Practice Focus
Michael J. Puzo focuses primarily on trust and estate matters. In that capacity, he often serves as a trustee of private trusts and charitable foundations. He also devotes a substantial amount of his time to sophisticated estate and charitable gift planning and to the resolution of probate disputes.
Michael is a former managing partner of Hemenway & Barnes.
Representative Clients
Along with many private clients, Mr. Puzo's nonprofit clients include Boston College, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and the New England Province of Jesuits.
Activities and Publications
- Fellow, American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel
- Member, Estate Planning Committee of the Boston Bar Association
- Former member, Professional Advisory Committee of the Boston Foundation
- Former faculty member for educational programs presented by MCLE, the American Law Institute, American Bar Association, the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and the Boston Estate Planning Council
- Written extensively on charitable gift planning for Trusts and Estates Magazine, on will and trust drafting for MCLE and ALI-ABA
- He has spoken before the Planned Giving Group of New England, both on respecting donative intent in charitable giving and on legislative developments and the current state of federal estate and gift taxes
Community Involvement
A resident of Hingham, MA, Michael has been active in the town's civic affairs for over 25 years.
- Chairman, Hingham Personnel Board, where he is responsible for the town's employee relations, union negotiations, and personnel policies
- Former chair of the Search Committee for the Hingham Town Administrator and past member, Hingham Zoning Board of Appeals, the Hingham Transportation Committee, and the Hingham Water Supply Committee
Additionally Michael is involved with various organizations in a wide range of leadership capacities:
- Overseer, Boston College Law School
- Member, Executive Committee, Boston College Law School Fund
- Board Chair and Trustee, South Shore Conservatory of Music
- Member, Board of Overseers, Boston Lyric Opera
- Member, Estate Planning Committee, St. Boniface Haiti Foundation
- Former Trustee, Notre Dame Academy, Hingham
