OUR TEAM
ANNA E. BYRNE, Esq.
FOUNDING ATTORNEY
Anna is an estate planning attorney with over 25 years of experience. Her decision to establish Eckert Byrne LLC stemmed from a desire to create estate plans that encompass more than just the transfer of tangible assets. Her life experience as a young widow revealed a need to pass on wisdom and values to help those left behind. She has committed the last thirteen years to creating a team that shares this vision.
Anna’s goal is to help her clients express their values and pass those on along with their assets with the lowest expense and tax impact possible. In 2021, Anna was honored to be selected as a top 20 “Go To” Trust & Estates attorney by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and a Top Woman of Law in Massachusetts in 2014. She’s been listed as a top 50 Woman Attorney in New England by SuperLawyers™ Thomson Reuters and a SuperLawyer from 2015 to present. In 2021, Boston Magazine listed her as a Top Attorney in Trust & Estates.
Anna is also the author of two books. In 2016, she published the book, A Widow’s Guide, to help women who have lost a spouse through their first year. In 2021, Anna published her second book, The Inheritor’s Guide: A Legal, Financial, and Emotional Guide for Adult Children Managing Their Parent’s Legacy. The Inheritor’s Guide is a manual for anyone who has lost a parent and wants to gain an understanding of the step-by-step process of transitioning wealth from one generation to the next.
Anna takes on a limited number of clients per year and focuses on working with client families that are in the process of multigenerational wealth transition by helping them navigate the legal and financial issues that arise.
Fun Fact: Anna loves to spend her down time in nature walking and hiking whenever, and wherever, she can. Now that she’s an empty nester, she looks forward to traveling and visiting all the places on her bucket list!
EILEEN M. CURTIN, Esq.
ATTORNEY
Eileen joined Eckert Byrne LLC in 2020 as an Attorney with over four years of experience in estate planning and estate (probate) and trust administration with a prior focus on elder law issues including guardianships and conservatorships. Eileen oversees our estate administration department, guiding clients from initial contact through the probate and/or trust process ensuring proper guidance and legal advice to the personal representative or trustee. As a team, Eileen and Chase pride themselves on providing top-notch services to assist clients with proper administration of probate and trust matters.
In addition to estate administration, Eileen handles guardianship and conservatorship matters for the firm. Eileen has a passion for assisting those who are caring for a loved one and find themselves in a position where they need to petition the Court for a guardianship or conservatorship for an individual who lacks capacity to make informed health and/or financial decisions.
Eileen prides herself in providing an experience that will give her clients peace of mind during a time that may otherwise be very difficult.
Fun Fact: Eileen loves to be outdoors, so you can find her kayaking, gardening, or playing tennis. She has always wanted to learn to play pickleball and just started playing this year!
LAUREL M. MILLETTE, Esq.
OF COUNSEL/ATTORNEY
Laurel M. Millette is an experienced estate planning attorney who recently joined the Eckert Byrne Team on a part-time basis to support our estate-planning team. She has maintained a solo estate planning practice in her hometown of Concord, Massachusetts since 2008, and also meets with clients in the city of Boston where she now resides. Previously Laurel has served as a Partner at Pierce Atwood LLP in their Boston office and as a Shareholder and Director at Davis Malm & D’Agostine, P. C. in Boston.
Laurel frequently serves as a lecturer on estate tax planning and estate administration topics, is on volunteer faculty at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE), and has volunteered her expertise on panels for the Boston Estate Planning Council, the Massachusetts Justice Project, the Boston Bar Association, The Women’s Bar Foundation, The Merrimack Valley Estate Planning Council, and the Friends of Mt. Auburn. She has also served in an advisory role with a local family office.
Laurel received her J.D. from Boston College Law School and her B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Pomona College. Before attending law school, Laurel worked in the Assurance Division of PwC in Boston and graduated from the Coopers & Lybrand Academy at the Graduate School of Accounting at The University of Texas at Austin.
Laurel was selected for inclusion in SuperLawyers Rising Stars and SuperLawyers Top Women In Law every year from 2009-2018. In 2013 Laurel was named as an honoree in the MassLawyersWeekly Excellence In the Law Event. In 2022 she was selected as a Top Attorney by Boston Magazine.
NICOLE SIMON, Esq.
ATTORNEY
Nicole joins Eckert Byrne LLC on a part-time basis with a background in estate planning, trust administration, and estate administration. Her focus will be primarily on trust and fiduciary services where she will assist clients on various matters related to their ongoing estate planning and trust administration needs. Nicole provides a compassionate approach while guiding clients through the legal obstacles that arise after the initial estate planning phase is complete.
Nicole received her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and her B.S. from Northeastern University.
Fun Fact: Nicole loves to travel and has travelled to many different countries. She lived down under in Australia for 6 months where she discovered her favorite vacation spot – Aitutaki, Cook Islands.
AUDREY GARDNER
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Audrey serves as the Operations Manager at Eckert Byrne LLC. She can be reached to coordinate meetings and is available to answer any questions and calls related to your initial consultation or design meeting. It is her utmost priority to make sure that clients are well taken care of throughout their entire estate planning process.
Fun Fact: Audrey loves to travel especially if she can go scuba diving – she’s PADI open-water certified!
NOAH EVANS
LEGAL ASSISTANT
Noah joined us last year and has quickly become a vital member of the team. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 2018 with a degree in Global Studies. In his free time, he loves to be active and do as many outdoor activities as he possibly can. Noah assists Anna as she guides clients through our estate planning process. He can be contacted to coordinate meetings & appointments with the attorneys, as well as to answer any questions an active client may have.
Fun Fact: Noah was First Chair Bass Clarinet for the Vermont High School All State Band for two years!
“Anna is such a caring and compassionate person. I did not feel intimidated or nervous. She made me feel so comfortable. It was a pleasure doing business with her. The firm is wonderful and her team is great!”
“I felt valued as an individual. I was given the support I needed to help enable me to make very important decisions for myself and my family. My experience with Kristin was a positive one. She was thorough, patient & very knowledgable. ”