Kathleen Leitao Bernardo

Biography:

Kathy Bernardo is co-chair of the firm's Estate Planning and Administration Department and a member of the Real Estate Department.

Kathy's probate practice includes the preparation of wills and trusts, estate and trust administration, equity petitions, guardianships and conservatorships. Kathy is also a Court approved Guardian Ad litem for the Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin County Probate Courts.

Kathy's real estate practice focuses on commercial real estate matters such as conveyancing, financing, leasing, title matters and all aspects of complex property transfers, including purchase agreements, easements, liquor license transfers, special permits, regulatory compliance, zoning and variance issues, boundary disputes, public and private conservation restrictions, including agricultural preservation restrictions (APR), petitions to partition and other land court matters.

Kathy is a member of the Ludlow Zoning Board of Appeals, a Land Court commissioner for land partition cases and an affiliate member of the Real Estate Association of the Pioneer Valley.

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Representative Experience:

Represent family-owned farming operations in matters relating to succession planning, including estate planning, use of APR, trusts, operation agreements and environmental compliance

Represented title insurance company to clear title defects affecting a large housing subdivision

Represented non-profit organization in the development of a new early childhood center

Represented non-profit hospital in major land acquisition

Represented state agencies in the acquisition of land in western Massachusetts

Represented both individuals and state agencies in matters of conservation easements and restrictions

Represented a quasi-politic organization in the acquisition of lands under Federal Aviation Association grants