Montgomery County attorney who had dealings in York County was recently disbarred

Aug. 01--An attorney from Montgomery County who had dealings with at least a dozen people in York County since 2003 has been disbarred, according to court documents.

The opinion for the case involving Brett B. Weinstein was issued on July 28 by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The order states that Weinstein, whose office is at 705 W. DeKalb Pike, King of Prussia, allegedly participated in the "unauthorized practice of law by allowing laypersons to counsel his clients," and among other things, "he generally engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation."

Bradley C. Jacobs, York County register of wills, said Thursday that Weinstein was the "counsel of record" for 12 estates in York County since 2003.

William Hoffmeyer, a founding attorney with Hoffmeyer & Semmelman, L.L.P., in York, is a former chairman and current co-chairman of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee. Hoffmeyer said he was bombarded with correspondence after the order was issued that Weinstein be disbarred.

"Mr. Weinstein has been in our sights for years," Hoffmeyer said. The committee was "constantly receiving complaints from all over the commonwealth from senior citizens who had been taken advantage of."

According to court documents, Weinstein paid nonattorneys to meet with people to discuss estate planning, and most of the clients' dealings were with the nonattorney. The clients were sometimes charged $1,995 for a living trust, according to the court documents. Hoffmeyer said that amount is "far more than what the average attorney would charge."

A call to Weinstein's King of Prussia law office was not returned Thursday.

Bradley C. Jacobs, York County Register of Wills, advised anyone who is interested in learning more about estate planning to use trusted sources.

The York County Area Agency on Aging is one resource Jacobs recommended using. The office can be reached by calling 717-771-9610.

The York County Bar Association, www.yorkbar.com, is another resource Jacobs suggested for more information on estate planning.

Jacobs said people can always consult an attorney they used in the past and whom they trust.

"Just don't sign anything unless you know the individual that's there before you," Jacobs said.

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