clients visiting us during the Main Street traffic changes please note: There are 4-5 parking spaces on Main Street in front of the office. Currently these spaces are marked with no signs. THEY CAN BE USED.
Fitchburg has confirmed that parking is allowed in these spaces right now. Once signs go up, I will update with the new parking rules.

Clients who are able to make the walk may also park in the first floor of the garage at the corner of Putnam and Main Streets. Sadly, the Oliver Street parking spaces were eliminated and are no longer an option.

Good luck everyone with the changes!

1. The Main/Boulder project will convert Main Street and Boulder Drive to two-way traffic, implementing a number of Complete Streets improvements along the way. The end-result will be a project that works better for both cars and people, and will help support the revitalization of downtown Fitchburg

06/20/2022

In-home care in later years is the preference for almost everyone I meet, but despite the best efforts of families and professionals, there are frequent gaps. Technology is trying to bridge the gap with a virtual companion. Reportedly, NY State is running a test program distributing the ElliQ to hundreds of elders to combat loneliness.

What do you think - is this progress, or too close to the future dystopia of E.M. Forster's The Machine Stops?

Would you use the ElliQ to help care for your loved ones?

New technologies aim to help comfort, entertain and inform seniors but critics say machines trying to mimic human intimacy raise ethical issues

02/09/2021

We hope you’re all staying positive and testing negative this difficult winter. Here’s some lawyer-themed humor to brighten your day.

A lawyer accidentally used a cat-themed video filter during a virtual court session in the 394th district of Texas. He was briefly unable to turn the filter ...

01/01/2021

Happy New Year from all of us at Christine Tree Legal! We’re looking forward to helping you have a happier 2021.

05/29/2020

Families with loved ones needing long term care have been facing so much difficulty over this emergency - no in-person visits with your family member, concern over whether they will contract COVID-19, and an inability to comfort or care for them if they do become ill. Families see stories about facilities with high infection rates like this:

https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2020/05/27/ag-launches-probe-of-littleton-nursing-home/

while other facilities have been able to completely avoid infection, sometimes through Herculean means:

https://seniorhousingnews.com/2020/05/11/how-3-senior-living-providers-bubbled-communities-by-having-staff-live-on-site/

All long-term care providers are in a tough spot, and families are now faced with a decision of whether or not to leave or place their families in facility. Facility placement is increasingly difficult to find as well. Our state Dept. of Public Health has put out a guide for families considering taking or keeping their loved ones at home for the present:

https://www.mass.gov/doc/considerations-for-moving-a-loved-one-home-from-a-nursing-facility-rest-home-or-assisted-living/download

and has established the Nursing Home Family Resource Line, 617-660-5399, for questions on facilities and care. Families can also look at whether a facility is in compliance with COVID-19 protection procedures:

https://www.mass.gov/doc/current-nursing-facility-infection-control-audit-results/download

Families can see, to a very limited extent, the number of infected patients in a facility, though once the number exceeds 30 persons there's no further information:

https://www.mass.gov/doc/weekly-covid-19-public-health-report-may-27-2020/download

Look at the data by facility starting on Page 22.

Many thanks to all of the essential workers trying to care for our elders and vulnerable LTC populations. It's not easy. And thanks also to our state Rep. Lori Trahan for seeking review of facility operations to improve the standard of care for our elders.

If you have any questions on long-term care, please call us.

LITTLETON — Attorney General Maura Healey’s Office announced it is investigating the Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley, a Littleton nursing home where 24 residents and one staff member have …

05/28/2020

Our physical office is officially reopen by appointment. Give us a call!

04/28/2020

Great News! Yesterday, Gov. Baker signed a law temporarily authorizing remote notarization and witnessing of many documents, including wills, trusts, deeds, powers of attorney and other estate planning documents. This means our office will now be able to conduct signings by video conference, so long as both parties are in Massachusetts.

You no longer have to leave home in order to set up your estate plan. There's no better time to put your house in order.
Call or email us to set up a consultation today.

How does one prepare legal documents if diagnosed with COVID-19? Estate planning attorney Stephanie Perry advises listeners on whether and how to prepare a will and get other documents in order.

04/06/2020

A recent Wall Street Journal Article talks about electronic estate planning.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/estate-planning-goes-digital-as-many-families-explore-options-11585128602
While some aspects of your estate plan, such as insurance purchases and beneficiary designations, can be accomplished electronically, Massachusetts does not yet allow electronic wills. This is for two reasons. First, notaries must be in your physical presence to notarize. Second, the will and health care proxy statutes require witnesses be in the physical presence of the person signing.

