Matt advises clients in all areas of estate planning and probate law, and he routinely represents individual and institutional clients in litigated matters in the Probate and Superior Courts. Matt’s estate planning practice ranges from the estate planning needs of younger individuals and families to high-net-worth clients with sophisticated business and estate planning objectives. When a loved one dies, Matt advises families through the estate settlement process, including post-mortem tax and trust planning considerations involving complicated estates subject to state and federal estate tax liability.
Matt’s practice is unique: he is both a planning attorney, developing estate plans and settling decedents’ estates, and an effective advocate and litigation attorney when estate and trust matters become contested. He frequently represents individuals and families in will, trust and contested conservatorship matters, and represents leading Connecticut, national and international financial institutions serving as trustee and fiduciary.
Connecticut Bar Association, Estates and Probate Section
New Haven County Bar Association
Best Lawyers® – Trusts and Estates, 2021-2023
Connecticut Super Lawyers® – Trusts and Estates, 2011-2019
Successfully proved undue influence and lack of testamentary capacity to invalidate Will, Kane v. Appeal from Probate, 2009 WL 943761 (Scholl, J.).
Prevailed in defense of Trustee in partition action involving disputed valuation of trust asset, Christie v. US Trust Bank of America Private Wealth Management, 2013 WL 6510926 (2013) (Quinn, J.).
Successfully handled numerous contested conservatorship matters, including appeals to Superior Court. Matters have included difficult substance abuse and young adult psychiatric cases.
Prevailed representing beneficiaries in Trustee removal proceedings, and has successfully defended individual and institutional Trustees alleged to have committed breaches of trust and fiduciary duty.