Mary Joan S. Kennedy

Mary Joan S. Kennedy focuses her practice in the area of estate planning, estate administration and elder law. Mary Joan has over ten years' experience advising individuals, families, fiduciaries, and closely-held businesses in matters that are often highly-sensitive, handling each matter with care and compassion.

Mary Joan's estate planning practice ranges from drafting comprehensive estate planning documents including Last Wills, Powers of Attorneys, Advance Directives for Health Care to structuring complex estate plans, including revocable and irrevocable trusts. Her experience includes wealth transfer strategies, asset-preservation planning, fiduciary counseling and tax planning, and charitable giving. Mary Joan also handles all aspects of estate administration, including advising executors, trustees and beneficiaries in estate management; attending to probate matters; preparation of estate and inheritance tax filings and estate and trust accountings; assisting with trust administration; and facilitating the distribution of trust and estate assets.

In addition to estate planning and administration, Mary Joan is highly committed to assisting seniors in connection with a myriad of legal issues of particular relevance to them, including asset preservation and legal documents to facilitate independence through the retirement years and planning for the potential of long-term illness or incapacity. She has assisted individuals and families in Medicaid asset protection planning and eligibility for means-tested government benefits; she also consults with families regarding agreements with senior living communities and long term care facilities.

Prior to entering private practice, Mary Joan served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Lorraine C. Parker, J.A.D. in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division. Before attending law school, Mary Joan worked in management for a large New Jersey headquartered Bank.