Giordano, DelCollo, Werb & Gagne, LLC is pleased to announce that Deborah J. Galonsky has been named a Partner of the Firm.  Debi is the Partner in residence in the Firm’s Sussex County Offices in Lewes, Bethany and coming soon in Rehoboth.

Debi is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association and is a frequent presenter on real estate law topics for the DSBA, Lorman Education and NBI, Inc. Debi joined the real estate department of Giordano, DelCollo, Werb & Gagne, LLC, in 2020.  Debi concentrates her practice in representing buyers, sellers, builders, lenders and investors with residential and commercial real estate, condominium, landlord-tenant and leasing matters.

Debi is currently Treasurer and a Board Member of Diamond State Community Land Trust, a non-profit community based program promoting affordable housing within the State of Delaware.

Please join us in congratulating our colleague and friend, Debi Galonsky!

Here at the firm, we love, love, love the holidays. This past weekend, we were thrilled to kick off the holiday season with our Client Appreciation Holiday Party! We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all of our clients, friends, colleagues and referral partners who took time to stop by and share in some holiday cheer with us. We are continually reminded by how fortunate we are to be trusted by so many wonderful clients, real estate professionals, loan officers and others in the legal and financial community. We think the world of all of you and would not rather strive for success with anyone else. You’re the best. We’d also like to pass along how honored we are to have had the opportunity to celebrate with with Delaware Hospice’s Festival of Trees 2021. What a blast!

Giving Thanks

We’ve had some pretty big wins in 2021 at countless closings, in the courtroom and beyond. None more significant than this month as we were so pleased to announce that several GDWG attorneys were named honorees of Delaware Today’s Delaware’s Top Attorneys in 2021.

Family Law

The Team

An advanced health care directive, commonly known as a living will, is a common part of the estate planning work we do here at the firm. It has become a more requested service now in the age of COVID.

Why does an individual need an advanced care directive?

Any estate planning is guided by the idea that an individual has the prerogative to have his or her wishes respected in instances when they are not in a position to advocate for themselves. A will, the most common form of estate planning, assures an individual’s wishes will be respected after death. An advanced health care directive ensures that an individual’s medical care will be provided, or in some cases withheld, based on the wishes of the individual.

Modern medicine has the capacity to keep patients alive longer than ever before. There is no doubt that advances in medicine and healthcare have been a blessing for families in Delaware and across the world. That said, a living will provides you the mechanism to declare the extent and depth of care you desire should you ever be in a terminal, incapacitated or vegetative state. Through your advanced health care directive, your choices regarding provision or withholding of care will be shared with your doctor and care team.

Establishing a Directive Lessens the Potential for Conflict

In addition to establishing your wishes for care in a legal document, you also have the right to name an agent to make decisions on your behalf. Known as a Power of Attorney for Health Care, this person has authority to make decisions on your behalf regarding administration of care should you not be able to make decisions on your own. This person would also be consulted regarding end-of-life-care. Establishing a Power of Attorney for Health Care is helpful for a number of reasons. Though we may love all of our family and friends equally, we may not trust them to all to act on our behalf in situations such as these. Decisions regarding a family member’s care often require an individual to think critically and rationally with both their heart and mind. Naming one individual whom you most trust to act on your behalf offers peace of mind while eliminating the potential for infighting among loved ones and those close to you.

Helping You Navigate Life’s Tough Choices

In everything we do, we take special care to account for small details in order to ensure we are providing each client with the best counsel and representation. Estate planning can be heavy on detail and overwhelming for those declaring their wishes. Our role is not to make decisions for our clients, but rather to present options and offer appropriate guidance. If you think you might benefit from establishing a living will or any other form of estate planning, contact our offices today and let’s start the conversation about your wishes.

Buying or selling a property can, at times, be a stressful experience. Yes, there is some time that elapses between when an offer is submitted and the ultimate closing day. And, yes, that can be a stressful time for the buyer, seller and even some of the pros responsible for guiding the transaction to its successful settlement.

At GDWG, we believe that success is a byproduct of doing the right things every day. When it comes to successful legal representation for our real estate transactions, we believe in clear communication–regardless of any other variables which may be out of the control of either party, a loan officer, home inspector, real estate agent or any other individual involved in the life of the transaction. The truth is that sometimes situations change. Titles are not always as clean as we would all prefer. Sometimes, a home inspector finds issues that were previously unknown. If complications should arise during the life of your sale or purchase, we want you to know that our team is committed to open communication with all parties, with the unwavering goal of a clean and timely closing, so long as it is in the fair interest of all parties. No team in the First State is going to work harder for your best interests, whether you are buying your first home or selling your latest investment property. Trust the real estate attorneys at Giordano, DelCollo, Werb & Gagne for unmatched legal representation for your next real estate matter.

As a firm with a busy criminal defense and traffic Court practice, we handle cases that have severe consequences for those involved as well as cases that are, well, more minor in their severity in the grand scheme of things. Most people would classify traffic offenses as the latter, However, it is easy to be too cavalier when charged with a traffic violation. In fact, it is not uncommon for defendants to plead guilty in an effort to save time, “pay the fine and be done with it.” While some traffic offenses carry greater penalties than others, no charge should be taken with such a carefree attitude.

