Education
Georgetown University
- LL.M. in taxation, with distinction, 1998
American University
- J.D., cum laude, 1995
- Note and Comment Editor, American University Law Review
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
- B.A., 1992
Bar and Court Admissions
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Commonwealth of Virginia
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
Practice Focus
Ms. Burns has experience in the areas of estate planning, taxation, business succession planning and estate administration.
Notable Experience
- Ms. Burns advises clients on tax planning strategies, multi-generational wealth transfers and business succession planning;
- Drafts estate planning documents including, but not limited to, wills, durable powers of attorney, revocable trusts, irrevocable insurance and generation-skipping trusts, qualified personal residence trusts and charitable trusts;
- Assists executors and fiduciaries with estate and trust administration matters;
- Ms.Burns was named one of The Top 10 Lawyers by readers in the April 2008 issue of Women's Business Boston. Additionally, Ms. Burns was recognized by Boston Magazine and Law & Politics magazine as a "Super Lawyer Rising Star" in the area of Trusts and Estates;
- In addition to her work with clients, Ms. Burns has served as a member of the Nominating Committee for Shir Tikvah synagogue in Winchester, Massachusetts. Ms. Burns is also a lecturer for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) and has published several articles on various legal topics
Background
Joined the firm in 1999
Professional Activities
- Boston Bar Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Boston Estate Planning Council
- Boston Probate and Estate Planning Forum
Publications
Author of Charitable Remainder Trusts, a Win-Win Tax Planning Technique, The Washington Lawyer, Nov./Dec. 1995; Just Say No Thanks, The Legal Times, May 20, 1996, which is an article regarding disclaimers; The Golden Egg? Variable Universal Life Insurance, The Washington Lawyer, Nov./Dec. 1996; and Gifting the House to Save the Home: Qualified Personal Residence Trusts, The Washington Lawyer, Nov./Dec. 1997.
Most notably, Ms. Burns has been recognized as a leader in Tax Law by being selected as an author in the recently released book, Tax Law Client Strategies: Leading Lawyers on Understanding and Allocating Risks, Assessing Settlements and Negotiations, and Developing Deal Strategies, published by Aspatore Books in 2007 as part of its “Inside the Minds” series. Tax Law Client Strategies is an authoritative, insider’s perspective on best practices for successfully representing a client to resolve tax disputes.
Ms. Burns was awarded First Place Prize in the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publications (ASCAP) Nathan Burkan national competition for her published Law Review Comment entitled Ancient Works, Modern Dilemmas: The Dead Sea Scrolls Copyright Case.