North Easton Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney Brigitte von Weiss Brings a Master's in Taxation to Massachusetts Families

VON WEISS LAW OFFICE nears 30 years of guiding Massachusetts families through estate planning, estate and trust administration and MassHealth planning

NORTH EASTON, Mass., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Brigitte von Weiss, founder of Von Weiss Law Office, is an estate planning and elder law attorney who holds both a law degree and a Master of Science in Taxation. She opened her practice in North Easton in 1997 and will mark 30 years in practice next year.

Why a Master's in Taxation Matters in Estate Planning

An honors graduate of Loyola University of Chicago Law School, von Weiss studied part time for about three years after opening her practice to earn a Master of Science in Taxation with high distinction from Bentley College. She pursued the degree because so much of her practice is tax oriented.

Her work falls into three roughly equal areas: estate planning, estate and trust administration, and MassHealth planning for nursing home or community care. Each raises tax questions, such as whether a client faces Massachusetts estate tax and how to reduce it.

In Massachusetts, giving assets away late in life can reduce estate tax liability, but a gift can also leave the recipient with a larger capital gains tax bill. Von Weiss recalls a client, roughly 10 years ago, who owned a rental property in Canton worth more than $1 million at a time when the Massachusetts estate tax threshold was $1 million. He asked whether to deed the building to his daughter before his death. Von Weiss and his accountant advised against it, because his daughter would take on his tax basis and pay far more capital gains tax on a sale. By inheriting the property, she would receive a step up in basis. She says the interplay between estate and capital gains taxes is one of her favorite parts of the work.

A Nursing Background That Shapes Client Care

Von Weiss graduated from Boston College School of Nursing and worked as a nurse for four years, including in the intensive care unit at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Reading Supreme Court opinions for a family law elective in nursing school first drew her toward law.

In the ICU, she learned to explain instructions clearly and watch whether patients truly understood them, a skill clients often mention in her reviews. About 10 percent of her clients arrive in crisis, such as after an Alzheimer's diagnosis, and her ICU experience helps her guide them through it. Read more about how her nursing background supports her elder law and estate planning practice.

Common Estate Planning Mistakes

Among the common estate planning errors von Weiss sees, the most frequent is underestimating the basic documents: a will, a power of attorney and a health care proxy. These documents are not expensive, but going without them can be costly. Without a will, no one is named to take charge, which can lead to disputes and added probate court steps. Without a power of attorney, a family may need an expensive conservatorship if a loved one loses cognitive capacity.

In her experience, the state for the most part has stopped challenging irrevocable trusts used to protect a family home from nursing home costs, making them a good option today.

What to Expect at a First Meeting

Von Weiss asks new clients to bring a thorough list of their assets. The list shows which strategies make sense, such as protecting assets, avoiding probate or a gifting program to reduce Massachusetts estate tax. She also reviews the beneficiary on every asset other than real estate, since many clients name a spouse but not their children as contingent beneficiaries.

About VON WEISS LAW OFFICE

VON WEISS LAW OFFICE is an estate planning and elder law firm in North Easton, Massachusetts, founded in 1997 by attorney Brigitte von Weiss, who holds a Master of Science in Taxation. The firm handles estate planning, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies, probate and MassHealth planning for clients in Easton, Brockton, Canton, Mansfield, Sharon, Stoughton and nearby communities. Learn more at vonweisslaw.com.

Media Contact

VON WEISS LAW OFFICE Brigitte von Weiss, Attorney 50 Oliver Street, North Easton, MA 02356 Phone: (508) 238-3005 Email: [email protected] Website: https://vonweisslaw.com

SOURCE Von Weiss Law Office