Legal planning often becomes most important during major transitions – buying property, starting or growing a business, preparing an estate plan, navigating a divorce, or handling the affairs of a loved one who has passed away. DeLorme, Hamilton & Raulston serves individuals, families, and business owners in Blue Ridge and throughout the broader Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina region with practical legal guidance across each of these areas.
Estate planning remains a central part of the firm’s work. Its approach follows the Life & Legacy Planning® model, which begins with a client’s family, priorities, assets, and long-term goals rather than simply preparing documents. From there, attorneys can build a plan that may include a will, revocable living trust, healthcare directives, financial powers of attorney, beneficiary planning, and guardianship provisions for minor children.
An important part of that process is helping clients understand how different estate-planning tools function in practice. A will generally directs how assets should be distributed through probate and becomes part of the public court record. A properly created and funded trust, by contrast, may allow assets to pass privately and outside the probate process. The right structure depends on the client’s assets, family circumstances, and long-term objectives.
Estate planning is often closely connected to property ownership, which is why the practice also handles residential and commercial real estate closings. The attorneys assist with purchase transactions, refinances, and construction loans, while addressing title issues, liens, contract terms, and closing documentation. Because Georgia requires an attorney to oversee real estate closings, legal coordination can play an important role in keeping a transaction accurate and on schedule.
The firm’s work continues after a client’s lifetime through probate and estate administration. Executors, administrators, and family members may need help opening an estate, identifying heirs, inventorying assets, addressing creditor claims, coordinating tax matters with a CPA, distributing property, and ultimately closing the estate. Clear guidance during this process can be especially valuable when families are already dealing with the personal impact of a loss.
Business owners face a different set of planning concerns, particularly when ownership, liability, and succession are involved. DeLorme, Hamilton & Raulston assists with entity selection and formation, operating agreements and bylaws, shareholder and partnership agreements, contract drafting, and buy-sell planning. These arrangements can become especially important when preparing for retirement, disability, the departure of an owner, or another event that could affect control of the business.
Charitable giving can also form part of a broader estate or financial strategy. Clients who want to leave assets to charitable organizations may do so through wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, and other planning tools. Structuring those gifts carefully can help ensure that charitable intentions are carried out while keeping the administration of the estate clear for surviving family members.
Beyond estate and business planning, the firm represents clients in family law matters, including divorce and separation, child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, and the division of property and debts. It also handles modification and enforcement matters when existing arrangements no longer reflect a family’s circumstances. Adoption services include step-parent, intra-family, and private adoptions, with an emphasis on helping families understand the legal requirements and process from the beginning.
DeLorme, Hamilton & Raulston’s (DHR) history is closely tied to the North Georgia legal community. Jay Hamilton and Web Raulston first became friends in law school and formally joined together as a firm in 2025. The practice expanded again in 2026 through a merger with Angela DeLorme, P.C. Angela DeLorme was the first female attorney in Fannin County and previously practiced alongside the late David Ralston, former Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, whose family connections extend through both founding partners.
That history reflects the firm’s broader emphasis on long-term relationships and practical counsel. Whether a client is planning an estate, closing on property, administering a loved one’s affairs, managing a business transition, or resolving a family law matter, the goal is to reduce uncertainty and provide a clear path forward.
DHR offers a complimentary 15-minute consultation for individuals, families, and business owners who want to review an existing plan, address a current legal issue, or begin putting new protections in place.