Jennifer Collins advises individuals and families on sophisticated estate planning matters, including estate, gift and income tax planning. Jen also represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries with respect to estate administration and trust matters, including will contests, trust modifications and trust termination proceedings. Jen’s approach is direct, practical and solutions-oriented.
I currently focus my practice on three main areas:
My goal is to partner with clients to create proactive, strategic plans that meet their individualized needs. I assist clients with identifying priorities, assessing options and preparing estate planning documents, including wills and trusts, to protect and transfer wealth in a tax-efficient manner. I draw on my experience as a corporate attorney to advise business owners and entrepreneurs with respect to tax and business succession matters. I have significant experience with blended families, second marriages and same-sex couples. I also counsel clients with respect to protecting the family wealth through the strategic use of prenuptial agreements.
I serve as executor and trustee for my clients and I also work closely with family members and professionals who are serving in these roles. I guide family members and fiduciaries through the probate process, prepare income and estate tax returns, handle related audits, mitigate disputes and attend to ongoing trust administration matters. I collaborate with accountants, investment professionals and other family advisors on an ongoing basis.
Even with thoughtful estate planning, there are times when changes are needed. I handle cases where irrevocable trusts have unintended, negative tax implications or are no longer appropriate based on individual circumstances. I have extensive experience with non-judicial resolutions under the Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code, and I work with our litigators on will contests. I also advise professional trustees in the charitable arena with respect to the private foundation rules, trust modifications and trust terminations. I counsel individuals, banks and other financial institutions on implementing appropriate solutions for trust-related problems.
I see unique family circumstances and individualized priorities driving growth in estate planning. Where planning was historically focused on estate tax minimization strategies, we are now thinking more about navigating complex income tax laws, preparing younger generations for managing family wealth and adjusting to diverse family situations. I continue to monitor the impact of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Windsor, especially in an increasingly mobile society, and I am excited to be a part of what happens next.
Northeastern University School of Law, J.D.
Hamilton College, B.A., magna cum laude
Massachusetts
Jennifer has been named repeatedly as a "Rising Star" by Law & Politics Media, Inc., based on a peer review survey of attorneys in Massachusetts. The "Rising Stars" are published annually in the Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars Edition and in Boston Magazine.
Jennifer serves on the Board of Directors of Nixon Peabody Trust Company and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association and a former Director of the East Boston Social Centers, Inc.
Jen is a member of the American, Massachusetts, Boston and Women’s Bar Associations. She serves on the New Developments Committee of the Trusts and Estates section of the Boston Bar Association. She also served on the faculty of A Primer on International Estate Planning (Lorman Educational Services, January 2013) and is a contributing author to Understanding and Using Trusts (MCLE, Inc. Supp. 2011).