Why Traffic Violations Should be Taken Seriously

If you are like most drivers in the State of Delaware, you rely on your vehicle for school and work. Your ability to get around extends beyond mere convenience. Convictions in traffic Court can have serious consequences that can, not only result in increases to your insurance, but also lead to license suspension. In Delaware, a driver who accumulates 14 points on his or her license within a two year period will receive a mandatory 4-month suspension of their driver’s license. Lengths of periods of suspension are higher for the more points a driver accumulates. However, this is not the only way a driver may find themselves at risk of having their license suspended in the State of Delaware. A driver convicted of driving 25 MPH over a posted speed limit may have their license suspended for one month. The length of suspension will increase by one month for each additional 5 MPH over the initial 25-MPH. But, a driver does not need to face license suspension to understand that even the points for more minor violations can add up to a pose a significant problem down the road. If your employment and/or schooling depends on your capacity to drive your vehicle, we strongly suggest not taking lightly the prospect of a traffic Court conviction.

How we can Help

For starters, our criminal and traffic court attorneys have decades of experience defending clients just like you. Having an experienced attorney to defend your rights puts you in the best position for a fair resolution–especially if your case goes to trial. In many cases we are in a position to negotiate a plea to a lesser offense. Most often, this results in lesser fines and/or fewer (or zero) points. In any event, having fewer points now puts you in a better position should be charged with another traffic violation within the next few years.

If you have been charged with a traffic violation in the State of Delaware, don’t hesitate to reach out to for help with your matter. Call today so we can discuss a better way forward for you.

Everyone is invited to get their crystal balls out and predict where the real estate market will be in a month — three months or this time next year. Everyone from Industry insiders and finance pros to real estate gurus to your crazy uncle Frank have predicted booms, busts and plateaus since the beginning of spring. Low inventory. Low mortgage rates. Skyrocketing costs of building materials. People going back to work. People looking to work more from home post-COVID. You name it–after the dust settles, someone is going to be right and someone else is going to be, well, throwing their crystal ball in the recycling bin. Here’s one thing that novices and real estate wizards can all agree on – This. Market. Is. On. Fire.

Now that we are heading into summer and COVID restrictions are being lifted and Delaware and beyond, will it open up a little more inventory in the market? Will prices cool off a bit? What about inflation? Right now, everyone seems to have a lot of questions. But, no one has an iron clad vision of where the Delaware real estate market will be in twelve months. The best way to avoid buyer’s remorse (or seller’s remorse for that matter) is to make sure that the real estate team advising you on your transaction is up to the job. Homes are selling for thousands of dollars over asking. Sellers have buyers competing with bid upon bid upon bid. When inventory in the market demands that sort of behavior, you are not suited being served by a novice team of real estate pros. Your agent, loan officer and, yes, your real estate attorney must be knowledgeable and poised to meet the challenges of such a hot market. The margin for mistakes and delays is thinner than ever.

If you are throwing your hat in the ring this summer to buy or sell property in the State of Delaware, choose the real estate law firm geared to serve your needs. With SIX offices to serve you throughout the First State and a team of pros dedicated to clean closings, we are ready to best serve your needs all the way through the closing process.

Here at Giordano, DelCollo, Werb & Gagne, we are eager to embrace an optimistic outlook on where we are all headed in Delaware beyond. We have a red hot real estate market. Delaware Courts are slowly phasing back to normal. Kids are on school buses again. And we have news. BIG NEWS.

Being charged with DUI in the State of Delaware can be a humiliating experience, to say the very least. It is not uncommon for clients with an otherwise spotless criminal history to come to us after having been arrested for and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. Whatever the circumstances of the case, each defendant has rights under the law, and we take very seriously our responsibility of upholding those rights on behalf of our clients.

Dean DelCollo and Dade Werb, partners at Giordano, DelCollo, Werb & Gagne, LLC, each have over two decades of experience representing accused persons in Delaware Court. Having represented countless defendants during their time working at the Public Defender’s Office and now having the opportunity to concentrate in Criminal Defense in private practice, Mr. DelCollo and Mr. Werb possess the skill, strategy and experience required to achieve the fairest result for each client we serve. Successful DUI defense is built on a foundation of experience and specialization specific to this area of law. Apart from considering the Prosecution’s characterization of the elements of each case, a top notch DUI defense attorney must understand laws related to the calibration of breathalizer devices, Interlock systems, blood-alcohol test readings and much more. Hiring an attorney who does not have a deep understanding of all of these aspects of a DUI case, specifically your DUI case, is inadvisable to say the least.

It is this foundation of knowledge and experience that puts Mr. DelCollo and Mr. Werb in the position to best represent your interests. Given the circumstances of your case, your attorney may choose to fight the Prosecution’s case in Court. They may move to negotiate a plea deal. You can be sure that the recommendation of your attorney will be guided by the circumstances of your case and the understanding of Court in regards to cases like yours. We will always fight for the best result on your behalf.

Maybe you have made an unfortunate decision which has led you to this moment. It’s time you carefully consider your next decision. Start by hiring the right attorney. Call GDWG today.