Allison L. Collins
When Allie sits down with a client, her first instinct is to listen.
A natural empath with a deep understanding of family dynamics, Allie brings compassion, clarity, and strategic insight to some of life’s most personal and complex transitions. She concentrates her practice in estate planning, estate and trust administration, and estate and gift tax planning, guiding individuals, families, and business owners through the decisions that shape their legacies.
Allie’s approach is rooted in understanding what matters most to her clients—whether that’s minimizing tax exposure, preparing for future generations, protecting family harmony, or avoiding potential disputes. She works with clients across the wealth spectrum, from young families just beginning to build a plan to high-net-worth individuals and multigenerational families navigating sophisticated tax strategies and succession planning. Many of her clients are business owners seeking to preserve and protect the value of their enterprises through thoughtful, forward-looking business succession plans.
Known for her attentiveness and clarity, Allie designs and drafts a full range of estate planning documents—from simple wills to complex, tax-efficient trusts. She regularly advises fiduciaries and beneficiaries throughout the estate settlement process and prepares federal and Massachusetts estate tax returns, as well as federal gift tax returns. She also increasingly serves as a trustee for her longtime clients, reflecting the deep trust and confidence they place in her counsel.
Strategic Estate Planning for Multigenerational Wealth
- Drafted and implemented revocable and irrevocable trusts for clients focused on minimizing estate taxes and preserving family wealth for future generations.
GRAT Planning for High-Growth Asset Transfers
- Structured and executed Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) to transfer assets anticipated to appreciate significantly, allowing clients to shift value to heirs with minimal gift tax exposure.
Leveraging Defective Grantor Trusts for Tax Efficiency
- Advised on the sale of a client’s interest in a family holding company to an intentionally defective grantor trust, achieving substantial estate tax savings and maximizing use of the client’s lifetime exemption.
Modernizing Irrevocable Trusts through Settlement Agreements
- Drafted a Nonjudicial Settlement Agreement to reform an irrevocable trust’s administrative terms, enabling a beneficiary to remove and replace a corporate trustee without court intervention.
Serving as Trustee for Complex, High-Value Trusts
- Appointed Trustee for a multigenerational trust holding more than $15 million in assets, overseeing fiduciary duties and long-term administration for the benefit of multiple family members.
Administering a $50 Million Estate Through Audit-Proof Planning
- Counseled the personal representative of a $50 million estate, preparing and filing Massachusetts and federal estate tax returns that were successfully upheld following an IRS audit.
Education
- JD, Suffolk University Law School
- BA, Marist College
Bar Admissions
- Massachusetts
Experience recognized
- Boston Magazine’s Top Lawyers, Trusts & Estates, 2022-2025
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2021-2022
- Boston Foundation’s Professional Advisors Network
- Boston Bar Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Boston Estate Planning Council