With our office in Cambridge, we are constantly reminded of the soaring real estate market. As I look in every direction from our Third Street office, I can see a handful of tower cranes being used in the construction of new or renovated buildings. In addition to the commercial boom, we are all very aware of the surge in residential real estate values. Many residents in and around the Boston area have owned their homes for a number of years and are witnessing value increases at unprecedented rates. For many of these homeowners, their home is one of their largest assets and they often expect to age in place. A homeowner may ask, how can I plan for passing on my legacy?

In one of our past newsletters, we talked about the importance of keeping our digital assets safe and secure. As a firm, we’ve counseled our clients over the years to have a plan for their digital assets if incapacitated and indicate who and what their successor should have access to. I was recently reminded of our digital asset planning when I came across an article about Apple’s new Digital Legacy setting. 

Death can be devastating, sad, and unexpected. Even if it is anticipated, the thought of knowing one will never share the same experiences with a loved one can pain the heart. A common thread found in beloved public figures when they pass, whether it be expected or unexpected, is their legacy established during life time carries on well after.

Congratulations, Anna Byrne, on being chosen as one of the Massachusetts Go To Trusts and Estates Lawyers for 2021!! This program recognizes top lawyers across the state.

2021 is finally approaching its end and while life hasn’t necessarily returned to a state of normalcy (and it seems abnormal may be the new normal), there remains plenty to be grateful for. At our firm, 2021 has been a year of transitions for us.

As Thanksgiving approaches, this is the time I begin to reflect on the year and remember the bad and the good (I try to focus on the good!). As I think about my life, I know I have been enormously blessed. I am healthy, lucky to live in a beautiful city, and grateful to have had the opportunity to use my talents that allow me to help others and provide for my family.   

2021 Massachusetts SuperLawyer and Rising Star! Thank you to all our friends and colleagues. Anna Byrne has the honor of being listed as a SuperLawyer in Massachusetts and Eileen M. Curtin is a Rising Star! It's been an honor and a privilege to share the list with so many esteemed attorneys who we [...]

As we approach the end of Daylight Saving Time, I am reminded how precious time is. It’s typically during this season that I tend to look back over my year and wonder if I made the most of the extra daylight hours. Daylight Savings can be such a ritualistic event: we are reminded to change our smoke detector’s batteries, update our passwords, or use this event as a trigger for other annual check-ups. One important exercise is to...

The changing seasons are also bringing exciting transformations to Eckert Byrne. We are thrilled to announce the addition of Attorney Timothy R. Weeks, J.D., LL.M (Taxation) to our estate planning team on October 1st! Tim has experience with high-net-worth families in crafting estate plans that meet each family’s goals, including drafting planning documents, gifting trusts, business succession, and special needs planning.

Natural disasters seem to occur more frequently now more than ever, so I thought it might be a good time for us to secure the things we hold precious and in physical form. Photos, passports, family stories and mementos, social security cards, tax records, estate planning binders, and so on. But, how do we store them? One idea is to digitize these items and scan them so they can be stored as digital assets.