Counsel since 1987
Counsel, in the fullest sense of the word.
Hartwell & Voss is a six-attorney firm for litigation, estates, and appeals — engaged when the stakes are personal and the details are decisive. Practicing in Providence since 1987.
The work
Practice areas
Three disciplines, practiced deeply — and the judgment to tell you which one your matter actually needs.
Litigation
Commercial disputes, professional liability, and serious personal matters, tried in Rhode Island's state and federal courts. Every case is prepared for trial from the first file — settlements come to those ready to decline them.
Estates
Wills, trusts, and probate administration, drafted in plain language and built to be administered without us. From straightforward wills to multi-generation trusts.
Appeals
Appellate briefing and argument before the Rhode Island Supreme Court and the First Circuit — our own matters, and those referred to us by trial counsel.
Business counsel
Ongoing counsel for closely held companies: governance, succession, partnership disputes, and the contract that should have existed a year ago.
Fiduciary disputes
Will contests, trustee removal, and contested guardianships — family matters that require both firmness and tact, often at once.
How we work
Cases are won in the preparation — months before anyone rises to speak.
The partners
The firm
Margaret Hartwell and Elias Voss opened the firm in 1987 with a shared conviction: a small firm, thoroughly prepared, will out-lawyer a large one that is merely staffed. Thirty-nine years on, we remain six attorneys by choice. Each matter is handled by the partner you meet on the first day, supported by the whole firm's judgment at our Thursday case table.
We practice three things and decline the rest: civil litigation, estates and trusts, and appeals. When your matter calls for a specialty we don't carry, we will name the best lawyer in Rhode Island who does — and make the introduction ourselves.
On the record
Client outcomes
What clients say once the matter is closed.
“Every question I asked was answered the same day, usually by the partner himself. When we finally sat across from the other side, it was obvious which room had done the preparing.”
“They rewrote thirty years of tangled planning into an estate my children can actually administer — then walked all three of them through it, patiently, in plain English.”
“Hartwell & Voss told me a lawsuit would cost more than it could recover, and showed me a better path. You remember the firm that talks you out of paying them.”
First steps
Engaging the firm
Write or call
Describe the matter in your own words — no forms, no intake scripts. We run a conflicts check and respond within one business day.
An hour with a partner
Your first meeting is with the attorney who would handle the matter. We listen, ask, and give you a candid read — including whether it needs a lawyer at all.
The engagement letter
Scope, staffing, and fees, set out in writing before work begins. The terms you sign are the terms you are billed.
The work, reported plainly
You will know what we are doing and why, in regular reports written in English, not legalese. No decision is made without you.
FAQ
Asked in most first meetings
Fees, confidentiality, and what an initial hour actually involves.
How are fees structured?
Hourly for litigation, fixed fees for most estate planning — and either way, the arrangement is set out in an engagement letter before work begins. Invoices are itemized monthly, and no invoice should ever be your first notice of a decision.
What happens at a first meeting?
An hour with a partner, not an intake coordinator. We hear the matter in your words, tell you honestly whether it needs a lawyer, and what it is likely to cost. If we are not the right firm, we say so and name who is.
Is my consultation confidential?
Yes. Everything you tell us in a consultation is protected, whether or not you engage the firm. Bring the documents you are unsure about — we would rather see too much than too little.
Can you guarantee an outcome?
No, and you should be wary of any lawyer who will. What we can promise is preparation: that your matter arrives at every hearing, closing, and negotiation more thoroughly ready than the other side of the table.
Do you handle matters outside Rhode Island?
Our attorneys are admitted in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and in the federal courts including the First Circuit. For matters farther afield, we associate with — or refer you to — counsel we trust.
Consultations
If it's serious enough to lose sleep over, it's serious enough for counsel.
Write to us or call. A partner — never a call center — responds within one business day, and your first hour is spent on your matter, not on our pitch.
Contact