"I've never been an Executor or Administrator of an estate, so I needed someone I could trust to guide me through the legal process. Jeff and his top notch staff flawlessly guided me through the challenges of being an executor during the 2 years of getting my uncle's estate in order. I would recommend Jeff to anyone looking for trust services or estate planning. You will find yourself in very capable hands."
Harry C. Wallengren, Jr., Cromwell, CT
“We were fortunate to have Jeff Crown recommended to us in 1996. Since then we have never looked back.
Our CPA firm and our Financial Adviser found the trusts that Jeff drew up to be perfectly executed and in our best interest. They continue to note to us: "He cares about your well being."
We recommend Jeff and his staff without reservation to anyone considering a trust lawyer.”
Jim and Virginia Pucillo, Meriden, CT
“While working on our financial planning, we realized that we also had to work on our estate planning. Upon the recommendation of a good friend we decided to meet and talk with Jeffrey Crown. After our first meeting we knew we wanted him to be our attorney. His knowledge and professionalism were evident.
We reviewed with him our needs, our wishes and our special family circumstances. He listened intently, asked specific questions tactfully and then proceeded to outline the positives and negatives of various legal solutions. His summaries of our several meetings served to keep us fully informed and to thoroughly understand the actions we were taking. He was most sensitive to our special needs while at the same time retaining complete objectivity.
Several times over the years, changes in our family circumstances made it necessary for us to amend our estate plans. Always, in his prompt responsive way, he was there for us. During one of these times we witnessed his ability to work with other professionals, always keeping our best interest in mind. This has helped greatly to keep our plans up to date.
Recently, upon request, Jeffrey met with us, our family and our financial planner for a general review of our estate plans. This provided everyone concerned with an opportunity to become aware of our intentions.
We recommend Jeffrey Crown without reservation. He has added peace of mind to our retirement.”
Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Hricko, Torrington, CT
"I want to take this opportunity to thank Jeffrey Crown for providing legal and estate counsel for over thirty five years to three generations of our family.
The Trustlawyer LLC team helped direct the Bruemmer family in preserving wealth through the years by acting in the utmost professional and knowledgeable manner. I appreciate Jeff's help in acting as a family mediator and in his role as our counsellor during the difficult time of settling my father's estate.
As Executor, I felt confidant that, while I had difficult medical issues, our needs were being met and acted upon. Thank you Jeff and Staff"
Gary Bruemmer, New Hartford, CT
"No words can express how much we enjoyed working with Jeff Crown. We were impressed by the depth of his knowledge and the efficiency of his operation. He filled us with confidence that we are doing the right things, no only for ourselves, but also for our children and their families. We will sleep better each night with the realization that we got the best advice we could possibly get."
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Kreitner. Newington, CT
“I have been a client of Attorney Crown’`s for over 5 years. He has assisted me in the areas of trusts, prenuptial agreements and living wills. He is a master in his field and communicates that expertise to his clients flawlessly. I would highly recommend anyone needing great legal advice in these areas to contact Jeff immediately. You will not be disappointed.”
Mary Jean Agostini, Berlin, CT
"Attorney Jeffrey L. Crown has guided my personal legal matters for over 20 years. He is without question one of the top trust attorneys in this field. Attorney Crown thoroughly directs all my legal (trust) concerns with complete understanding of my needs. He listens like a friend and always has the absolute right words and solutions for me. Attorney Jeffrey L. Crown has my complete and utmost respect and confidence directing all my personal legal affairs."
Robert A. Labbe - Chairman and CEO
Lab Security Systems Inc., Bristol, CT
“I personally have had the privilege to work with Attorney Crown, and so have other members of my firm. Jeff has always provided unsurpassed knowledge of estate planning. His knowledge in this field clearly sets the standard for practitioners and educators to follow. Many attorneys and CPAs consult with Jeff to leverage his expertise on their own cases. At the client level, he is very empathetic and approachable. He spends a great deal of time listening and understanding what the client wants and needs before making and executing recommendations. His documents are unique in that they reflect his clients’ individual desires in clear and straightforward language that is far from boilerplate. I look forward to working with Jeff for years to come.”
Jonathan W. Webb, Certified Financial Planner
Berlin, CT
“I've had wills and trusts drawn for me in the past by general practice attorneys. Jeff specializes in trust law, and I can tell you there's a huge difference in the quality and thoughtfulness of the product. There are so many concepts to think about when preparing documents such as these. Jeff is able to explain them in language that's easy to understand and then incorporate them into the drafts with the proper legal language. I feel I have a most thorough and expert set of trust documents now, and that they'll "do their job" if and when necessary.”
