Kristina E. Kelly

Kristina E. Kelly is a Partner in the Trusts and Estates Practice. She has over 20 years of experience and focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, elder law and residential real estate. Her approach to estate planning is comprehensive, including advising clients on estate tax avoidance strategies, legacy planning for younger generations, lifetime gifting, beneficiary designations, health care directives and powers of attorney.

Kristina represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in matters before the Connecticut Probate and New York Surrogates Courts and with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Revenue Services (DRS) and the New York State Department of Taxation & Finance in obtaining estate tax clearance. She regularly counsels the elderly and their families on capacity issues, including conservatorships and guardianships.

• Developed an estate plan for high-net-worth blended marriage where assets included small family business that satisfied clients' goal to treat children from first marriage similarly to children from current marriage, while providing for the surviving spouse.
• Represented the corporate trustee of charitable trust in obtaining a court order to increase trustee fees from provisions provided in trust established in 1920s.

• Represented fiduciaries with a NYS Department of Taxation & Finance audit in an estate with multiple real estate holdings, which resulted in nominal settlement satisfactory to the fiduciaries.
• Served as Conservator of the Estate for an elderly client from 2008-2014, which included return of client to home when inappropriately placed in nursing home, CT DOL dispute with fired aide, and the sale of the residence when nursing home became appropriate.