HART & HART ATTORNEYS, LTD.

Offices at 40 W. Main Street, Salem VA 24153     History of Hart & Hart Hart & Hart Attorneys Ltd. was formed at the end of the 19th Century (1894) as a partnership of John M. Hart and his brother, James P. Hart. They were followed by Col. James P. Hart, Jr. who joined in 1929 and his brother John L. Hart in 1952. Col. Hart's son Ross C. Hart joined the firm in 1976.   All members of the firm were graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law.  Ross C. Hartnow practices "solo" while maintaining the historic name of the firm. In July, 2004, Hart & Hart relocated its offices to Salem, Virginia (adjoining Roanoke). WE BELIEVE IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, NOT "LAWYER LANGUAGE". We do our best to explain what is happening -- in any area of law -- in words people can understand. Yes, we're fluent in "lawyer", but most of our clients aren't.   This web site tells a little about Hart and Hart.  Primarily, it is to provide information about the various areas of law we concentrate in and make available forms for those who might find them useful.  We manage the site personally:  there is (obviously) no professional web designer who oversees it.  Domain and Web Storage are provided by Anything Email (TM) who have a fabulous price and can be contacted by clicking on the annoying little floater on this page.

Areas of Practice We serve Salem & Roanoke, Virginia and the cities and counties immediately surrounding. Our concentration is in the following areas:   ADULT GUARDIANSHIP/ELDER LAW: Our population has greyed considerably. Hart and Hart is a leading firm in the Roanoke area in the area of Elder Law, planning for the aging process, and the establishment of a guardianship when a senior is no longer capable of caring for themself or protectingtheir property from predators.  Check the "Documents" link to the left for some forms we've developed. WILLS/ESTATES/TRUSTS:  We work diligently in the planning and drafting of documents for the orderly transfer property from one generation to the next. We suggest ways to "keep it simple". Once a person passes away, we work with the family/executor to ensure as smooth an administration as possible. REAL ESTATE: Hart & Hart Attorneys Ltd. has had a major presence in Real Estate law from its founding. While we no longer conduct "settlements" or "escrows" (both being the mechanics of processing the transaction: receiving purchase funds, recording of documents, disbursement of funds) we actively represent sellers and purchasers and specialize in "cleaning up" problems encountered in real estate transactions.  If you need settlement services, call us anyhowand we'll refer you to those we think best.   LANDLORD AND TENANT:  We have represented landlords in the Roanoke area and have lectured at several Continuing Education seminars on Landlord/Tenant law in Virginia. Hart & Hart is proud to have developed "plain english" leases and other forms for use by Landlords. Go to that area (to the left) for some of the documents we've created.

How to contact us: Hart and Hart Attorneys Ltd. is located in downtown Salem, Virginia. Offices:          40 W. Main Street, Salem, Virginia 24153 Mail:              P.O. Box 567, Salem, Virginia, 24153. Telephone:     540-375-3281 E-Mail:           office "at" hhatty.com (we don't have a clickable link in order to cut down on the spam junk)   Thank you for visiting!

The Roanoke Bar Association honors its (very) senior members and those who pass away. I had the honor of writing the memorial to my uncle, John L. Hart after his passing, and then I wasasked to write an honorarium for my father, James P. Hart, Jr ., which was presented 8 months before he died. I learned a lot from both, and miss their wisdom and advice.   About me? OK. Ross C. Hart was born at an early age (1950). He attended the Roanoke City Schools, graduating in 1969, then attended Monmouth College, Monmouth IL, earning a BA, Business Administration in 1973. While at Monmouth he was a member of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity.   After Monmouth, he attended the University of Virginia School of law (as did his grandfather and father before him -- this is a third generation professional nuisance!) graduated in 1976 and immediately joined his father in the practice of law.   Ross has served as a director and president of the Roanoke Valley S.P.C.A.  He is a founder, former director and president of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southwest Virginia.  He served as "Escheator" (a heckuva job title for a lawyer) under Governors Robb, Baliles and Wilder, and, after an 8 year gap, was reappointed to the position in 2002 by Governor Mark Warner. In 1986 Ross was appointed Gov. Baliles as the first Citizen Member of the Virginia Board of Medicine (Lawyers arecitizens, after all!) and served two terms for a total of nine years.   Currently, Ross is Committee Chair of Cub Scout Pack 55, Catawba District, Boy Scouts of America, sponsored by St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Salem, VA, where Ross and his family are members, Ross is on the Vestry and handles its webpage (link above).