Faculty
LL.M. PROGRAM IN ESTATE PLANNING AND ELDER LAW
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Frederick D. Royal, Professor of LawAssociate Dean for LL.M. Programs in Estate Planning and Elder Law and Closely-held BusinessesB.A., University of Massachusetts Frederick Royal is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean of the Graduate Program in Estate Planning and Elder Law. Professor Royal has also served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the School of Law. Professor Royal was a Law Clerk to United States Tax Court Judge William M. Drennen for two years. Before joining the faculty in 1978, he specialized in the practice of tax law and estate planning. He has published in the areas of tax procedure, corporate taxation, and estate planning. His most recent publication is Chapter 22, “Representing a Trustee” in Understanding and Using Trusts, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, 2005. He is a frequent lecturer for continuing legal education programs, including Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and the Massachusetts Bar Association. Professor Royal teaches in the areas of Corporate Taxation, Income Taxation of Pass-Through Entities, Federal Wealth Transfer Taxes, Estate Planning, and Business and Estate Planning for Owners of Closely Held Business Entities. |
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William G. Baker, Professor of LawB.A., Clarkson College Professor Baker, a member of the faculty since 1975, is a former Law Clerk to New York State Supreme Court Judge Andrew V. Siracuse. He has been a consultant to the Rochester, NY, law firms of Kaufman, Kenning, Tyle and D’Amanda and Pauley & Barney. He is a frequent program participant, speaking in the areas of estate planning and real estate transactions. He has written numerous articles on estate planning. Presently, he serves as an associate editor to the American Bar Association Probate and Real Property Journal. His pro bono work often consists of assisting not-for-profit corporations. Professor Baker teaches in the areas of Trusts and Estates, Estate Planning, Federal Wealth Transfer Taxes, and Planning for Charitable Transfers. |
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Jennifer L. Levi, Professor of LawA.B., Wellesley College Professor Levi has dedicated her career to fighting for the rights of women, children, the poor, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered clients. Most recently, Professor Levi was senior staff attorney for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders in Boston. Prior to that, she was a visiting professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago, worked as an associate attorney for two Chicago law firms, and clerked in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston. Professor Levi served as co-counsel for the seven same-sex marriage couples who sued the Commonwealth for denying them the right to obtain marriage licenses in the landmark case Goodridge et al V. the Department of Public Health. Professor Levi teaches Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples. |
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Attorney Hyman G. Darling, Adjunct Professor of LawA.B., Boston University Attorney Darling is a shareholder in the law firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C. of Springfield, MA and is Chairman of the Estate Planning, Elder Law Department of the firm. His areas of expertise include estate planning, probate, and elder law. Professor Darling is the author of numerous articles on elder law and estate planning and is a frequent lecturer for continuing legal education programs, including Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and the Massachusetts Bar Association. He has been a member of the adjunct faculty of Western New England University School of Law for more than a decade. Professor Darling teaches Elder Law. |
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Attorney Brenda S. Doherty, Adjunct Professor of LawA.B., Brown University Attorney Doherty works for the law firm Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she practices in the areas of estate planning, taxation and business law. She is a member of the Education Committee of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, on the Board of Directors of Western Mass. Legal Services, and Vice Chair of the Springfield Board of Appeals. Professor Doherty teaches Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits. |
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Attorney Michele J. Feinstein, Adjunct Professor of LawB.S., Boston University Attorney Feinstein is a shareholder in the Springfield law firm of Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C. where she practices in the areas of estate planning, including probate and the administration of estates and elder law, and business planning, including all aspects of planning for the succession of business interests, representation of closely held businesses and their owners. Professor Feinstein is a frequent lecturer for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and the Massachusetts Bar Association on estate planning, estate administration, and elder law topics. Professor Feinstein teaches Fiduciary Administration. |
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Attorney Danielle P. Ferrucci, Adjunct Professor of LawB.A., University of Connecticut Attorney Ferrucci is a Partner at Shipman & Goodwin LLP. She practices in the areas of estate planning, estate settlement and trust administration. She assists clients with the full range of planning techniques for tax-effective inter-generational and charitable transfers. She also prepares, or advises those preparing, probate documents, estate tax returns and fiduciary income tax returns as well as represents estates before the IRS and DRS on audit. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, Planned Giving Group of Connecticut, Greater Hartford Probate Forum and National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Professor Ferrucci teaches Planning for Charitable Transfers and Generation Skipping Transfer Tax. |
