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    1. Home
    2. People
    3. Jennifer CollinsPeople
    1. Home
    2. People
    3. Jennifer CollinsPeople

    Jennifer Collins

    Partner


    • Boston
    • Office617.345.6074
    • jcollins@nixonpeabody.com

    I'm a 2023 Nixon Peabody Pro Bono Champion.Read more about our Pro Bono program

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    Introduction

    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.

    Practice Areas

    Trusts, Wills, and EstatesPrivate Wealth & Advisory

    My focus

     I currently focus my practice on three main areas:

    • Helping clients take care of their families
    • Serving as a fiduciary and advising fiduciaries, such as executors and trustees, with respect to estate and trust administration matters, including controversies
    • Representing individuals and fiduciaries with respect to decanting, modifying, and terminating trusts

    Estate, Gift and Prenuptial Planning

    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.

    Estate and Trust Administration Matters

    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.

    Decanting, Trust Modification and Trust Termination Proceedings

    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.

    Looking ahead

     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 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.

    Admitted to practice

    Massachusetts

    Education

    Hamilton College, B.A., magna cum laude
    Northeastern University School of Law, J.D.

    Professional activities

    Jen serves on the Board of Directors of Nixon Peabody Trust Company and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She also serves as President of the Anna B. Stearns Foundation. She is a former Director of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association and East Boston Social Centers, Inc.

    Jen is a member of the American, Massachusetts, Boston and Women’s Bar Associations. She previously served 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).

    Recognition

    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.

    In the News

    • WFXT-TV (FOX Boston)

      Digital Assets and Estate Planning

      In this in-studio broadcast interview, Boston Private Clients partner Jen Collins discusses how to deal with digital assets and online accounts in estate planning.
      Feb 14, 2014
    • Boston Business Journal

      People on the Move

      This coverage notes that Boston Private Clients attorney Jen Collins has been elected to the firm's partnership.
      Feb 4, 2014

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    • Evelyn V. Moreno

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      • Office:617.345.6157
      • emoreno@nixonpeabody.com
      Evelyn V. Moreno
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      Kaitlyn B. Barnett
    • Stephanie C. H. Ardino

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      • Office:212.940.3163
      • sardino@nixonpeabody.com
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