Team updates

Elizabeth High, a principal with LeBlanc & Young, has been named the Portland, Maine Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year for 2023 by Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. This is the fifth time Elizabeth has received this honor. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored as “Lawyer of the Year.”

Eliza Nichols became a principal with the firm in July. The firm has also added a new attorney to its team. Parker Towle joined the firm in February 2022 after beginning his legal practice at a leading Boston law firm. Eliza and Parker assist individuals and families with their estate planning needs, including assisting clients with lifetime gifting strategies and gift and estate tax issues as well as trust and estate administrations.

We are all working diligently but remotely during these difficult days!

In an effort to do our part to curb the effects of COVID-19 in our community, LeBlanc & Young has enabled and encouraged all of our team to work primarily remotely. All members of the Leblanc & Young team remain reachable by phone as well as e-mail. As we work through the issues associated with a remote working environment, we remain committed to our original mission: “To provide superior services to clients with estate planning and related legal needs, within a working environment that respects and affirms all persons involved.” If you need us, please call or email us as we realize that in these difficult times we are still here to help you.

So Much News!

Chambers and Partners has once again ranked LeBlanc & Young as a “Band 1, Leading Firm” in its High Net Worth Guide in its latest issue, with Elizabeth High receiving a Band 1 leading individual recognition, and Jay Young a Band 2 recognition.

We are delighted to welcome Kristin Barry to our team of lawyers. Kristin is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Georgetown Law School, and practiced previously in Washington D.C. She has been with us for several years as a Trusts and Estates Administrator and has decided to continue her legal career with the firm. We are lucky to have her stay with us and continue to help clients with their estates and trusts as well as advise clients about their estate planning needs.

Jay Young has become “senior counsel” to the firm effective this January after a legal career of more than 40 years. He will maintain a steady presence and set of hours in the office but is scaling back his practice. Many clients have worked with other lawyers in the office with Jay as he has remained engaged. Please do not hesitate to call with any questions you might have.

Finally, we are busy reviewing plans to accommodate the increase in the federal estate and gift tax exemption. As you may be aware, the federal exemption increased to $11.4 million effective January 2019. Maine’s estate tax exemption, however, is no longer coupled with the federal exemption, and is currently approximately $5.7 million. Both the federal and state exemptions are indexed annually for inflation. Many estate plans should be reviewed and potentially revised to reflect technical changes, as well as changes in the required level of tax planning. Clients will want to consider the amount that they wish to leave in trust, as for many clients, the tax incentives to create more complex trust plans have been reduced or eliminated. Finally, clients of substantial wealth who can consider giving away their federal exemption amounts during their lifetime (that is an amount approaching $11.4 million) will want to discuss this with us as the high level of exemptions are unprecedented and it is unclear that they will remain at these high levels indefinitely. We fear that you may need to use it, lest we lose it! The estate tax changes are more thoroughly discussed in our newsletter, which can be found here or under “Client Resources.”

Elizabeth High Named as Lawyer of the Year

Best Lawyers®, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named Elizabeth High the Portland, Maine Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year for 2018.According to Best Lawyers, the lawyers receiving this honor have received particularly high ratings in their surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.”This is the third time Elizabeth has received this honor, having been previously named Lawyer of the Year for 2012 and 2016.

LeBlanc & Young and Elizabeth T. High Recognized in Chambers' High Net Worth Guide and James H. Young, II Named 2017 Lawyer of the Year

LeBlanc & Young is honored to have been ranked as a “Band 1” Leading Firm for Private Wealth in the inaugural edition of Chambers and Partners’ High Net Worth Guide. Its High Net Worth rankings are highly selective and based on independent research and interviews with lawyers, family offices, accountants, tax advisers, bankers and investment managers, among others. According to Chambers, LeBlanc & Young is “an extremely high-quality firm. All high-level practitioners.”Elizabeth High was also recognized by Chambers as a Leading Individual in Band 1, with a fellow lawyer reporting: “She is incredibly strong technically on the estate tax side, she is very careful, thoughtful and a very deep thinker and she cares deeply about her clients.” Another market source considers Elizabeth to be “a very skilled lawyer, with great practical approaches.”The Best Lawyers of America, the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession, named James H. Young, II (“Jay”) the Portland, Maine Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year for 2017. According to Best Lawyers, the lawyers receiving this honor have received particularly high ratings in their surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.”