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Attorney Christopher J. Hug, Adjunct Professor of LawA.B., Brown University Attorney Christopher J. Hug is a partner at Robinson & Cole LLP. He focuses exclusively on dispute resolution, whether in litigation, arbitration and/or mediation contexts. Since 2011, he has served as a member of the Connecticut Probate Practice Book Advisory Committee that is responsible for drafting a comprehensive probate practice manual for the Connecticut Probate Courts. A significant part of his practice relates to the representation of parties in contested probate matters before the various courts of Connecticut. Such matters typically include will contests, conservatorships and various claims for breach of fiduciary duty. He also assists various health entities in resolving matters related to conservatorships, psychiatric disabilities and end-of-life issues. He has lectured on conversatorships and discovery practice in probate matters. He is affiliated with the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA). Professor Hug teaches Fiduciary Administration. |
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Attorney Paula Jones, Adjunct Professor of LawB.S., West Chester University Attorney Jones is an associate with Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in the firm's Private Client Practice Group. She advises clients on estate planning and administration with a focus on international planning. She advises clients on all aspects of U.S. estate and gift taxation, the creation, migration and maintenance of U.S. and foreign trusts, pre-immigration planning for non-resident aliens coming to the United States, expatriation tax planning for residents and citizens leaving the United States, charitable giving overseas, offshore account compliance, administration of estates of foreign individuals with U.S. property and other related matters. Paula guest lectures on international wealth planning at Temple University School of Law's Masters of Laws Program and lectures frequently for organizations such as the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Society for Human Resource Management and American Bar Association, as well as local estate planning councils. Paula has authored several articles. She has developed a workshop on estate planning basics, titled "Will Power: Wealthy or Not, Your Estate Matters." The companion book was published by The Graduate Group in April of 2008. Professor Jones teaches International Estate Planning. |
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Attorney Vincent A. Liberti Jr., Adjunct Professor of LawB.S., Union College |
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Attorney Leslie S. Madge, Adjunct Professor of LawB.S., Northeastern University Attorney Leslie S. Madge's practice is concentrated in the areas of estate planning and elder law. She is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA), through the National Elder Law Foundation, a certifying organization accredited by the American Bar Association. Attorney Madge has lectured and published extensively through Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) and Suffolk University Advanced Legal Studies. She is a past president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and currently sits on its Board of Directors. Attorney Madge has been designated a SuperLawyer since 2008 (www.superlawyers.com). Professor Madge teaches Advanced Elder Law II & Elder Law Simulation. |
Attorney Kelley Cooper Miller, Adjunct Professor of LawB.A., Mount Holyoke College Attorney Miller is an associate in the Philadelphia office of Reed Smith LLP. She regularly lectures in tax at Georgetown University Law Center. She is an active member of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, Chair of the Law Student Tax Challenge Competition, member of the Federal Bar Association Tax Section, and member of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Professor Miller teaches Income Taxation of Pass-Through Entities. |
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Attorney Crystal T. Ochrymowicz, Adjunct Professor of LawB.A., Millersville University of Pennsylvania Attorney Ochrymowicz is an Estate Tax Attorney for the Internal Revenue Service where she examines estate and gift tax returns, including issues as grantor retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, valuation of closely-held companies, Section 2032A special valuation elections, Section 6166 deferral elections, and charitable and marital deductions. Prior to this, Attorney Ochrymowicz clerked in the Third Department, Appellate Division in Albany. Attorney Ochrymowicz teaches Tax Procedure. |
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Attorney Ian S. Oppenheim, Adjunct Professor of LawB.S., Marietta College |
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Attorney Margot N. Parrot, Adjunct Professor of LawB.A., University of Massachusetts Attorney Parrot has recently retired as a solo practitioner, focusing on the areas of Trusts and Estates, Estate Planning for Traditional and Non-Traditional Families, Elder Law, and Small Business. She has volunteered on the boards of non-profit organizations, in local government and in local and state political campaigns. She currently serves as a Commissioner on the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. Professor Parrot teaches Elder Law. |
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Attorney Kelley Galica Peck, Adjunct Professor of LawB.S., Florida Southern College Prior to joining Robinson & Cole, she was a partner and chair of the Trust and Estate Practice Group at Hallaron & Sage LLP. Attorney Peck focuses her practice on estate planning and probate. She has significant experience working with individuals and families to plan for the management, protection, and transfer of assets including succession planning for owners of closely-held businesses. She handles complex charitable gift planning, estate planning for nontraditional families, planning for protection and preservation of assets, and estate, gift and income tax return preparation and review. Attorney Peck also represents individual and professional fiduciaries and beneficiaries in probate courts. Professor Peck teaches Basic Drafting of Wills and Trusts, Advanced Issues in Wealth Transfer Taxes: Marital Deduction and Wealth Planning with Life Insurance. |
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Attorney Mark W. Worthington, Adjunct Professor of LawB.S.E.E., University of Rochester |

















