Focus Area
Probate & Fiduciary Litigation
Fiduciaries, beneficiaries, families, and institutions rely on our Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Group to help them navigate complex trust and estate matters with sound judgment, strategic insight, and decisive advocacy. Our objective is to achieve your goals by helping you favorably resolve disputes in ways that, wherever possible, protect assets and preserve relationships.
We represent both professional and family fiduciaries (trustees, executors, and personal representatives) and beneficiaries (including individuals, institutions, and charities) in disputes involving estate plans, trusts, fiduciary relationships, breach of fiduciary duty claims, will contests, and other high-stakes matters. We have particularly deep expertise when it comes to advising lawyers, law firms, and other professionals acting as fiduciaries, or in connection with claims arising out of those situations. Many of our clients come to us through referrals from respected attorneys, wealth advisors, and accountants who trust us to deliver exceptional, pragmatic counsel.
Our work is highly collaborative, leveraging our Private Client & Trust Group—one of the largest and most well-established trust and estate practices on the East Coast—when complex estate issues arise, our nationally recognized Real Estate Group when real property is involved, and our leading Law Firm Defense Group when fiduciary conduct is challenged. This multidisciplinary approach ensures each client benefits from the right expertise at the right time.
Our attorneys include bar association leaders, an innovator in expedited trust proceedings under New York’s Article 77, and four Fellows of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). We bring clear judgment, tailored strategies, and the ability to litigate—or resolve—matters including:
- Claims against fiduciaries, including breach of duty and removal actions
- Disputes over prudent investment, wealth management, and trust administration
- Trust interpretation, reformation, modification, and termination actions
- Petitions for instructions, declaratory judgments, and partition of real estate
- Will contests and contested accounts
- Disputes involving newly discovered heirs or beneficiaries
We understand the sensitivity of these disputes and often help clients achieve favorable outcomes through settlements that protect privacy, reduce conflict, and minimize cost. From the outset, we offer candid assessments that empower clients to make informed decisions based upon a realistic view of the merits and risks of their situations.
Expertise
Key Contacts
Gary M. Ronan
Director, Boston
gronan@goulstonstorrs.com+1 617 574 3593
Jennifer L. Mikels
Director, Boston
jmikels@goulstonstorrs.com+1 617 574 3854