There are bills filed in the Massachusetts legislature to temporarily allow for electronic notarization and witnessing, but they remain pending. Nevada, Indiana, Florida and Arizona do allow electronic wills, and a Uniform Electronic Wills Act has been written for easy adoption by states.

Will standards vary from state to state. Massachusetts requires, among other things, two disinterested witnesses for a valid will. A notary is helpful but is not required. Unlike some other states, Massachusetts does not recognize holographic (handwritten) wills, unless they have been witnessed.

If you don't have a will, where your property goes depends on your family situation. Marriage, children, second marriages, and blended families all effect who may become your heirs. Your preferences don't count. Even if you were estranged from a child, parent, or cousin, if that person falls within the law's definitions, that person is included as your heir. If you have some free time to decipher it, here's Massachusetts' chart showing who your heirs might be:

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/wk/mpc960-massachusetts-degrees-of-kinship-chart.pdf

We can make it simpler. If you have any questions about your will or other part of your estate plan, please contact us to help.

04/06/2020

During the state COVID-19 closures, our office continues to work remotely, We are happy to schedule phone and video consultations. While the courts are closed to nonemergency hearings, we are still able to move many cases forward and handle emergency matters. If you have any concerns or questions about your estate planning, elder law or probate matter, kindly call or email our office.

03/23/2020

Friends, as many of you have heard Governor Baker ordered the temporary closure of all nonessential Massachusetts businesses by noon on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, through April 7, 2020 in order to effectively stop or delay the spread of COVID-19.

Our first priority here is to our clients, many of whom are especially vulnerable to this disease due to age or health. Therefore, while we will remain open remotely during this period of time, our physical office will close on at noon on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Our physical office will reopen on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, barring further orders related to COVID-19. If you are calling or emailing the office, you should experience no difference - we will still be answering the phone and responding to emails during this time.

Much can be done over the phone, by email, by mail and online. We will be available for phone or web conferences, and work on your cases will continue to progress to the extent allowed by court system closures. Maybe with the input of a few four-legged friends. 😀

Legal professionals have a limited exception to continue operating "when necessary to assist in compliance with legally mandated activities and critical sector services or where failure to provide such services during the time of the order would result in significant prejudice." We take the limited nature of this exception very seriously. If you have an emergency matter which requires an in-person meeting during this time, please contact us to discuss and we will respond as fully as your needs require.

We'll be checking in with you over the next two weeks - sometimes with updates, sometimes to inform, sometimes to lighten the mood. We encourage all of you to follow the Governor's orders, stay at home unless necessary and check on your loved ones. Support our local restaurants with delivery orders. Have compassion for our tired grocery and pharmacy workers. Use the services of our overwhelmed medical professionals only as needed. Northern Worcester County, and especially our home town of Fitchburg, is a close community and resiliency is our strength and our birthright.
We'll all get through this with a little patience, some hard work and a lot of positivity. We hope you all stay well and healthy.

03/16/2020

FURTHER COURT UPDATE:

All Trial Courts in the Commonwealth will be closed to the public Monday and Tuesday. If you have any court matter scheduled, please check with your attorney before going.

Our office will be open until events warrant otherwise. We will be happy to make any accommodations necessary for our clients during this time, or answer questions for those concerned.

Read the press release here:

In light of the Governor’s Declaration, Court leaders have closed the Trial Courts to the public for Monday and Tuesday, March 16 & 17.

03/15/2020

Court system update:

The Massachusetts Trial Court has announced scheduling changes due the COVID-19 prevention measures. Each court has announced specific measures, but to highlight:
HOUSING COURT - All non-emergency court events are continued to a date no earlier than April 21, 2020.
PROBATE COURT - Most hearings scheduled March 18 or after will be heard telephonically or rescheduled; no new matters will be scheduled for hearing until May 1, 2020 unless deemed an emergency, such as a restraining order.
DISTRICT COURT - Generally, all matters scheduled March 18 and later are continued 60 days from the next scheduled event, and not earlier than May 4, with important exceptions for emergencies and certain criminal matters.
JURY DUTY - If you have jury duty scheduled, unless you have already been impaneled it is likely to be rescheduled as all upcoming jury trials are rescheduled to after April 21.

If you have a court hearing coming up with our office, we will check in with you Monday regarding rescheduling.

As of right now, our office is healthy and planning to continue operations - though without handshakes or hugs! We will continue to follow state and federal announcements for guidance. We are also happy to reschedule your appointment or hold it telephonically, if you feel more comfortable doing so. In the meantime, stay healthy and wash your hands!

For a full review of the various Courts' orders, see the announcements here:

News and information on actions being taken by Massachusetts state courts in response to the COVID-19 (coronovirus) pandemic.