Family Law

• Guardianship
  Our practice can prepare your will, allowing you to disperse the assets and property of your estate, personal possessions, and specific gifts. A will also appoint guardianship of minor children according to your wishes. A trust allows you to help shield your heirs from unwanted and unexpected tax burdens.

Business and Corporate Law

• Business Disputes
  Our knowledge and experience in business law includes the formation of partnership agreements, drafting contracts, leasing agreements, non-compete agreements, vendor agreements, buy-sell agreements, and mergers/acquisitions.
• Business Transactions
• Limited Liability Companies
  We are experienced in the legal formation as well as dissolution of corporations, limited liability companies, and other legal entities. Our attorneys can also assist with joint ventures, licensing arrangements, mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions.

Employment Law

• Non-compete Agreement
  (Commercial Leasing, Contract Agreements, Mergers/Acquisitions) Our knowledge and experience in business law includes the formation of partnership agreements, drafting contracts, leasing agreements, non-compete agreements, vendor agreements, buy-sell agreements, and mergers/acquisitions.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  The law firm of Moore and Rutt, P.A. announced that Scott G Wilcox has joined the firm working in both the Georgetown office and its new Wilmington office. Everett Moore said "We are pleased to welcome Scott to the firm. He brings a wealth of litigation experience as well as experience with local governments and in land use and construction law. This will allow us to increase our services to our clients in these areas." Scott has over 19 years of litigation experience representing government entities, national home builders, and business and corporate clients in all State Courts and the Federal District Court for the District of Delaware. He has previously served as co-counsel with Moore and Rutt representing its agricultural-based clients. Mr. Wilcox commented "I am very excited to join Moore and Rutt. They have a great reputation as one of the pre-eminent government relations firms in the State of Delaware. Working at Moore and Rutt will provide me with an opportunity to grow my practice and to provide additional litigation support to the firm's clients." Before his 13 years in private practice, Scott was a First Assistant County Attorney with New Castle County where he represented several departments and agencies including the Department of Land Use and the New Castle County Police. Scott also served as a Deputy Attorney General in the State of Delaware. Mr. Wilcox is a graduate of the University of Delaware and received his J.D. from the Thomas J Cooley School of Law in 1999. He is a member of the Delaware Bar and is admitted to practice before the U. S. District Court for the District of Delaware. He is active in his community and previously served as the President and as a member of the Board of the Delaware chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Scott also was a referee with IAABO Board 11 where he officiated Delaware high school basketball. Moore and Rutt, P. A., is a general practice law firm with practice areas in real estate law, estate planning and administration, litigation, and governmental practice (it currently represents Sussex County Council, the City of Milford, and the Town of Houston).
• Construction Litigation
• Real Estate Transactions
  (Purchases, Sales, Residential, Commercial, Refinancing, Modifications) Our attorneys are experienced in commercial or residential property purchases/sales. Additionally, we can provide counsel on privately brokered real estate transactions or property disputes. We also assist with foreclosures, leases, landlord/tenant disputes, loan modifica...
• Easement
• Land Use and Zoning
  James P. Sharp was born in Milford, Delaware and graduated from Milford High School. After graduating from the University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law, Mr. Sharp obtained his license to practice law in both Delaware and Maryland and has practiced law in Sussex County since 2006. Currently he is an associate in the law firm of Moore and Rutt, P.A., Georgetown, Delaware, where he has worked since 2005. His practice involves civil litigation, real estate transactions, business law, guardianships, collections, planning & zoning, municipal law, homeowner associations, estate planning and administration, homeowner association counsel, and landlord / tenant law. Through this practice, he has prepared easement agreements, deeds, restrictive covenants, ordinances, wills, powers of attorneys, leases, contracts, corporate documents, and he has represented clients regarding guardianships, mortgage foreclosures, debt collection, annexation agreements, business transactions, and zoning matters. Mr. Sharp has practiced before the Supreme Court, the Superior Court, the Court of Common Pleas, the Court of Chancery, Family Court and the Justice of the Peace Court. He has spoken at seminars regarding estate planning, guardianships, and landlord / tenant matters. He serves as an Assistant Sussex County Attorney where he serves as the primary attorney for the Board of Adjustment and as an assistant attorney for the Planning & Zoning Commission. Mr. Sharp also advises Sussex County on matters concerning the Sussex County Airport and landlord / tenant matters. In addition to these roles, he also serves as the Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Milford and the Town Solicitor for the Town of Houston. Mr. Sharp serves as a Code Revisor for the State of Delaware and as a member of the Board of Professional Responsibility. He is a 2012 Fellow of Leadership Delaware and has served as a former member of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford, the Frederica Senior Center, the Next Generation South of the Delaware Community Foundation Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Milford, Inc. Professionally, Mr. Sharp has served as a former President of the Sussex County Bar Association and Vice President of the Delaware State Bar Association. He has volunteered as an attorney for the Office of the Child Advocate and has served as an attorney coach for the Polytech Mock Trial Team. His article "Pinned Down, A Detailed Look at Labor Issues in Professional Wrestling" was published in the Entertainment and Sports Lawyer. He is a member of the Terry-Carey American Inn of Court, the Delaware State Bar Association, the Sussex County Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
  (Foreclosure, Breach of Contract, Collections, Landlord Tenant, Property Disputes, Estate Disputes) We are experienced in the broad range of civil litigation issues, some of which also fall under our other specified areas of practice including collections, foreclosures, breach of contract disputes, estate disputes, property disputes, personal...

