For more than a decade, Seamus Lavin has been representing individuals, families, and businesses in and out of court. His practice focuses on:

Acquisition, protection, and transfer of wealth. Seamus achieves these goals via effective estate planning, business formation, the purchase and sale of businesses, real estate management, contract negotiation, and efficient resolution of unavoidable litigation.

Estate planning and administration. His emphasis on in-depth consultations enables Seamus to develop estate plans tailored to each client’s needs and goals. He also guides clients through the estate administration, probate, and will and trust litigation processes.

Divorce, custody, and child and spousal support. Seamus’ goal is to ensure a fair result in the most cost-effective and efficient manner. Although family separations can be highly emotional, he counsels his clients to keep the focus on co-parenting rather than retribution or retaliation.

Orphans’ Court Litigation. Seamus assists clients in all types of matters in the Orphans’ Court division of the Court of Common Pleas. The Orphans’ Court oversees entry of guardianships for incapacitated children and adults, issues surrounding the administration of decedents’ estates, the administration and distribution of testamentary and inter vivos trusts, the handling of matters relating to the custodianship and property of minors, and actions directed toward agents operating under powers of attorneys. Most often, Seamus is either petitioning or responding to petitions filed in Orphans’ Court to resolve disputes arising between beneficiaries and fiduciaries.

Civil Litigation. Seamus assists individuals or businesses that find themselves involved in a legal dispute with another party. Disputes of this nature, often based on a contract, generally fall under what is known as civil litigation, which entails the use of courts or arbitrators for adjudication. For plaintiffs, the objective is to right a wrong, honor an agreement, or to obtain compensation for an injury. On the other hand, as defendants in a civil litigation matter, Seamus will aggressively protect their rights in opposing the plaintiff’s claim. He represents plaintiffs and defendants including individuals, partnerships, shareholders, and corporations.

Philadelphia Magazine and Law & Politics selected Seamus as a Pennsylvania “Rising Star” in 2008 and during 2010-2012. In 2012, Main Line Today magazine selected Seamus as a Top Lawyer in Trusts, Wills and Estates, Divorce and Separation, Elder Law, and Family Law.

As a solicitor for the Chester County Department of Aging Services, Seamus assists the agency in its goal of protecting older adults from abuse and neglect.

Practice Areas

Estate Planning:

  • Preparation of estate planning documents, including wills and trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, irrevocable life insurance trusts, and charitable trusts
  • Special needs trusts
  • Charitable gift planning

Estate Administration:

  • Emphasis on collaboration, preservation of family unity, maximization of family wealth and minimization of taxes and other estate expenses
  • Accountings

Estate and Trust/Orphans Court Litigation:

  • Will contests
  • Guardianships
  • Name changes
  • Fiduciary litigation
  • Trust dissolutions

Business and Commercial Transactions:

  • Business formation guidance and proper entity selection
  • Implementation of appropriate corporate governance and compliance measures
  • Contract review and preparation
  • Structuring, negotiating, and reviewing commercial transactions, including the sale or purchase of businesses and real estate
  • Implementation of litigation avoidance strategies and compliance with all federal, state and local law
  • Business succession planning

Family Law:

  • Divorce
  • Custody
  • Child support
  • Protection from abuse

Civil Litigation:

  • Probate and guardianship litigation
  • Commercial litigation and contract disputes
  • Real estate disputes 
  • Collection matters

Education

  • Villanova University School of Law, Masters of Laws (LLM), Tax Law/Taxation, 2015
  • Master of Taxation with an emphasis on Estate Planning and Business Tax Counseling
  • Villanova University School of Law, Estate Planning Certification, 2012
  • Rutgers University School of Law – Camden, 2001
  • Loyola University – Maryland, 1997

Memberships

  • Pennsylvania and Chester County Bar Associations
  • Member of the Chester County Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee
  • Member of Pennsylvania and Chester County Estates and Trusts and Business Law Sections
  • President of the Chester County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, 2007

Community Involvement

  • Member of the Knights of Columbus, Monsignor Schuyler Council 1333 (St. Agnes) Chapter
  • West Chester Salvation Army Advisory Committee – Member
  • West Chester Public Library Board of Trustees – Member
  • Pro bono lawyer for low-income clients of the Chester County Access to Justice Program
  • Member of the Exton Station Railway Square Homeowners Association, 2004-2009
  • Member of the West Chester Exchange Club 
  • Legal Lemonade for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Annual Participant

Admissions

  • New Jersey State Courts
  • Pennsylvania State Courts
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania