[WSBAPT] Attorney Mark S. Beaufait?

[David Faber]

C's (F)ather died a couple months ago with assets ostensibly left in trust.
C's only copy of F's trust documents are unsigned, as is the copy of the
pourover Will in C's possession. The unsigned copies are stamped "Client's
Copy" and the signature pages indicate that there is a signed original with
the attorney who created the originals. Intestate beneficiaries differ
dramatically from Trust beneficiaries, so efforts to legitimate the
unsigned trust copy seem destined for failure.

The firm that created the originals (Elston, Brown, & Beaufait, PS.) is no
longer in existence, and the attorney F worked with was Mark S. Beaufait.
I've been able to determine that Mark S. Beaufait appears to still be
practicing in Seattle (at least potentially), but all of the phone numbers
I can find for him online either just ring without end or cuts off after 4
rings to tell me "you cannot leave a message on this number". I believe the
"Elston" in Elston, Brown, & Beaufait is Douglas Elston, whose number goes
to a voicemail. I have been able to connect with either attorney.

Does anyone know Mark S. Beaufait and are you able to connect me with him?
I need to track down the original documents or my sense is that this
situation will end in a pretty major catastrophe for C. Any leads are
helpful.

Let me also say that if you are still keeping original documents for your
clients: please stop. It's a terrible practice that is
ethically-questionable and liable to create huge problems for your clients,
which itself might reasonably be considered malpractice. It makes
everyone's life harder, including yours. No bueno, as they say.

Best,
David J. Faber
Faber Feinson PLLC
800 Polk Street, Suite B
Port Townsend, WA 98368
(360) 379-4110

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