“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
“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