Melissa L. Green

People often ask me: Why do you love being a lawyer? My answer is always the same: It is a very gratifying and rewarding career.

The most gratifying part of my job is leaving the office at the end of each day knowing that I have made my clients’ lives easier. My practice is centered on probate, trust and estate administration. Many of my clients are in the midst of handling the most painful and heartbreaking experiences of their lives, the loss of a loved one. Although life often feels like it has stopped, the loss of a loved one is followed by an aftermath of work that needs to be addressed almost immediately. There is nothing more satisfying than taking the responsibility for these tasks off my clients’ shoulders and providing them with the opportunity and time to grieve the loss of their loved one.

I have become very experienced in the complexities of the sale of real estate from an estate. Although these sales require additional steps and attention, they can be handled very smoothly and efficiently. It is my commitment to my clients to set their expectations properly and explain the steps of the transaction in advance, so that there are no surprises. As an instructor for the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, I am also committed to providing Rhode Island real estate agents with the information and knowledge they need to understand the probate and estate process, to ensure a seamless sales transaction.

In the estate planning area of my practice, I often have the pleasure of working with families after some of the most joyous events of their lives, i.e. marriage, the birth or adoption of children, the purchase of a new home, or retirement. My interest in staying up-to-date on the latest estate planning techniques, coupled with the support of a well-established estate planning department, allows me the opportunity to provide my clients with strategies that will protect the assets they have worked hard for and the family they love. It is rewarding to know that I have prepared a plan for my clients which gives them the ability to rest easy each night.

Whether I am taking over the sometimes very overwhelming tasks of estate administration, preparing an estate plan that ensures my clients’ wishes are carried out, or walking them through the sale or purchase of a home, the ability to relieve my clients of unnecessary stress, each and every day, is the most enjoyable and gratifying part of my job.