Welcome to my website.
My name is John Geary. I was first admitted to the Maine Bar in April, 1984, and have been practicing for more than 30 years as a sole practitioner.
In addition to being licensed to practice before all courts in the State of Maine, I have also been admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Although I have a general practice, I limit my practice to a few specific practice areas. Click on the ‘My Legal Services’ tab above to see a list of the specific legal service I offer.
I maintain a general practice but I do concentrate my legal practice to the specific practice areas listed on the ‘tabs’ below.
A description of my ‘General Business’ practice area is displayed by default.
For more description about any other specific practice area, please click on its tab.
Providing general business planning services as well as proactive or reactive services. Sometimes, but not always, pro-active or reactive services overlap with my Civil Litigation practice area.
Non-exhaustive examples of planning services include the following:
Non-exhaustive examples of pre-litigation, pro-active or reactive services include:
My General Business Practice area also involves prosecuting or defending, as the case may be, civil litigation, many examples of which are describe at my Civil Litigation Practice Area page.
Prosecuting or defending civil lawsuits in Maine courts, both state and federal. Examples include:
Other of my practice areas also include litigation:
Assisting clients with both planning and practical applications relating to Probate law.
Planning strategies generally involve both advising about and drafting of the following instruments:
Practical applications generally involve advising about and representing clients in Probate Court for any of the following reasons (which are offered as examples):
Offering prompt, professional legal services to both buyers and sellers (but not in the same transaction). If you are buying or selling real estate in Maine, I want your business and price my services accordingly.
The services I offer to buyers are described below. Click on the ‘Seller Services’ tab below for a description of those services.
But I have also been successfully supporting a ‘niche’ loosely described as the ‘cash closing’. In it’s purest form a cash closing is one in which the buyer has sufficient funds on hand to complete the purchase. But the term is really more expansive. It includes any contract for the sale of real property when the buyer does not need to secure financing from an institutional lender or through a mortgage broker. Examples include direct owner financing, private financing (family assisted purchases) and land installment contracts.
In most such cases the parties want to close on the sale much sooner than the time it takes to close on conventional financing. I am able to close on a sale in days. That includes certifying title to the property, drafting all necessary documents and preparing for and conducting the closing. The only limiting factors are potential title issues, funds availability and the parties’ schedules.
And my services are affordable. I do not charge a premium to get things done when you need them done. If you need a cash closing and you are in a hurry, call me.
Since most buyers obtain a mortgage, the buyer’s lender determines who the closing agent will be and when the closing will occur.
At the closing you will need to provide (i) the deed that will be used to convey title to the property and (ii) the Maine Real Estate Transfer Tax Declaration. And since most sellers do not have an established relationship with an attorney, instead of taking the time to hire an attorney to prepare the deed, sellers often agree to have the closing agent prepare the deed for them. That often means sellers over-pay because most charge $150 or more to prepare deeds for sellers.
I charge only $90.00 to prepare your deed and the required Maine Transfer Tax Declaration. And I make sure that it is delivered to and pre-approved by the closing agent before your closing occurs. All you need do is attend the closing. My fee will be included on the closing statement and, after the closing, the closing agent will mail me a check. It’s that simple.
For $300.00, in addition to preparing your deed and Maine Real Estate Transfer Tax Declaration, I will provide any of the following services you may need:
Consultation and representation of Landlords in all aspects of Landlord-Tenant law in Maine, including, but not limited to:
Examples include:
Need a legal document in a hurry and at a reasonable fee? Call me! (207) 782-4433.
My name is John Geary. I have been practicing law in Maine for over 30 years. I am a sole-practitioner and have always conducted my law practice without support staff. What this means to my clients is that I am accessible. When my phone rings, if I am available, I answer it. No one screens my calls or makes excuses for me. It also means I am affordable.
My existing clients take it for granted. Yet it often surprises my newer clients. I cannot remember how often newer clients have told me that their “former” attorney often took days or longer to respond to phone messages or emails. They are surprised and delighted that I return phone calls promptly and respond to email messages as soon as I read them.
Why? It’s simple, really. I respect and value my clients. They’ve honored me with their trust. I take that seriously. And, it simply makes good business sense. My law practice is my business. The income it produces is my livelihood. So I want my clients to be pleased with me and the services I provide them. I want them to use me again if the need arises. And I want them to refer others to me.
My clients often also tell me that I can explain complicated matters in ways that people untrained in legal issues can understand. That’s important to me because I see my primary role as adviser, not decision maker. Almost anyone can make the decision that is in his or her best interests when armed with sufficient information.
How can I help you?