Offices at
40 W. Main Street, Salem VA 24153
540-375-3281
WELCOME TO HART & HART ATTORNEYS, LTD.
The lawyers and staff at Hart & Hart Attorneys, Ltd. use the English language, not "Lawyer Language" as much as possible. 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 & Hart. Primarily, it is to provide information about the area of law we handle. We manage the site personally: there is (obviously) no professional web designer who oversees it.
We serve Salem & Roanoke, Virginia and the cities and counties immediately surrounding, and handle the following type of matters:
Thank you for visiting!
HISTORY AND BIO INFORMATION
Hart & Hart Attorneys, Ltd. was formed in Roanoke Virginia near the end of the 19th Century (1892) 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 Hart family attended and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law. Ross C. Hart practiced "solo" but kept the historic family name of the firm. In July, 2004, Hart & Hart relocated its offices to Salem, Virginia (adjoining Roanoke).
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 the honorarium for my father, James P. Hart, Jr., presented to him eight months before he died. I learned a lot from both, and miss their wisdom and advice.
Ross C. Hart attended the Roanoke City Schools, then 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), graduated in 1976 and immediately joined his father in the practice of law.
Among Ross' civic activities/awards:
Ross' Memberships:
Ross' full Resume/CV can be found here.
Ross has a blog here.
This web site tells a little about Hart & Hart. Primarily, it is to provide information about the area of law we handle. We manage the site personally: there is (obviously) no professional web designer who oversees it.
We serve Salem & Roanoke, Virginia and the cities and counties immediately surrounding, and handle the following type of matters:
- WILLS, ESTATES, TRUSTS: We work hard to help plan and write 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.
- Will - the basic document to pass property to the next generation. Even if the full plan has a lot of property and accounts in survivorship, the will takes care of anything overlooked or acquired after the planing took place. In our paper-trail society, recording it at the courthouse after someone passes is the documentation frequently relied on.
- Power of Attorney - gives a trusted person the ability to handle the property of the principal (the individual giving the power). Our basic power of attorney also provides HIPAA authority so the agent (person given the power) can also communicate with medical providers in addition to the power to handle virtually all property. Over 20 years ago we were the first firm in our area to give guidelines on how a power of attorney is used and what records must be kept under law. Since we began that instruction, no power of attorney document has left this office without those guidelines.
- Advance Medical Directive - similar to a "Living Will" many people ask for. This very personal document expresses the person's wishes on how long they want to be kept on machines when there is limited chance for getting better or having any quality of life.
- Funeral Designation of Agent - A document that Virginia Law recognizes to state who has the authority to make final arrangements with the funeral home after someone dies. With second (or more) marriages, blended families, and other factors there can be disputes about where the funeral will be and how it will be conducted. This lets the funeral director know who can make those decisions.
- ELDER LAW and ADULT GUARDIANSHIP: Our population has greyed considerably. Hart & 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 themselves or protecting their property from predators.
- REAL ESTATE PROBLEMS: Hart & Hart Attorneys, Ltd. has had a major presence in Real Estate law from its founding and until recently has represented property owners in "cleaning up" problems encountered in real estate ownership (Partition suits, adverse claims on title and ownership, etc). We do not conduct "settlements" or "escrows" (both being the mechanics of processing the transaction: receiving purchase funds, recording of documents, disbursement of funds) If you have a real estate issue, call us anyhow and we'll refer you to those we think best.
Thank you for visiting!
HISTORY AND BIO INFORMATION
Hart & Hart Attorneys, Ltd. was formed in Roanoke Virginia near the end of the 19th Century (1892) 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 Hart family attended and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law. Ross C. Hart practiced "solo" but kept the historic family name of the firm. In July, 2004, Hart & Hart relocated its offices to Salem, Virginia (adjoining Roanoke).
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 the honorarium for my father, James P. Hart, Jr., presented to him eight months before he died. I learned a lot from both, and miss their wisdom and advice.
Ross C. Hart attended the Roanoke City Schools, then 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), graduated in 1976 and immediately joined his father in the practice of law.
Among Ross' civic activities/awards:
- WINGS Commission - "Working Interdisciplinary Network of Guardianship Stakeholders" - a Project of the Supreme Court of Virginia to improve the delivery of guardianship services to adults.
- "Escheator" who oversees the process of returning abandoned real estate to productive ownership. Ross was first appointed by Governor Robb, and continued in that office under Governors Baliles and Wilder. After an 8 year gap, he was reappointed to the position by Governor Mark Warner in 2002 and has continued.
- The first Citizen Member of the Virginia Board of Medicine (Lawyers are citizens, after all!), first appointed Gov. Baliles and served two terms for a total of nine years.
- Former director and former president of the Roanoke Valley S.P.C.A.
- A founder and former president/director of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southwest Virginia.
Ross' Memberships:
- Virginia State Bar
- Salem/Roanoke County Bar Association
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
- Virginia Chapter, VAELA; member Board of Directors
Ross' full Resume/CV can be found here.
Ross has a blog here.
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