Shari A. Levitan

Shari A. Levitan is a partner in Holland & Knight's Boston office and chairs the Firm's New England Private Wealth Services Group. She advises high-net-worth individuals, business owners, public company executives, family offices and fiduciaries on sophisticated wealth and tax planning, business succession, trust administration and fiduciary disputes. Clients turn to Shari for guidance on matters that require both technical tax planning and careful navigation of family dynamics, governance considerations and long-term legacy objectives. Her work has been featured by NPR, Reuters, the Financial Times and the Associated Press.

Shari helps clients design and implement tax-efficient wealth transfer strategies that align with personal values and multigenerational planning goals. She regularly counsels individuals and families with assets spanning multiple domestic and international jurisdictions, bringing together Holland & Knight's multidisciplinary capabilities to address complex tax, legal and succession issues.

Complex Planning for High-Net-Worth Families and Family Offices. With a deep understanding of the structures often required to preserve and transfer wealth across generations, she develops comprehensive planning strategies that can evolve alongside a family's changing needs. Shari also works closely with single-family offices and multifamily offices to coordinate the implementation and administration of complex planning structures, lead family meetings and help beneficiaries, trustees and advisers understand their respective roles and responsibilities. Her counsel includes family office governance, compensation structures and the formation of private trust companies.

Fiduciary Counseling and Trust Disputes. Shari represents corporate and individual fiduciaries in disputes involving trustees, co-trustees and beneficiaries. She helps clients assess both the legal and practical implications of trust controversies, with particular attention to family relationships, tax consequences and long-term outcomes. In addition, she advises fiduciaries on trust administration policies and procedures designed to reduce risk and avoid litigation where possible.

Business Succession, Family Transitions and Planning for Incapacity. Her practice also includes advising on succession mechanisms for long-duration trusts and closely held businesses, addressing governance challenges that arise when decision-makers can no longer exercise necessary authority because of incapacity. Shari frequently speaks on these issues, too.

She also advises clients on business ownership transitions, including disputes among family and nonfamily owners, as well as prenuptial, postnuptial and divorce-related tax and trust unwinding matters. Her experience additionally includes estate planning considerations involving assisted reproductive technologies and planning for same-sex couples. A hallmark of her planning style is to engage in proactive, candid conversation with her clients about difficult and sensitive topics.

Recognized in the Chambers High Net Worth guide, one industry source praised Shari as "the best trust and estates attorney I have come across," citing her intelligence, responsiveness and collaborative approach.

I think Shari is the best trust and estates attorney I have come across. She is incredibly intelligent – intellectually and emotionally. She is very responsive and a nice partner to work alongside.

– Chambers High Net Worth 2024 guide