About Us
We are here to help you and your family. Wouldn’t it be great to have peace of mind knowing that your loved ones will inherit your assets and will do so privately and efficiently, without the burden, delay and expense of the probate court and that your assets and medical care can be properly managed if you become incapacitated? We are dedicated to developing a plan which is personalized for you. At Simmons & Schiavo, we know that each one of us has different concerns and different objectives when it comes to our families. Whether your goal is to minimize estate taxes, protect your assets from long term care/nursing home costs, avoid probate, shield your assets for your children’s creditors or plan for the financial needs of a loved one with special needs, we will design and implement a plan that is custom-tailored to meet your specific goals.
Trusted Probate And Estate Planning Lawyers In Woburn MA
In life, you have to be prepared for any unexpected occurrence. Planning is key. A good estate plan is more than just “a simple will”; it is a comprehensive portfolio of legal documents working together to give you the most protection for any situation whether it be an unexpected disability, mental incapacity or death. However, estate planning does not stop there. Even well-drafted estate plans fail if the next step is not taken. It is critical to align your assets with your plan so that your estate plan works when you need it most. As experienced probate administration and planning lawyers in Massachusetts, we can assist you in accomplishing that important goal.
We thank you for your time in visiting our website. Maybe we’re old fashioned, but we believe in meeting “face to face”. We want to meet you and we want you to meet us. Call or contact us online for a consultation.
Kenneth J. Simmons, Jr.
Attorney – Partner
Attorney Kenneth J. Simmons, Jr. is one of the founding partners of Simmons & Schiavo, LLP. He has been helping families with their estate planning needs since 2002. Ken handles all levels of estate planning ranging from basic plans requiring wills, health care proxies and durable powers of attorney to more complex multi-million dollar estates involving marital deduction trust planning, irrevocable life insurance trusts, stretch IRA inheritance trusts, multi-generational dynasty trusts and intentionally defective grantor trusts. Ken’s estate planning work also involves the use of limited liability companies to implement gifting programs, charitable remainder trusts, supplemental needs trusts and a number of other complex trust planning vehicles. Over the past decade, Ken has expanded his practice to include elder law and probate administration. Ken counsels his clients in all aspects of long term care planning, including advising on how to properly protect assets from the costs of long term care, explaining the benefits of Irrevocable Income Only Trusts, and helping clients to understand the implications of gifting assets. Ken’s elder law work also includes completing and filing MassHealth Long Term Care Applications for clients entering or already in a nursing facility or who have a spouse entering a long term care facility.
Ken obtained his Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in 2001 where he graduated cum laude in the top 6% of his class. Ken is a member of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a member of the Boston Estate Planning Council.
Ken lives in Arlington with his wife and three children. Ken and his family enjoy snowmobiling, hiking, fishing and Friday night game nights. They love to travel together and have a goal of traveling to all fifty states by the year 2030.
Attorney Marco A. Schiavo is one of the founding partners of Simmons & Schiavo, LLP and has focused his practice on estate planning and estate administration. In guiding his clients after the loss of a loved one, Marco has personally witnessed the unfortunate impact that the lack of an estate plan can have on families. These experiences continually reaffirm his strong belief in the countless benefits of a well-drafted and well-implemented trust-based estate plan. A proper estate plan provides for a smooth transition of control in the event of a person’s disability and provides privacy and ease of property distribution at death by avoiding the costs and delay of the probate court. Marco’s primary focus is assisting his clients in preserving the wealth that they have accumulated so that they may pass it on to their loved ones through the use of creditor protection trusts, estate tax minimization techniques, business succession planning and Medicaid/long term care planning. Marco handles all levels of estate planning ranging from basic plans to complex multi-million dollar estates involving marital deduction trust planning, irrevocable life insurance trusts, stretch IRA inheritance trusts, multi-generational dynasty trusts, gifting strategies, charitable remainder trusts, special needs trusts and a number of other advanced trust planning vehicles.
Marco has a passion for business; he received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Babson College with a double major in Finance and International Business Studies. At Suffolk University Law School, Marco focused his law school studies on Estate Planning and Real Estate Law.
Marco lives south of Boston with his wife and three daughters. Marco is fluent in Italian and Spanish. His interests include traveling, home improvement projects, hiking, and most of all, spending time with his family.
Joseph Sciabica
Associate Attorney
Attorney Joseph A. Sciabica is an associate with Simmons & Schiavo, LLP and joined the firm in April of 2021. He handles both estate planning and estate settlement matters. The estate planning work involves drafting various estate documents including revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney and health care proxies to help clients manage care and finances during times of disability or incapacity and with wealth preservation and asset protection for their loved ones. Joe also focuses on estate settlement which includes complex trust administrations, representing those who serve as trustee or personal representative, handling the probate of estates and guiding clients through that court process. Before joining Simmons & Schiavo, Joe focused on divorce and probate litigation and saw first-hand the strain and cost litigation can put on a family, often resulting from inattentive and short-sighted estate planning.Joe obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from New England Law Boston where he was Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, Due Process, and a member of both the Budget and Constitution-and-bylaws Committees. Prior to law school, Joe focused on International Relations at Boston University and worked in Kyoto, Japan for a short time.Joe’s interests include working out, hiking, amateur coding, recreational shooting and reading history.
