Patti Spencer

Current

• Trusts and estates lawyer, legal writer and educator at Spencer Law Firm

Past

• Manager of Personal Trust Department at Fulton Bank
• Attorney at Deutsch Williams
• Attorney at Vacovec, Mayotte & Singer

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Education

• Boston University School of Law
• Boston University School of Law
• Dickinson College

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Recommended

1 person has recommended Patti

Connections

292 connections

Industry

Legal Services

Patti Spencer’s Summary

Spencer Law Firm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, provides focused legal assistance and consulting services in the area of trusts and estates law and taxation. Serving clients both locally and nationally, the firm is recognized for its ability to address complex estate concerns efficiently and explain complicated estate law issues clearly to clients.

Trust and Estates Expert Witness Services

When conflicts or disputes arise either through inadequate or flawed estate planning or management and require resolution in court, having an expert thoroughly versed in trusts and estates law both as consultant and expert witness can add authority to your position.

Spencer Law Firm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has provided consultant and expert witness support to other attorneys and firms both locally and nationally for 30 years. When questions arise regarding permissible trustee powers, exercise of discretion, or whether a particular action was warranted or prudent when held to the mirror of customary industry standards, Patti Spencer can examine the facts and offer a respected, trustworthy opinion

Having served as a bank trust executive, written books and articles on estate matters and taught law school level and continuing legal education courses on trusts and estates law, Ms. Spencer’s expertise has been relied upon many times. As a consulting and expert witness, Patti Spencer examines industry standards of practice, testifying as to what is reasonable and customary. In addition to providing support in fiduciary litigation matters, attorney Spencer has assisted in matters such as:

• Fee disagreements
• Trust administration
• Attorney malpractice
• Breach of fiduciary duty
• Failure to identify or pay taxes
• Violation of estate document provisions
• Fiduciary investment management

Patti Spencer’s Specialties:

Spencer Law Firm works collaboratively with attorneys when a specialized level of expertise in trusts and estates or federal estate and gift tax is necessary to meet clients’ needs.

Engagements with other law firms can work in one of two ways: either by working directly with the clients or by working behind the scenes. By addressing matters in-house, attorneys are able to retain their own clients instead of making a referral to another practice and provide a higher standard of service.

Patti Spencer’s Experience

• Trusts and estates lawyer, legal writer and educator

  Spencer Law Firm

  (Legal Services industry)

  August 1996 — Present (13 years 4 months)

  Founder and owner of law practice concentrating in taxation, estate planning, probate, trusts, and closely-held business issues. Consulting services to other lawyers and accountants on estate planning, estate tax and administration matters. Federal estate, gift and generation-skipping tax planning, estate and trust administration, business succession planning, tax planning for qualified plan distributions; fiduciary income tax and corporate tax planning. Serves as a Private Trustee and/or Executor when requested to serve by informed clients. Expert witness in estate tax and estate planning and fiduciary matters.

• Manager of Personal Trust Department

  Fulton Bank

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; FULT; Banking industry)

  January 1992 — August 1996 (4 years 8 months)

  Managed Personal Trust Department with $400 million in assets and 1500 accounts. Supervised 9 Trust Officers and 6 Assistant Administrators in three line functions: Trust Administration, Trust Tax and Estate Settlement. Accountable for budget, profitability, regulatory compliance, trust real estate, personnel issues, and all legal issues. Provided support to Estate Planning Officers and salespeople

• Attorney

  Deutsch Williams

  (Privately Held; Law Practice industry)

  July 1988 — September 1991 (3 years 3 months)

• Attorney

  Vacovec, Mayotte & Singer

  (Partnership; Law Practice industry)

  September 1985 — July 1988 (2 years 11 months)

Patti Spencer’s Education

• Boston University School of Law

  LLM , Taxation , 1982 — 1984

• Boston University School of Law

  1975 — 1978

• Dickinson College

  BA , Philosophy and Political Science , 1972 — 1975

Additional Information

Patti Spencer’s Groups:

ACTEC

•    eOffice
•    Dickinson College Alumni
•    Getting Things Done - GTD - SolutionPeople Innovation's Network of Action Innovators
•    Legal Marketing
•    Legal Blogging
•    Public Speaking Network
•    Tweeple
•    Boston University Law Alumni
•    Caregivers Connection
•    Estate Settlement and Probate Professionals Referral Network
•    Legacy / Estate / Gift Planning and Planned Giving Professionals
•    Rain-Making Lawyers Law Firm Marketing
•    Law and Legal Open Networkers
•    Estate Planner Legal Network
•    Leadership for Lawyers
•    United States Tax Court
•    Law Firm Marketing and Branding
•    Legal Marketing Technology Forum
•    Estate Planning
•    LEGALTECH
•    Lancaster Bar Association
•    Legal Tweeters
•    National Constitution Center Trust and Estates Community
•    The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry
•    Lawyers & Legal Professionals using JD Supra
•    Lancaster County, PA
•    Lancaster County Community Foundation
•    PA's Best 50 Women In Business
•    Pennsylvania's Best 50 Women in Business
•    TheLegalConnection
•    ForbesWoman
•    Trusts and Estates Magazine
•    Lock Your Docs!
•    the TOLI forum
•    THEInsuranceAdvisor.COM
•    Dangerous Law Practice Myths, Lies and Stupidity

Patti Spencer’s Honors:

AWARD
Recipient of Award as one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business, May 15, 2000. The award is given by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development.

ACTEC FELLOW
In December 2003 Ms. Spencer was elected a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel ("ACTEC"). Fellows of the College are nominated by other Fellows in their geographic area and are elected by the membership at large. Fellows are selected on the basis of professional reputation and ability in the fields of trusts and estates and on the basis of having made substantial contributions to these fields through lecturing, writing, teaching, and bar activities.

PENNSYLVANIA SUPER LAWYER
Ms. Spencer was named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 2007, an honor awarded to the top five percent of state-wide lawyers.

Patti Spencer’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• expertise requests
• reference requests
• getting back in touch