Press Release

Boston, MA, June 5, 2023 – Burns & Levinson announced today that partner Debra Silberstein, Ph.D. has been named Chair of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Group and Co-Chair of the Private Client Group, a role she shares with fellow partner and Private Client Group Co-Chair Lisa Cukier. The firm also named partner Patricia Malley as Assistant Chair of the Trusts & Estates Group.

“We are thrilled that Debra and Patricia are taking on these important management roles,” said Paul Mastrocola, managing partner at Burns & Levinson. “Together, they bring decades of experience to their new positions, and we look forward to their continued success leading our talented team.”

Silberstein has more than 30 years of experience working with clients to navigate a wide range of trusts and estates, family philanthropic planning, tax, and elder law matters. She has specialized expertise helping families not only plan for their future, but for the needs of their children or relatives with disabilities and related challenges. With both a law degree and a doctorate degree in social policy and philanthropy, Silberstein has leveraged her expertise in inter-generational philanthropic planning to support many nonprofit organizations. She currently serves on the Planned Giving Advisory Council for the Carter Center in Atlanta, GA, on the Board of the Anti-Defamation League, New England, and on the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Massachusetts Chapter. She recently served on the American Hospital Association Board of Governors, spent 10 years as a Trustee of Lawrence General Hospital, including two as Board Chair, and was a member of the Board of Visitors for McLean Hospital.

Silberstein was named a “Family/Elder Law Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal in 2022. She received the 2018 Powley Elder Law Award from the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys for her impressive contributions to the field. She received her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, a Ph.D. in social policy from the Heller School at Brandeis University, and a B.A. in economics from Syracuse University.

Malley has been a trusts and estates lawyer for over 12 years, with a focus on estate planning and estate and trust administration. She specializes in helping high net-worth individuals and families transfer wealth to their next generation while minimizing taxes, providing protection against creditors, and preserving assets. Outside of work, Malley serves as an adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School. She was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America – Ones to Watch, for Trusts & Estates in 2022 and 2023. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Albany Law School and her B.A., cum laude, from St. Lawrence University.