Trusts & Estates

Burns & Levinson's trusts and estates attorneys represent individuals and families in a wide range of matters concerning the control, growth and orderly transfer of their wealth. Our attorneys counsel executives and shareholders in the businesses represented by the firm, individuals with significant net worth, and other clients with asset planning concerns, including estate planning and the administration of decedents' estates, trust administration, family and closely held business matters, retirement planning and charitable planning.

We take complete advantage of our full-service law firm to coordinate all related legal issues, particularly personal tax planning, corporate, real estate, domestic relations, and probate and business litigation, in addressing the needs of our clients. We place a premium on completing high quality work promptly and efficiently.

We make particular note of certain hallmarks of our practice.

Advanced tax-planning techniques and valuation planning are an integral part of our estate planning process, which create vast reductions in the costs associated with dying. Estate plans are carefully crafted and always sensitively address the personal issues related to the distribution of assets within the family context.

Since the inception of our firm, owners of New England family businesses have relied on Burns & Levinson to plan and administer their estates and trusts efficiently and expertly. Because of our long tradition of representing numerous owners of closely held businesses, we have extensive experience in suggesting strategies that address the complex and difficult issues of management succession and ownership transfer.

Because of our unique experience and vantage point, we are often called to coordinate and lead a team working for the client, which may consist of accountants, financial planners, investment bankers, business consultants, appraisers, life insurance agents, trust officers, or attorneys practicing in other areas of law.

We advise fiduciaries, both professional and nonprofessional, through the legal complexities that confront individuals and institutions who manage property for beneficiaries. We represent executors, guardians, conservators, trustees, and custodians in issues of fiduciary responsibility and liability, accounting, and the interpretation of will and trust provisions.

We administer estates ranging in value from moderate to multimillion dollar and analyze all post-mortem tax planning opportunities. Dispositions vary from trusts that benefit dozens of family members over generations to establishing entities benefiting charity. We also represent individual beneficiaries whose interests may conflict with fiduciaries.

Many of our clients have entrusted Burns & Levinson with competitively investing their assets as part of the firm's lifetime planning and trust administration services. Investments are actively monitored by our investment specialist and our investment committee, which has ultimate responsibility for advising the client. Our trust administration staff administers loans, pays bills, prepares tax forms, and provides other needed financial services for concerned fiduciaries.

The Trusts & Estates Group at Burns & Levinson

Name	Title	Phone	Email
Clifford R. Cohen, Chairman	Partner	617.345.3286	ccohen@burnslev.com
Brian D. Bixby	Partner	617.345.3360	bbixby@burnslev.com
Harvey M. Burg	Partner	617.345.3321	hburg@burnslev.com
Lisa M. Cukier	Partner	617.345.3471	lcukier@burnslev.com
Dianne L. Frade	Associate	617.345.3482	dfrade@burnslev.com
Steven C. Goodwin	Partner	617.345.3653	sgoodwin@burnslev.com
Marshal S. Grant	Associate	617.345.3501	mgrant@burnslev.com
Jeffrey M. Hurwit	Of Counsel	617.345.3450	jhurwit@burnslev.com
Joseph R. Marion III	Associate	401.831.8370	jmarion@burnslev.com
Howard D. Medwed	Partner	617.345.3352	hmedwed@burnslev.com
Harry S. Miller	Partner	617.345.3236	hmiller@burnslev.com
Mark A. Nowak	Partner	617.345.3898	manowak@burnslev.com
Francis E. Perkins, Jr.	Partner	617.345.3000	fperkins@burnslev.com
Irving Salloway	Senior Counsel	617.345.3251	isalloway@burnslev.com
Normand F. Smith	Partner	617.345.3234	nsmith@burnslev.com
Malcolm W. Starr	Of Counsel	401.861.2601	mstarr@burnslev.com