Elena Marsh

Why a small practice

I spent the first six years of my career at a mid-sized firm in Hartford. Estate files there moved between whoever had capacity that month. It was efficient, and it produced perfectly competent documents — but I watched clients arrive at their own signing meeting and shake hands with an attorney they'd never spoken to.

That struck me as backwards. Deciding who raises your children, who makes your medical decisions, and who you trust with money is not a transaction that should be handed off. So in 2007 I opened this office, and I've deliberately kept it at a size where I can do the work myself.

The practical consequence for you: the person on the first phone call drafts your documents, sits with you at the signing, and answers when you call four years later because your daughter got married or you bought a place in Florida.

How I work

I quote flat fees in writing before any work starts, because nobody should feel a meter running while they think through a hard decision. I'll tell you when you need less than you came in asking for — a surprising number of people arrive convinced they need a trust and leave with a will and correctly titled accounts, which is both cheaper and better for their situation.

And I write in plain English. Documents have to survive a probate court, so some formal language is unavoidable, but every plan I deliver comes with a one-page summary written for the person who will one day have to actually use it, usually a grieving adult child who has never seen a legal document in their life.

Outside the office

I've lived in the Millbrook area for twenty-two years. I sit on the board of the regional food council, I'm a reliably mediocre cellist in a community orchestra, and I spend most Saturdays failing to keep a vegetable garden alive. If we work together for any length of time, you will hear about the garden.