Maine Cancer Foundation Twilight 5K

LeBlanc & Young teamed up with Seacoast Cares to participate in the Maine Cancer Foundation’s Twilight 5K, held annually at the Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. This is the fourth year the firm has joined in the event.LeBlanc & Young runners are pictured (left to right): Taryn Adams, Julie Scala, Tara Weller, Justin LeBlanc, and Eliza Nichols.Taryn Adams placed first in her division.

Matie B. Little, Esq. Has Joined LeBlanc & Young

We are delighted to announce that attorney Matie Little has joined our firm. Matie is a graduate of the University of Maine, Honors College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, summa cum laude and earned her J.D. from American University, College of Law, summa cum laude in 2007. In 2008, Matie received her LL.M. in Taxation with a Certificate in Estate Planning with distinction from Georgetown University Law Center.Prior to returning to her home state of Maine and joining LeBlanc & Young this January, Matie was a partner in the estate planning department of a Washington D. C. law firm, where she assisted clients with a broad range of estate and gift planning projects designed to achieve clients’ personal and tax goals. She also assisted with trust and estate administration and counseled both private foundations and public charities on governance, tax and compliance matters. Matie is admitted to practice law in Maine, Massachusetts, and Washington D.C.Matie lives in South Portland with her husband and their baby daughter. Being home, Matie is excited to spend more time with her family and introduce her daughter to all of Maine’s wonderful outdoor activities, including skiing, hiking, gardening and fishing. She also looks forward to eating a lot more lobster.

Eliza Nichols

Eliza M. Nichols, who has been with us as an estate administration paralegal for about two years, is now an attorney at LeBlanc & Young.Eliza graduated from Oberlin College in 2000 and UCLA Law School in 2005. After law school she practiced at a large firm in Los Angeles in the litigation department. Eliza has thrived at LeBlanc & Young, bringing a sharp mind, good judgment and a wonderful personal touch to all of her cases. We know our clients will enjoy working with Eliza.

Elizabeth High Named as Lawyer of the Year

Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named Elizabeth High the Portland, Maine Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year for 2016.According to Best Lawyers, the lawyers receiving this honor have received particularly high ratings in their surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.”This is the second time Elizabeth has received this honor, having been previously named Lawyer of the Year for 2012.

Transitions with Dick LeBlanc's Retirement

As previously announced, Dick will be retiring at the end of August. Many of his clients have consulted with him over the past 15 months to discuss a seamless transition to a younger attorney here at L&Y. If you have not done so, please contact his son, Justin, whenever convenient. Over the next few weeks, Dick will be focused on completing various projects and will no longer be available to handle transition calls.Thank you for your cooperation!

Karen M. Hart, CPA, MST Has Joined LeBlanc & Young

We are pleased to announce that Karen Hart has joined our practice as our Fiduciary Services Administrator. Given her history as one of Portland’s preeminent fiduciary accountants, Karen brings immediate and obvious professional skills to our fiduciary tax practice. She will also assist with our trusts and estates practice by reviewing and finalizing tax returns and accountings.Karen graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, earned her Master of Science degree in Taxation from Thomas College, and received her CPA certificate in 1999. Prior to joining LeBlanc & Young, Karen worked for over 25 years in public accounting. Karen is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.Karen is a member of the board of trustees for Mercy Hospital, and is a board member and past president of the Maine Estate Planning Council.

Dick LeBlanc to Retire

Dick LeBlanc has announced his decision to retire in August 2015.He has been practicing law in Portland since 1972 and is a founding member of LeBlanc & Young. Although we will be sad to see Dick leave the firm, we are excited for him and his wife, Doris, as they will be able to pursue many of the things they have been looking forward to as a retired couple. Between now and August 2015, Dick will continue his active practice and will be introducing his clients to other lawyers at LeBlanc & Young. We are all committed to making the transition as seamless as possible for all involved.

Eliza M. Nichols Has Joined LeBlanc & Young

Eliza M. Nichols has joined the firm as the newest member of our Trusts and Estates team.Eliza is a paralegal with the firm, focusing on estate and trust administration. Eliza is a graduate of Oberlin College, and earned her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 2005. She practiced as an attorney in the litigation department at Bryan Cave LLP in Los Angeles for several years before moving back to Maine. Eliza is a member of the State Bar in both California and Maine, and is a licensed Maine guardian ad litem.