Worcester Business Journal

Wealth Preservation and Community Impact Fletcher Tilton is widely known for our Wealth Preservation and Philanthropy practices. Our firm operates the region's largest estate and trust practice, administering a large number of taxable estates for high-net-worth individuals. Several generations of community and business leaders have relied upon our attorneys to assist them in establishing charitable foundations and trusts that serve our community in a variety of ways. According to Warner Fletcher, the firm administers 15 charitable trusts and foundations with more than half a billion dollars in assets under management. is keeps us deeply grounded in our community. We also have an additional $600 million in funds under management in trusts for the benefit of individual clients and their loved ones. In addition to traditional wealth preservation, our firm has been at the forefront of adapting our services to meet the changing needs of our community. Fred Misilo, Jr., a Director with the firm, was among the first in the area to offer Special Needs Planning to families and today serves as Chair of the Trust and Estate Department. "ose with special needs require assistance over the course of their lives in order to maintain certain benefits while preserving their quality of life," Misilo said. We pride ourselves on the individualized service and informed strategies that we use to protect family wealth and minimize probate. e firm's expanded range of services include Elder Law, Medicaid Planning and individual and fiduciary tax services. According to Misilo, "We are not only up to date with the law but also serve as thought leaders in many areas and have developed a regional platform to deliver our services." at platform includes a number of publications, including our "Legacy" newsletter, which focuses on wealth preservation planning and sometimes features the art of individuals with special needs. Estate planning can be complicated and confusing for the uninitiated, according to Dani N. Ruran, a new Director of the firm. Effective estate planning today requires the use of a myriad of sophisticated estate planning tools, including Grantor- Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs), Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs) and Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs), to name a few. "My job," says Ruran, "is to assess each individual's unique circumstances and advise them on the full range of options to preserve and protect their assets for themselves and their loved ones." Development, Finance and Community Revitalization Fletcher Tilton's Transactional Group offers a comprehensive range of services, including licensing, permitting, development and commercial finance. According to Director Todd Brodeur, "is cross-disciplined team is comprised of attorneys with expertise in each phase of the development life cycle, who know how to successfully get a project from start to finish." "For years our Transactional Group has been involved in virtually every major project undertaken in the Worcester area," said Mark Donahue, Director and Co-Chair of the Transactional Group, who specializes in commercial real estate. Such projects include Polar Park, Mercantile Center, Trolley Crossing and the repurposing of the former State Hospital into a new biomanufacturing park. As for commercial finance, TJ Salvidio, also a Director and Co-Chair of the Transactional Group, proudly notes that "public and private capital has long been empowering Central Massachusetts businesses and citizens, and Fletcher Tilton has been at the forefront of its deployment." According to Karen LaFond, a new Director, "We provide comprehensive representation and excel in every step of the commercial finance process." LaFond and Salvidio concentrate their practices on commercial finance and banking and represent numerous lenders in Central Massachusetts and beyond in all facets of finance. Amanda Risch, an Officer of the firm, sums up the Transactional Group well: "Fletcher Tilton understands how the business community operates. We know all the players, and whether it's new construction, revitalizing an abandoned warehouse or financing, we can and do get the job done." Artwork by Dominic Killiany, an artist living with autism. His work, among that of others, is featured in some of Fletcher Tilton's promotional materials. S P O N S O R E D P R O F I L E S

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