Neal J. Zimmerman, West Hartford, CT
“After my husband died, I became the owner of a multimillion dollar business. I knew we had stocks, IRAs, insurance policies, property, etc. We also had a family of three, their spouses, and grandchildren. Prior to my husband's death, I was a domestic engineer, active in community affairs, school and church. I depended upon my husband for handling all money matters. It was all overpowering. I knew I had to have legal advice to sort out my life. After some time with Jeff Crown, I knew every detail there is to know about a will, especially when a family and a business are involved. I now know of wills, taxes, power of attorney, and much more. He continues to keep me informed of all the latest changes that come about with taxes. When you need him, he is always there -- immediately. When you leave his office you feel what you have accomplished. He knows his stuff, he is knowledgeable and there is no use of legal jargon that you do not understand. I called a business person with much money who I recommended and her spontaneous reply. After 10 years I still hear from Jeff about new changes. Her answer was ‘I think he's an excellent guy. Thanks for the referral.’”
Lillian Agostini, Chairwoman of the Board
New Britain Transportation Company, Berlin, CT
“Jeff Crown is a kind of anomaly among highly-qualified lawyers because he combines an unusually deep technical knowledge of Trusts and Estates law with an equally deep concern for his clients. He is gifted in his ability to communicate technical precision in plain English that is easily understood by non-lawyers. His co-workers are also consummate professionals.
Jeff has been a invaluable resource as my sister and I have gone through the process of setting up my mom's fairly complicated estate plan involving discounted real estate and a special needs trust. His questions are probing without being tedious, and again, his explanations are worth their weight in gold. I cannot emphasize enough the value of an attorney who helps his or her client become truly comfortable with complicated legal concepts and language. Jeff is that rare attorney who does.
I would recommend Jeff without one second's hesitation to anyone who's looking for a top-tier Trusts and Estates attorney.”
Bill Jawitz, Legal Practice Advisor
Success Track, Esq., Milford, CT
“Jeff was a reliable resource for me as a journalist. He was responsive, informed and willing to provide as much time as needed to help me understand elements of the legal industry. To me, this speaks volumes about his integrity and willingness to help others.”
Douglas Malan, Managing Editor, Connecticut Law Tribune
“As a financial adviser for over 30 years I was very careful what estate planning attorney I referred my clients to. I was very confident in referring my clients to Jeff. I was always pleased when my clients got back to me and related their experience with him. He is thoughtful, extremely knowledgeable, and very personable. I always knew my clients would be treated well and get expert advice when they worked with him.”
Robert Mauterstock, financial advisor, LPL Financial Services
“Jeff Crown's experience shines through very quickly discussing estates, trusts and legal documents. Over many years several of my clients have benefited from Jeff's personable and thorough guidance. I am confident Jeff's plain English approach helps them understand very technical documents. Knowing my clients are well cared for is of the utmost concern for me. I heartily recommend Jeff as a professional.
If you have the good fortune to know Jeff, as well as I, you will learn he is a man of many dimensions and exercises a tremendous appetite to learn and grow.”
Marc S Pelletier, CPA, Southington, CT
“I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing Jeff since 1986 and have had the opportunity to collaborate with him on numerous client engagements over the years. His innovative style of working with clients to provide solutions to real-world problems is a breath of fresh air when most Estate and Trust lawyers are fixated on primarily dealing with tax issues. Recently, one of my best clients became fearful that her young adult grandchildren were enjoying too much of “the good life”. When she realized that her then current estate plan might inhibit their personal growth and development, I told her about Jeffrey’s mission to help solve that dilemma by using “work incentive trusts” or “WITs”, an acronym coined by Jeff. After several client meetings he produced well constructed discretionary trusts for each of her grandchildren providing standards for distributions that were acceptable to the client. The client’s values were carefully reflected within the instrument giving her the peace of mind she sought that her grandchildren could have the opportunity to develop into good productive citizens. Furthermore, the documents were easily readable and understandable by her chosen trustees and successors. It is this kind of innovative thinking that differentiates Jeff from the often commoditized profession of Estate and Trust attorneys.”
Peter Kraus, CFP, CPA, Glastonbury, CT
Jeff and I work for clients under the same, as far as I believe, broad principles: We both want to achieve the best for our clients, and do not substitute our own judgment for theirs, as that would be both inappropriate and contravene what a client ultimately desires. This principle does not, however, prevent us for presenting our opinions when appropriate.
Jeff's background is in trusts and estates work. In this area, it is particularly important to create the best plan while you are alive. Often times, what seems trivial in the present moment, could have significant implications (e.g, the ability for a beneficiary to approve of a trustee and/or the particular standards for determining trust distributions) in the future.
To that end, Jeff is trained and experienced in uncovering these potentially unseen issues, helping clients work through them and then translating clients’ objectives into the appropriate documents.
Rick Shapiro, CPA, CFP, Managing Member
Investment & Financial Counselors, LLC, West Hartford, CT