John E. Zuccaro III
Associate Attorney
John is an Associate Attorney at Simmons & Schiavo, LLP, having joined the firm in June, 2024. John focuses his practice on estate planning, estate settlement, and Medicaid applications. Throughout his career, John has learned that the most important parts of practicing law are effective communication, being a sounding board for clients as much as an advocate, and making a difference in clients’ lives. John strives build long lasting client relationships by providing clients with high quality representation in a clear, unintimidating, and stress-free environment.
Prior to joining Simmons & Schiavo, LLP, John was the owner and manager of Zuccaro Law, LLC, handling estate planning, probate, and real estate matters. Additionally, throughout his career, John gained invaluable experience handling a wide variety of civil matters, including, among other things, estate planning, small business formation, real estate and property matters, contract drafting and disputes, and civil litigation. This invaluable litigation experience helps John provide clients with a different perspective on how to proactively address issues in order to avoid a costly and time-consuming dispute.
John received his Juris Doctor in 2013 from New England School of Law. At New England Law, John was an Associate Editor and Senior Technical Editor for the New England Journal of International and Comparative Law. John graduated Summa Cum Laude from Suffolk University in 2010, obtaining a double Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology (Criminology) and Government (Political Science).
John is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State of New Hampshire, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the United States First Circuit Court of Appeals. John is also a Notary Public in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. John is an avid Boston sports fan, and in his free time he enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, gardening, golfing, and astronomy.
Melissa Matranga
Asset Alignment Coordinator
Melissa has been with Simmons & Schiavo since 2018 and is the firm’s Asset Alignment Coordinator. She handles all the aspects of properly connecting clients’ assets to their trust plans. This includes properly retitling real estate, bank accounts, investment accounts and other assets to the trust. This step, often overlooked by many firms, is essential to having the estate plan carry out the clients’ goals to avoid probate, maximize protection from creditors and minimize estate taxes.Outside of the office Melissa enjoys traveling, days at the beach and most of all spending time with her two boys.
Christine Murphy
Paralegal
Christine has been working at Simmons & Schiavo since 2006 and is the lead paralegal in the firm’s Estate Settlement department. Christine’s years of experience and her “let’s get this done” approach help make a difficult process move smoothly and efficiently. Her kind demeanor and natural ability to listen make her a perfect key point of contact for our clients during a difficult and emotional time. Outside of work Christine enjoys cooking, gardening (tomatoes are a specialty!), reading, and spending time with her husband, three children and her two dogs.
Eleni Norskey
Client Care Manager
Eleni is the Client Care Manager at Simmons & Schiavo, LLP and joined our firm in January 2023. As the Client Care Manager, Eleni runs the Simmons & Schiavo Client Care Program and works with clients throughout the drafting process and following the signing of their Estate Plan. Eleni earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 2010 where she graduated Cum Laude, and went on to earn her Master’s degree in teaching from Smith College in 2011. Throughout her career, Eleni has shared her passion for working with others and helping people obtain their goals. At Simmons and Schiavo, Eleni works with clients to achieve the highest success with their estate plan, and ensure that their loved ones are taken care of. Through the Simmons & Schiavo Client Care Program Eleni works with clients to facilitate changes and updates to their plan as they arise. For our clients enrolled in our Client Care Program, she is the point person for ongoing communication and updates from our office. Outside of work, Eleni enjoys soaking up the sun at the beach, reading, indoor cycling, and spending time with her family.
Amanda Melin
Client Services Coordinator
Amanda is the Client Services Coordinator at Simmons & Schiavo, LLP and joined the firm in April 2024. As Client Services Coordinator, Amanda works with new clients to familiarize them with our estate planning process and acts as a front line for communication to and from our firm’s clients. She studied Political Science and Italian at University of Rhode Island before she worked as a Memory Care Program Specialist, where her passion for helping seniors and her knowledge of assisted living and nursing homes developed. To better apply her experience in elder care to law, she received her paralegal certificate from Boston University in December. Her compassion for people paired with her drive to mobilize thoughts to actions makes a somewhat daunting task feel less heavy. Outside of work, Amanda loves to spend time with her two rescue dogs and foster dogs in need for local shelters.
Fiorella Ferla
Administrative Assistant
Fiorella is an administrative assistant at Simmons & Schiavo. She handles the firm’s calendar coordination, document organization, deed preparation, special projects, management and customer service. She is Fluent in Spanish and Italian.
Outside of work Fiorella is a lover of meditation and a healthy lifestyle, always in the company of her family.