Morgan Lewis

Sara A. Wells

Partner

Sara A. Wells devotes her practice to estate planning, estate and trust administration, tax planning, and business succession planning. Sara assists clients worldwide in the creation of their estate plans, including establishing various irrevocable trusts—such as irrevocable insurance trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, and defective grantor trusts—to help clients make tax-efficient transfers to family members. She also administers estates, including the preparation of probate court documents and estate tax returns, and advises Personal Representatives on their fiduciary duties.

Extended Profile

Sara serves as trustee of her clients’ trusts and counsels her clients on their trusts’ administration and best practices. She also assists clients in working through their family disputes stemming from the administration of estates and trusts. Finally, Sara also assists closely held businesses with the preparation of their corporate documents, including limited liability companies’ operating agreements and buy-sell agreements.

Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Sara was a member in the private client group in the Boston office at another international law firm.

Education

  • Boston University School of Law, 2004, LL.M.
  • Boston University School of Law, 2002, J.D., Cum Laude
  • University of Florida, 1999, B.S., Business Administration

Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • New York

Awards and Affiliations

Ranked, Private Wealth Law, Massachusetts, Chambers HNW (2018)

Recognized, Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2015–2018)

Top Women of Law, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2015)

  • Top Female Attorney in Massachusetts, Super Lawyers (2016)
  • Divorce, Trusts & Estate Trailblazers, The National Law Journal (2016)

Rising Star, Estate Planning & Probate, Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2009–2012)

Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (2014–present)

Accredited Estate Planner, National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (2009–present)

Founder and Former President,  Trusts and Estates Consortium

Member and Former Board Member, Boston Estate Planning Council

Member, Boston Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section

Member, Fiduciary Inn: Greater Boston Fiduciary Law, American Inn of Court

Member, Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners

Member, Boston Probate and Estate Planning Forum

Publications

1/12/2016 - Pro Bono: A New Start for Young Brothers

News

7/26/2018 - Chambers High Net Worth 2018 Recognizes Morgan Lewis’s Private Client Practice

7/27/2015 - Morgan Lewis Partner Sara Wells Honored As a Top Woman of Law by Lawyers Weekly

5/11/2015 - Morgan Lewis Expands Personal Law and Estate Planning Capabilities

Events

10/4/2018 - Non-Judicial Settlement Agreements under Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code, Boston Probate and Estate Planning Forum

9/13/2018 - Tales from the Trenches, Foundation General Counsel Group

3/26/2018 - Trust Decanting – Common Law Decanting, Statutory Decanting, Other Methods for Modifying a Trust, and Drafting for Decanting: Opportunities, Pitfalls and Trustee Responsibility, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education

2/8/2017 - Non-Judicial Settlement Agreements: How Are They Being Used?

1/6/2017 - Estate Planning for Married Couples: Taking Into Account Federal Portability, Estate Taxes and Income Taxes, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education

6/21/2016 - M&A Academy: Estate Planning in Connection with M&A Transactions

3/22/2016 - Being the Trusted Advisor: Tools to Deepen Your Client Relationships Through Philanthropy, Associated Grant Makers

11/9/2015 - Conflicts of Interest in Estate Planning and Fiduciary Representation, Boston Bar Association

9/19/2015 - State Taxation and Legislation Update, American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel

3/23/2015 - I Do, Act II: Estate Planning for Second Marriages, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education

6/17/2014 - Advising Clients About Portability & Lifetime Gift Planning in 2014, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education

5/14/2014 - Non-Judicial Settlement Agreements in Practice: Two Years Post-UTC, Boston Estate Planning Council

11/15/2013 - Understanding the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education

2/13/2013 - Understanding the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Boston Bar Association

1/9/2013 - Gift Planning Basics II: Gift Tax Return Preparation, Boston Bar Association

3/7/2012 - Preparation of Forms 706 and 709, and Practical Tips for Estate and Gift Tax Filings, Boston Bar Association

1/6/2012 - Using Portability in Estate Planning, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education

2/18/2011 - 2010 Estate Administration: A Year Like No Other, Boston Bar Association

12/14/2010 - Gift Tax Return Preparation, Boston Bar Association

6/16/2010 - Trusts & Estates Year in Review, Boston Bar Association

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