Why Estate Planning and Elder Law?
My concentration in these areas of the law stems from a number of
factors:
First, I naturally have a future orientation.
That is to say, I am optimistic about the future and I look forward to
its possibilities. Therefore, the notion of short term sacrifice
for long term payoff always has made a great deal of sense to me.
I take delight in helping clients create a better future for
themselves and their families through intelligently chosen short term
decisions.
Second, family has always been and
will always be important to me. I have come to believe that a
family's well being depends mostly on cultural, spiritual and knowledge
capital, and
somewhat on financial capital. In my experience,
cultural, spiritual and knowledge capital can only be passed down
slowly over time through the almost magical interactions between
generations and relatives. Given the current legal and financial
environment, I am quite knowledgeable about
how financial capital may be effectively, reliably, and safely passed
from older generations to younger ones. I enjoy helping clients strengthen their
families by providing sound counsel regarding these matters.
Third, during my second and third
years of law school, I was fortunate enough to clerk with two
excellent attorneys in the Buffalo, New York area who also
concentrated their practices on Estate Planning and Elder Law.
I came to see the tremendous good that can be done for individuals and
their families through effective representation with respect to
sensitive sickness and incapacity issues. I also
saw the great relief clients experienced from the knowledge that their
personal and financial affairs were in order.
During my clerkship, I decided to learn all I could about Estate
Planning and Elder Law so that my legal career might provide similar
benefit to my clients. My search led me to the renowned
Graduate Program in
Estate Planning at the University of Miami. During my year
in Miami, I learned a great deal about Tax law, including Corporate
Tax, Partnership Tax, Federal Wealth Transfer Tax, Personal Income
Tax, and the Income Taxation of Trusts, Estates and Beneficiaries. In the second term, I studied the many
techniques necessary for sophisticated estate planning from fourteen
of the best practitioners in the world. After completing my
studies, I decided to settle on Florida's West Coast and apply
all I have learned for the benefit of my clients.
Brief Autobiography
I was born in Alameda, California.
My father, Noel M. Chiantella, was in the Navy at the time, and was serving
in the Pacific Fleet on the USS Wichita. My mother, Eileen M.
Chiantella was a nurse. We later moved to Maryland where my father
finished up a residency in Radiology. I have a younger sister Cate,
who currently is studying Economics and Biology
at Georgetown University.
After my father completed his
residency, my family settled just outside Buffalo, New York in the suburb of
Orchard Park.
At the age of 16, I began my
undergraduate work at
St. John's College in
Annapolis, Maryland. After completing my bachelors degree, I received
an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the State University
of New York at Buffalo. I then attended the
Law School at SUNY Buffalo.
After finishing law school, I passed the Florida Bar and moved
to Miami, Florida, where I attended the
University of Miami
and completed an LL.M. in Estate Planning.
Published
Cases
Provence
v. Department of Children and Family Services
Professional Memberships
Hobbies and Interests
When not occupied with my practice or spending time with my
wife and family,
I enjoy reading, golf, and spending
time on the wonderful beaches in Venice.