Conti Law: Meeting Your Legal Needs
By Kevin Brown
“My philosophy is to treat our clients a little bit differently than a normal law firm treats their clients,” says Michele Conti, founder of Conti Law, in describing her firm’s approach to serving clients.
“The goal is to treat them as family members and to give them the advice that I would give to my parents, my grandparents, or my siblings, so that they see the big picture,” she explains.
Conti Law has been in business in the Pittsburgh area for nine years. “We focus on estate planning, estate and trust administration, guardianships, elder law, and special needs planning. About a year ago, we added real estate and business law to our services when we brought attorney Blake Birchmeier on board.”
Headquartered in Oakdale, Conti Law recently opened an office in Waynesburg, Greene County. Attorney Birchmeier splits his practice between the Waynesburg office and the Oakdale office, which affords clients not only in both of those communities, but also up and down the I-79 corridor, easy access to Conti Law’s concierge services.
Also on staff at Conti Law is Attorney Samantha Gormley, who specializes in guardianships and estate administration. She works out of the Oakdale office and brings her experience in the healthcare field to her practice and the clients of Conti Law.
Michele has been an attorney for over 22 years. She received her LL.M. in Taxation from Villanova University School of Law, her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law, and a B.A. in Political Science and Writing from Allegheny College and Oxford University. She practices in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, special needs trusts, guardianship, and post-litigation planning. Michele also focuses on advanced planning strategies for clients to shelter assets from creditors, potential tax matters, guardianship and gifting consequences.
Michele believes that legal services should start early in one’s life. “We see, especially now with the school year starting, those 18-year-olds going off to college and Mom and Dad are realizing that, God forbid something happens to them, as their parents, they no longer have authority to act on their child's behalf. So, everybody over the age of 18 should certainly have powers of attorney in place,” she explains.
A will is also something that should be considered sooner rather than later. “My recommendation is, as soon as they start to accumulate any assets or have children, they should consider a will. If you don't have a will in place, Pennsylvania intestacy law dictates what happens,” Michele says.
Michele can be heard on the radio Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on 1320 WJAS-AM. The 30-minute episodes focus on her practice and the essentials of estate planning.
Samantha received her J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law, a Doctor of Science in Information Systems and Communication from Robert Morris University, a Master of Science in Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Science in Sports, Art, and Entertainment Management from Point Park University. Before entering the legal field, Samantha built a unique foundation as an athlete and coach in fitness and competitive figure skating.
A native of western Pennsylvania, Samantha’s experience in healthcare led her to become interested in the legal side of healthcare. “With the practice of estate administration, we see clients’ bills from health insurance companies and explanation of benefits. We're also dealing with end-of-life care, long-term-care planning, and Medicaid planning. We want to make sure that, if clients are on Medicaid and they're looking at inheriting money, they don't disqualify themselves from continuing with that plan of assistance,” she says.
Samantha also handles guardianship matters. “In life, parenthood doesn't end at age 18, but legally, it definitely does. Something as simple as an ear infection in an incapacitated child who has reached the age of majority, a parent really can't handle in terms of taking them to the doctor, speaking to the doctors on their behalf, or making financial decisions for them. So that's certainly an important part of guardianship planning,” Samantha explains.
Born in Denver, Colorado, Blake was raised in Dayton, Ohio. He received his J.D. from the Claude W. Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University and a B.A. in History, with a minor in Public History and Museum Studies, also from Ohio Northern University. Blake is licensed in Pennsylvania and Ohio and practices in the areas of business, estate planning and administration, trusts, elder law, nonprofit law, and transactional real estate matters.
After an internship with Judge Emery in Washington, Pennsylvania, Blake and his wife, who is from Waynesburg, relocated to Waynesburg where he took a position with the law firm of Peacock Keller. After practicing in a variety of areas of the law in Allegheny, Washington, and Greene counties, Blake desired to continue his passion in the areas of the law that Conti Law focuses on and when the firm had an opening, Blake was eager to join the Conti Law team.
“I thought it would be a perfect fit, and it has been. Michele, Samantha, and I practice the same way. We approach every client's estate plan and estate administration from a holistic perspective,” Blake notes.
In addition to his work in the areas of business, estate planning and administration, and transactional real estate matters, Blake also specializes in nonprofit law.
If you are seeking legal services and appreciate being treated as a family member, contact Conti Law. To make an appointment, call Conti Law at (724) 784-0239 or email reception@contilawpgh.com. Their website is www.contilawpgh.com. The firm’s offices are located at 7880 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale, PA 15071 as well as at 3157 Mount Morris Road, Suite 104, Waynesburg, PA 15370.