Vivian Karian and Kristen Chassé Graduate from ACTEC New England Fellows Institute

Pierce Atwood Trusts & Estates attorneys Vivian Karian and Kristen Chassé have graduated from the New England Fellows Institute of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).

Created by ACTEC Fellows, the Institute is an educational program that helps to develop future leaders in the field of trusts and estates through a series of in-depth educational presentations led by outstanding subject matter experts in each field. 

The Institute is open to lawyers who concentrate, or seek to concentrate, in trusts and estates law and are nominated by an ACTEC Fellow. Firm trusts and estates partner Barbara Wheaton nominated Vivian and Kristen for the program, which is designed to foster professional growth, technical excellence, and leadership within the trust and estate profession, and may serve as a pathway to election to ACTEC. 

Vivian Karian advises estate planning clients through wills, revocable living trusts, and incapacity documents, including health care and financial powers of attorney. She also has experience drafting documents requiring more sophisticated planning, such as irrevocable life insurance trusts and personal residence trusts. Vivian also represents clients in guardianship proceedings, conducts estate administration, handles all aspects of the probate process, and prepares estate tax returns for non-taxable and taxable estates.

Kristen Chassé focuses her practice on sophisticated trust and estate planning, trust and estate administration, and charitable planning for individuals, families, fiduciaries, and nonprofit organizations. She advises high-net-worth individuals and families on wealth transfer strategies, including tax-efficient lifetime and testamentary planning, multigenerational planning, and structuring and drafting premarital agreements.