Huckabee, Weiler & Levengood, P.C.

Huckabee, Weiler & Levengood, P.C. is a law firm based in Shillington, Pennsylvania, operating from offices at 213 E Lancaster Ave, Suite One, in the borough's main commercial corridor. The practice serves individuals, families and businesses throughout Berks County and the surrounding region, handling the kinds of legal matters that come up in everyday life and in the course of running a small business. The firm can be reached by phone at +1 610-378-1933.

Shillington sits just southwest of Reading, which places the office within a short drive of the Berks County Courthouse, the county's recorder of deeds and register of wills offices, and the district courts that handle preliminary hearings and summary matters. For clients living in Shillington, Kenhorst, Mohnton, Sinking Spring, Wyomissing, West Reading, Birdsboro and the townships of Cumru and Spring, the location is a practical alternative to traveling into downtown Reading for a consultation, while still keeping the firm close to the courts and county records it works with regularly.

Areas of Practice

Firms structured like this one typically take a general practice approach, meaning a single office can handle several related matters for the same client or family over a period of years. Areas commonly addressed by Berks County general practice firms, and the sorts of questions prospective clients bring to them, include:

• Estate planning, including wills, powers of attorney and living wills or advance health care directives
• Estate administration and probate work, guiding executors and administrators through inventory, inheritance tax filings and distribution
• Real estate matters, such as residential settlements, deed preparation, easements, boundary questions and landlord and tenant disputes
• Family law, including divorce, custody, support and related agreements
• Personal injury claims arising from motor vehicle collisions, falls and other accidents
• Business and corporate work, from entity formation and operating agreements to contracts, commercial leases and business succession
• Civil litigation and collections
• Criminal defense and traffic matters heard in magisterial district courts and the Court of Common Pleas
• Municipal and zoning questions, including appearances before local boards

Because the mix of services at any individual firm can change as attorneys join or retire, callers are encouraged to describe their situation when they first make contact so the office can confirm whether it handles that type of case and, if not, point the caller in a sensible direction.

How the Firm Works With Clients

Much of the work that comes through a community law office is not dramatic courtroom litigation. It is document drafting, negotiation, filing, and explaining to a client what a particular form or deadline actually means. Clients in Berks County frequently approach a firm like this one after a life event: the death of a parent, the purchase of a first home, a separation, a car accident, the decision to incorporate a side business, or a notice from a township that a property is out of compliance. In each case the first step is usually a conversation in which the attorney sorts out what is legally relevant, what the realistic options are, and what the matter is likely to involve in terms of time and cost.

Clear discussion of fee structures at the outset is a recurring point of feedback for this office. Legal fees in Pennsylvania are typically arranged in one of several ways depending on the matter: hourly billing for litigation and ongoing advice, flat fees for discrete documents such as a will or a deed, and contingency arrangements in personal injury cases where the fee is drawn from any recovery. Asking about the fee structure, retainer requirements and likely out of pocket costs such as filing fees during the initial call is reasonable and expected.

Visiting the Office

The office is located on East Lancaster Avenue, the route that runs through the center of Shillington and connects the borough to Reading to the northeast and to Sinking Spring and Route 222 to the west. The address is a suite within a professional building, and the entrance is wheelchair accessible. The parking lot also has wheelchair accessible parking, which matters for clients arriving for estate planning or elder law appointments, for those recovering from an injury, and for anyone bringing an older family member to a meeting.

Appointments are the usual way of being seen, since attorneys spend portions of the week at court, at settlements and in meetings away from the office. Calling ahead allows the firm to assign the matter to the right attorney and to let the client know what to bring. Useful items to gather before a first meeting vary by matter type:

• For estate work: the original will if one exists, a list of assets and account holders, deeds to any real property, and the names and addresses of beneficiaries
• For real estate matters: the agreement of sale, the current deed, any survey or title documents, and correspondence from a lender or municipality
• For injury claims: the police or incident report, photographs, medical records and bills, and insurance correspondence
• For family matters: prior court orders, income information, and any written agreements between the parties
• For business matters: formation documents, contracts at issue, and relevant correspondence

Practical Notes for Berks County Clients

Several aspects of Pennsylvania practice regularly surprise people who have not dealt with a lawyer before. Pennsylvania imposes an inheritance tax on many transfers at death, with rates that depend on the relationship between the decedent and the person inheriting, which makes early estate planning conversations worthwhile. Custody and support matters in Berks County move through conference and hearing stages rather than being resolved in a single court appearance. Personal injury claims are subject to statutory deadlines, and auto insurance elections made years earlier on a policy can affect what can be recovered after a collision. A local firm that routinely deals with the same courts, clerks and opposing counsel tends to be able to explain how these processes actually unfold in this county rather than in the abstract.

For an initial conversation about a legal matter, or to ask whether the firm handles a particular type of case, contact Huckabee, Weiler & Levengood, P.C. at +1 610-378-1933 or visit the office at 213 E Lancaster Ave, Suite One, Shillington, PA 19607.