Alistair Hasbrouck
Managing partner, Poughkeepsie
Alistair started the firm to meet families before there is a crisis, with the parents, the children and the folder of papers all on one table.
He draws up wills and trusts, settles estates and sits through the long family meetings that make the documents easy to write. Clients tend to leave with a one-page list of who does what, and a plan their children have actually read.
Works most on
- Wills and living trusts
- Estate administration
- Family meetings
- Beneficiary and deed reviews
Alistair’s admissions and education
Bar admissions
New York
1995
Courts
New York State courts
1995
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
1998
Education
J.D., Albany Law School
1995
B.A., SUNY New Paltz
1992
Languages
English
Memberships
Dutchess County Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
The first question he asks
Before any drafting, Alistair asks who in the family does not know about this plan yet. Most people have an answer, and it is usually the person the plan affects most.
So the first meeting is often a family meeting. He lets everyone say what they are worried about, writes the worries down, and then builds the documents around the list. Brothers who have not spoken since a funeral have left his office with a shared to-do list.
Away from the desk he is on the board of a Poughkeepsie community garden, which has taught him more about getting people to agree than law school did.
Talk with Alistair
The Poughkeepsie office is open weekdays and Saturday mornings by appointment, and the first call is free.
The first call is free. Fees are quoted in writing first; court and filing costs are separate.