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  We are experienced in the broad range of civil litigation issues, some of which also fall under our other specified areas of practice including collections, foreclosures, breach of contract disputes, estate disputes, property disputes, personal injury, and landlord/tenant disputes.
• Social Security Disability
  (Administrative Agencies, Licenses, Permits, Approvals, Social Security Disability) When your matter relates to licenses/permits or is a regulatory issue, we can correspond with the appropriate regulatory, administrative or legislative agency on your behalf.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  David N. Rutt is a native of Sussex County and graduated from Milford High School in 1970. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington and Jefferson College and his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Mr. Rutt was admitted to practice law in 1978. Since then, he has litigated in the Courts of the State of Delaware and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania including arguing cases before the Supreme Courts of both jurisdictions. He has obtained favorable decisions for clients in numerous matters, including, but not limited to, cases in the fields of zoning, estate disputes, constitutional law, and business law. Also, Mr. Rutt has represented clients before numerous administrative and governmental bodies, including the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board, Kent County Levy Court, as well as several municipal boards. Mr. Rutt's practice areas include real estate, estate planning and administration, business organization, and municipal law. Additionally, he has represented numerous churches, both denominational and independent, and has developed a perspective on the unique issues confronting religious organizations. Mr. Rutt has been appointed by the Delaware Supreme Court to serve on the Delaware Bar Foundation, the Board of Professional Responsibility, and the Board of Bar Examiners. He also has served on the Delaware State Bar Association Executive Committee and the DSBA Nominating Committee. Mr. Rutt serves as Chancellor to the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church, answering directly to the Bishop. He is also the solicitor for the City of Milford and represents Sussex County on its litigation matters, as well as advising the Sussex County Engineering Department. He is the secondary counsel for Sussex County Council meetings and often advises Council in Executive Sessions on litigation issues. Mr. Rutt is a member of the American Bar Association, the Delaware State Bar Association, the Sussex County Bar Association, and the Terry-Carey Inn of Court. Mr. Rutt is active in his community, being a member of Avenue United Methodist Church and the Milford Rotary Club. He is a charter member of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Milford and is a past president and served as a board member for more than twelve years. He recently chaired a cooperative effort of six Rotary Clubs in Southern Delaware that resulted in the construction of the Can-Do Playground at Milford, a playground designed to provide activity to children who have physical and mental impairments as well as to children without such limitations. Mr. Rutt's wide range of professional and personal experience puts him in a position to represent clients with varying legal issues.
• Wills
  We also draft advance health care directives or living wills. These allow you to state your medical wishes with regards to life-saving/sustaining measures if you are incapacitated and unable to speak for yourself.
• Trusts
  Anne Love Barnett was raised on the west coast of Florida, moving north to attend college and law school. Anne is a graduate of Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, New Jersey, where she earned her BA in Political Science, along with a certificate in Paralegal Studies. After college, while working as a paralegal in Manhattan, Anne attended Fordham University School of Law, from which she received her JD. Anne was a member of Fordham Law's Urban Law Journal. After graduation, Anne practiced law in Manhattan. During that time her practice was focused primarily in the area of counseling clients in the drafting of Wills and Trusts, in the settlement of estates, and associated litigation. Since moving to Delaware in 1993, Anne broadened her legal practice to include Elder Law, Guardianship, Mediation, and Real Estate settlements. Anne is admitted to practice law in the states of New York and Delaware. Anne is an Associate in the law firm of Moore & Rutt, P.A. She is a resident of Lewes. Anne is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association, Estates and Trusts Section, and the Sussex County Bar Association. Anne volunteers for Delaware Volunteer Legal Services (DVLS), and in Delaware Family Court as an Attorney Guardian Ad Litem. She is a Certified Superior Court Mediator in the State of Delaware.
• Power of Attorney
  In Delaware, a general durable power of attorney allows you to give authority to someone to handle your personal affairs in the event you are incapacitated. You may also give that authority before you are incapacitated. If you do not have a power of attorney in place, you may run into problems in dealing with banks, government agencies, etc., if you become incapacitated. Delaware also allows individuals to appoint a medical durable power of attorney to make medical decisions in the event of incapacity. An advance health care directive (also known as a living will) enables you to outline your wishes in the event you are incapacitated. For instance, if you did not want to receive the benefit of artificial hydration or artificial nutrition, you could make that wish known in the advance health care directive.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Foreclosure
  Our attorneys are experienced in commercial or residential property purchases/sales. Additionally, we can provide counsel on privately brokered real estate transactions or property disputes. We also assist with foreclosures, leases, landlord/tenant disputes, loan modifications or restructuring and refinancing.
• Debt Collection