Practice Focus and Experience
Marjorie Suisman practices in the Trust and Individual Client Group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, estate and gift taxation, and trust and estate administration. Marjorie advises high net worth individuals in all aspects of personal planning matters, including wills and trusts, gifting strategies, wealth transfer strategies, individual trust administration, taxes, fiduciary investments, charitable giving and the administration of estates. Her practice also includes succession planning for privately held businesses, estate planning for nontraditional families and the disabled, as well as serving as a professional trustee and as a consultant in the structuring of personal injury awards.

Marjorie is a frequent lecturer and writer on all aspects of estate planning and taxation. She has recently lectured and published articles for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Boston Bar Association, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Suffolk Advanced Legal Studies, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, and Professional Educational Systems, Inc. Topics include taxation of damage awards, using trusts with personal injury awards, and the establishment, administration and tax consequences of special needs trusts. One of her recent articles, "Coordinating an Asset Protection Plan with an Estate Plan: The Often Overlooked Essentials," is published in the ABA's Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section's reference manual, Asset Protection Strategies. Marjorie also has lectured and written on estate planning for non-traditional families and is serving on a bar association task force studying the implications of the Goodridge vs. Dept. of Public Health decision on estate and tax planning.

Before joining Davis Malm, Marjorie was at Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye LLP and was formerly a member of the Private Clients Group of Hill & Barlow. Prior to that Marjorie practiced with Alexander A. Bove, Jr. P.C.

Representative Matters

• Advised Haverhill Golf and Country Club women plaintiffs on tax consequences of sex discrimination judgment; created a Qualified Settlement Trust under section 468(B) of IRC to hold award prior to distribution
  
• Consulted with nationally known toxic tort attorney on establishment and administration of Qualified Settlement Trust
  
• Created and serves as trustee of trust holding large products liability jury award for disabled plaintiff
  
• Consulted with employment lawyer on tax consequences of employment discrimination settlement
  
• Created private foundation and counseled client on best approach to carry out philanthropic goals
  
• Advised unmarried couple on creative and tax efficient ways to dispose of property on death
  
• Represented bank as executor of the estate of a US citizen domiciled in France with multinational estate plan
• Created estate plan for parents of disabled child which is sensitive the child's possible ongoing need to qualify for public benefits
  

Community Involvement
Marjorie is a member of the Professional Advisors Committee of the Boston Foundation, one of the nation's oldest and largest community foundations. The committee is a group of area professionals who serve as a resource to the foundation on matters ranging from outreach and technical support for the advisory community to participation in development initiatives.

Marjorie is also on the Board of Directors of Massachusetts Advocates for Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving life opportunities for Massachusetts children. As a board member, she assists the organization in all areas of fundraising and policy making.

Marjorie was recently selected to serve on Sarah Lawrence's Planned Giving Advisory Council.

Marjorie also recently completed ten years of service as a representative town meeting member in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Articles

• Coordinating Asset Protection Plan With Estate Plan - The Often Overlooked Essentials, American Bar Association Asset Protection Strategies Journal
  
• An Introduction to Basic Estate Planning
  
• Estate Planning for Nontraditional Families and Individuals
  
• The Division of Inherited Property Upon Divorce