Estate Planning and Probate

Prince Lobel’s Estate Planning and Probate Practice Group works closely with high-net-worth individuals, often business owners or executives, and their families to manage and protect their wealth, address the relevant legal requirements and tax implications, and help them plan for the future. This Group has the experience and expertise needed to handle these sensitive and critically important matters reliably and efficiently. The practice group is led by Patricia M. Annino, the author of West Publishing Company’s Massachusetts Practice Series Estate Planning in Massachusetts, a widely referenced text for professionals in the state.

The Group works closely with other practices within the firm, including Corporate, Domestic Relations, and Real Estate. We counsel clients on issues relating to closely held business interests, stock holdings, taxation, and complex family situations. The range of services we provide can be grouped as follows:

Planning

Wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, durable powers-of-attorney and health care proxies
Succession planning
Marital deduction planning
Charitable remainder trusts and non-charitable gift-giving planning
Establishing charitable foundations for individuals and corporations
Life insurance and estate liquidity planning
Gift programs
Asset protection planning – limited partnerships, limited liability companies and pre-nuptial agreements
Post-mortem planning, disclaimers, and declaratory judgments

Administration

Probate of wills and administration of estates
Preparation of estate, gift, and fiduciary income tax returns
Service as executors, administrators. and trustees
Preparation of fiduciary accounts

Litigation

Representation of individuals in their capacity as executors, trustees, beneficiaries, claimants, surviving spouses, and heirs
Guardianship proceedings
Litigation regarding the interpretation and administration of trusts
Will contests
Provide expert witness testimony in high-stakes divorce cases where trusts and other inherited assets are at issue. Opinions provided have been favorably relied upon by the probate and family court.

In the inaugural “Best Law Firms” survey published in U.S. News and Best Lawyers, Prince Lobel’s Estate Planning & Probate Practice Group received a Tier 3 ranking for metropolitan Boston. Survey respondents, comprised of clients and leading lawyers, were asked to rate the law firms they consider best in their practice area.

For more information on how Prince Lobel's Estate Planning & Probate Practice Group can help you achieve your goals, please contact Group Chair Patricia M. Annino at pannino@PrinceLobel.com or 617 456 8009.