Estate Planning

• Leveraged a client’s federal tax exemption amount by establishing an Irrevocable Gifting Trust for the client’s children and funded it with closely held stock well before a corporate liquidity event.
• For a client with significant real estate assets, gifted minority/non-marketable interests in LLCs to a single LLC with the client’s children as members to reduce the client’s taxable estate while maintaining an income stream and control for the client.
• Assisted a client in developing an ownership agreement for a family-owned vacation property so that it could remain available to all family members without conflict and remain affordable for future generations.
• Utilized a specialized Life Insurance Trust to remove the death benefit from the client’s taxable estate. This provided liquidity to protect the client’s business and commercial real estate from a forced sale at death.
• Created a Dynasty Trust to address client’s concerns regarding asset protection and the preservation of a closely held business owning commercial real estate.
• Drafted a complex plan to address post-death ownership of assets by a second spouse and the children from a first marriage.
• Drafted a Holding Trust to own legal title to a franchise interest the beneficiary of which was the Decedent’s Trust established for the long-term benefit of his children and spouse.

Estate & Trust Administration

• Drafted a Non-Judicial Settlement Agreement to address an adjustment to the terms of the Decedent’s Trust based on a negotiated settlement among the Trust beneficiaries.
• Assisted the Personal Representative of an Estate in resolving a dispute among the Estate beneficiaries regarding the distribution, future ownership, and use of a valuable inherited vacation home.
• Prepared the estate tax return for the estate of a decedent with significant business interests and elected specialized tax treatment to stretch out the tax liability over time thereby protecting the non-liquid business asset.
• Assisted the Personal Representative of an Estate and the Trustees of a decedent’s Trust in determining the funding of the marital and family Trusts and in making advantageous tax elections to reduce the exposure of the assets to future taxation.
• Counseled the Trustee of an Irrevocable Trust regarding the Trustee’s fiduciary duty when managing a discretionary trust for the benefit of the decedent’s grandchildren.
• Represented a non-US citizen spouse in the administration of her deceased US spouse’s Estate, including establishing a QDOT.
• Serve as Trustee of Irrevocable Insurance Trusts, overseeing the ongoing management of the Trusts to achieve the intended tax benefits.
• Assisted a beneficiary in understanding and asserting his rights to inherit real estate and other assets from his mother’s estate when a sibling was designated as the fiduciary in charge of administering the deceased mother’s Estate and Trusts.

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts

Court Admissions

• Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts

Education

• Boston College, J.D. (1985)
• Cornell University, B.A. (1981)

Awards & Recognition

• Massachusetts Super Lawyers in Estate & Probate (2025)
• Best Lawyers in America® (2025), Specialty: Trusts and Estates
• Honored by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as one of the 2024 “Top Women of Law”
• Designated a “Top Lawyer” by Boston magazine under Trusts and Estates (2021-2022, 2024-2025)

• Massachusetts Bar Association, Member
• Boston Bar Association, Member
• Women’s Bar Association, Member
• Massachusetts Bar Association Probate Law Council
• Greater Boston Fiduciary Inn of Courts