Michael J. Puzo concentrates on trust and estate matters, primarily through serving as a trustee of private trusts and charitable foundations. He also advises individuals and families on complex estate planning, charitable giving and wealth management.

At Hemenway & Barnes, Michael chairs the firm’s Trust Investment Committee and has served as managing partner and chair of the firm’s Private Client Group. Michael is also a Managing Director, Treasurer and Chair of the Investment Committee of Hemenway Trust Company, a New Hampshire based private fiduciary firm.

Along with many private clients, trusts and foundations, Michael counsels a number of nonprofits including Boston College and the Archdiocese of Boston. His practice includes:

• Providing counsel on a broad range of family issues, including sophisticated estate and charitable gift planning.
• Advising extended families on generational wealth planning, asset allocation and discrete investments. He often works with clients who have lost a spouse and are coping with the new responsibilities and uncertainties that follow.
• Working with entrepreneurial and business clients to preserve hard earned capital, while continuing to focus on asset growth.

• Founder’s Medal Recipient, Boston College Law School. Awarded to a graduate who embodies the tradition of professionalism, scholarship and service that the Law School seeks to instill in its students.
• Named to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list, 2005-2020

• Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
• 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
• Member, Estate Planning Committee of the Boston Bar Association
• 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

A resident of Hingham, MA, Michael has been active in the town's civic affairs for over 30 years.

• Currently, he serves as Hingham Town Moderator, presiding at Hingham Town Meeting, with responsibility for appointing citizens to various town boards and committees
• Former Chairman, Hingham Personnel Board, with responsibility for the town's employee relations, union negotiations, and personnel policies
• Former Chairman, Search Committee for the Hingham Town Administrator and former 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:

• Chair, Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Boston Lyric Opera
• Trustee and former Board Chair, South Shore Conservatory
• Member, Dean's Advisory Board, Boston College Law School

“Having been a part of the H&B and HTC communities for my entire career has been a profound privilege.  Earning a client’s confidence, keeping that confidence, and helping a client through hard times – these are just some of the gifts that come with this profession. With all of the uncertainties and complexities of modern financial life, being part of a firm that is committed to the individual and his or her success gives my work true meaning.”