overview
Tiffany Bentley is a partner in the firm’s Private Client Group, focusing on all aspects of fiduciary litigation and family law. She counsels high net worth individuals through estate and trust disputes, probate, divorce, and other related matters.
As a probate and family court litigator, Tiffany works to identify her clients’ best possible outcome and charts the necessary path through discovery, settlement negotiations, and all the way to trial where necessary. As this line of work often centers around traumatic and deeply personal life events such as death or the end of a marriage, she takes great pride in guiding her clients with empathy and expertise. Her reputation as a trusted and thoughtful attorney is recognized in the firm, where she has built her entire legal career, and throughout the community.
education
J.D., Order of Coif, University of Colorado Law School, 2008
B.A., summa cum laude, Curry College, 2002
admissions
Massachusetts
honors & awards
Boston Magazine’s Top Lawyers List, Family Law (2022)
Massachusetts Rising Stars (2011-2018)
Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2022)
Boston Rising Stars (2015) – National Law Journal and Connecticut Law Tribune
community involvement
Greater Boston Legal Services
- Board of Directors
Attorneys Representing Children
- Pro bono representation of children through program of Probate and Family Courts for Worcester and Norfolk Counties
Discovering Justice’s Stand Up For Your Rights
- Attorney Volunteer/Teacher (2009-2015)
Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law & Policy
- Lead Articles Editor
Rothgerber Moot Court
- Honor Board
memberships
Massachusetts Bar Association
Boston Bar Association
Worcester Bar Association
Massachusetts Association of Guardians ad Litem
Greater Boston Fiduciary Law American Inn of Court
Greater Boston Family Law American Inn of Court
American Association for Certified Financial Litigators
Women’s Bar Association
articles
articles
Editor and Contributor, Burns & Levinson’s Beyond the Will
“Wills Contest” and “Objections to Accounts,” MCLE Fiduciary Litigation in the Probate Court
“Will Contests, Compromises, and Practical Steps to Avoid Litigation,” MCLE Massachusetts Probate Manual
“Alimony Reform Act” Co-Author, Massachusetts Law Review, Fall 2018,
“Spouse’s Trust Interest Shielded from Division in Divorce,” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, August 2016
“Massachusetts High Court to Determine Whether a Spouse’s Interest Can Be Reached in Divorce,” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, April 2016
“Same-Sex Parent Claims Victory Over Alabama in Custody Battle,” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, March 2016
“A Closer Look at the Supreme Court’s Same-Sex Marriage Ruling,” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, June 2015
“Involuntary Abortion,” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, January 2012
“Step 11: It’s Not Quite Over When It’s Over,” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, July 2011
interviews
“Q&A with Leading Divorce Attorneys at Burns & Levinson,” Boston Citybizlist, October 2020
“Q&A with Leading Divorce Attorneys at Burns & Levinson,” Boston Citybizlist, July 2020
speaking engagements
“Handling Divorce in the Chain of Title”, Webinar Speaker, The Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts, March 2023
“Double Agents: Intersection between Powers of Attorney and Estate Planning,” Webinar Speaker, Boston Bar Association, December 2022
“Fiduciary & Trust Account Dreams & Nightmares.” Panelist, MCLE New England, October 2022
“Family Trusts in a Divorce,” Panelist, MCLE New England, May 2022
“Drafting Premarital and Postmarital Agreements,” Faculty, Strafford Webinars, May 2022
“The Messy Intersection of Divorce and Trust Law – Everything but Pfannenstiehl,” Speaker, Boston Bar Association, February 2022
“Custody Litigation: The Roles of the Guardian ad Litem and ARC Counsel,” Webinar Host, Burns & Levinson’s Divorce Law Monitor, May 2021
“Proving Testamentary Capacity at Trial,” Speaker, Boston Bar Association, April 2021
“Evidence Admissibility in Family Law Cases,” Panelist, MCLE New England, April 2021
“Divorce Litigation: Preparing for a Deposition or Trial Testimony,” Webinar Host, Burns & Levinson’s Divorce Law Monitor, January 2021
“Dividing Assets: What Happens to Family Trusts in Divorce?” Webinar Host, Burns & Levinson’s Divorce Law Monitor, October 2020
“Keeping the Focus on Your Children During the Divorce Process,” Webinar Host, Burns & Levinson’s Divorce Law Monitor, August 2020
“Sophisticated Financial Issues in Divorce Matters and the Impact of COVID-19,” Speaker, Boston Bar Association Webinar, July 2020
“Co-Parenting During the Holidays,” Speaker, Burns & Levinson Divorce Meet-Up, October 2015
“Who Has to Prove What: Burdens of Proof and Presumptions in Fiduciary and Probate Litigation,” Speaker, Boston Bar Association Seminar, May 2015
“Financial Exploitation of Elders and Undue Influence,” Faculty Member, Massachusetts Bar Association Seminar, March 2015
“Undue Influence and Equitable Remedies,” Speaker, Massachusetts Bar Association Second Annual Probate Law Conference, November 2014
Tiffany annually participates and volunteers with the Massachusetts Bar Association Elder Law Education Program, giving seminars on End of Life Planning at various community centers in and around Boston.