Description:
Cushing & Dolan, P.C. is a well-established MA-based law firm with a longstanding practice in estate planning, taxation, elder law, probate and trust administration, and related business matters. We are seeking an Associate Attorney to join our litigation team to handle disputes arising out of probate, trusts and estates, fiduciary relationships, and closely held business matters — with additional drafting work tied to the intersection of our estate planning and litigation group, including Vaughan affidavits and prenuptial agreements. Cushing & Dolan represents many high-net-worth and multigenerational families, many matters involve sensitive family dynamics, lifetime planning documents, and coordinated estate/business structures.This role is in-person in Waltham, MA and ideal for a lawyer who likes the intersection of technical estate/trust work and actual courtroom litigation — someone who can read an instrument (trust, will), understand the fiduciary or contractual duties at issue, and then draft/argue the motion to enforce them.
Practice Focus
You will work on matters including:
- Will and trust contests
- Breach of fiduciary duty / surcharge / removal of personal representatives and trustees
- Contested accountings and estate administration disputes
- Guardianship and conservatorship matters
- Drafting Vaughan affidavits
- Drafting prenuptial agreements
- Trust interpretation, modification, and reformation disputes
- Business and shareholder/member disputes
- Real estate and land use litigation
Responsibilities:
- Draft complaints, objections, motions, and memoranda for the Massachusetts Probate & Family Court and Superior Court
- Conduct legal research on Massachusetts probate, trust, corporate, and civil procedure issues
- Work with the firm's planning attorneys and clients to gather facts and prepare Vaughan affidavits
- Prepare prenuptial agreements consistent with the client's estate and tax planning objectives
- Manage written discovery and document-intensive files
- Participate in and, as experience allows, take/defend depositions
- Appear in court for motion hearings, case management conferences, and other proceedings
- Communicate with clients, fiduciaries, and opposing counsel in a professional, service-oriented manner
- Collaborate with estate planning, tax, and business groups to align litigation strategy with underlying planning goals
Qualifications:
- J.D. and admission to the Massachusetts bar required
- 1–4 years of litigation experience preferred (Probate & Family Court or fiduciary litigation a plus; strong commercial/civil litigators with interest in this area will be considered)
- Strong legal research and excellent written advocacy
- Familiarity with (or genuine interest in) trusts and estates, probate, fiduciary law, and related planning documents
- Ability to work with high-net-worth clients and sensitive family matters with discretion
- Organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple matters
