overview
Elizabeth handles all aspects of divorce and family law, including divorce, paternity, removal, modification and contempt actions, high-conflict child custody disputes, and alimony and child support actions. She has substantial experience representing clients with complex financial holdings and managing related disputes. She also drafts and negotiates prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.
In her fiduciary and trust litigation practice, Elizabeth handles all aspects of probate and trust law, including will contests, trust disputes, accounting actions, guardianships, conservatorships. She has skillfully handled numerous high-conflict family and non-family disputes over family businesses, inheritances, and control over and rights to trust benefits.
She blends her deep knowledge of the law and adept advocacy and negotiation skills to advance and achieve her client's goals. Elizabeth's tailored approach to her clients is marked by an unwavering commitment to understanding her client's goals, formulating and executing a strategy, and actively counseling and guiding her clients throughout the process so that they are part of the solution.
education
J.D., Suffolk University Law School, 2005
B.A., College of the Holy Cross, 2002
admissions
Massachusetts
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
honors & awards
Lawdragon 500: Leading Family Lawyer (2024)
Boston Magazine’s Top Lawyers List, Family Law (2022)
Named to the 2021 “Top Women of Law” list by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
The Best Lawyers in America© Best Lawyer, Family Law (2016-2024)
Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2016-2023)
Massachusetts Rising Stars – Family Law (2010-2016)
National Academy of Family Law Attorneys – Top 10 Under 40 Attorneys Award for Massachusetts (2016)
American Institute of Family Law Attorneys – 10 Best Under 40 Attorneys Award for Massachusetts (2016)
American Institute of Family Law Attorneys – 10 Best Female Attorneys in Massachusetts: Client Satisfaction in Family Law (2016)
National Law Journal and Connecticut Law Tribune – Boston Rising Star (2015)
Massachusetts Bar Association and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly – Up and Coming Lawyers (2013)
community involvement
Horizons for Homeless Children
- Board Member and Volunteer
Horizons P.L.A.Y. Network
- Founding Member
Women’s Breakfast Committee
- Member
Extensive pro bono work including but not limited to Hague Convention child abduction cases, domestic violence cases, and guardianship of minors cases
experience
• Represented the owner of a multiple multimillion-dollar businesses in divorce proceedings and succeeded in securing settlement, resulting in the client retaining all business interests without the need for any liquidation or transfer of control.
• Won a major appellate victory for a client whose ex-spouse filed suit in federal court seeking part of a $20 million bonus that client received nearly two years after the parties’ divorce. The result secured in the appeal overturned a nearly $6 million verdict, allowing the client to retain these funds.
• Represented a client in divorce proceedings and succeeded in securing a favorable settlement wherein the client’s valuable multimillion-dollar family business interests and inheritance were excluded from division and remained their own post-divorce.
• Represented a client in multistate, high-conflict divorce and custody proceedings and succeeded in securing a favorable settlement wherein the client retained sole legal and physical custody of their three children.
• Represented a client in a post-divorce alimony reform action and succeeded in securing a sizable six-figure settlement when the client’s ex-spouse was initially seeking that client receive nothing or be required to reimburse ex-spouse for past alimony payments made.
• Represented a client in divorce proceedings with a multimillion-dollar marital estate and succeeded in securing a favorable settlement that included a buy-out of the ex-spouse’s business and inclusion of their inherited wealth from early on in the marriage, which they sought to exclude.
• Represented the family of an elderly person who had a net worth of over $50 million dollars and whose estate plan was changed at the last minute to benefit largely two new home health aides to the exclusion of the elderly person’s family. Succeeded in negotiating highly complex settlement restoring the vast majority of the estate to the elderly person’s family, including valuable works of art and waterfront real estate.
• Represented an adult child in a hotly contested will contest over parents’ multimillion-dollar estate against client’s two siblings. After a 12-day trial, the last will secured by the client’s siblings was overturned and the prior will in favor of the client was allowed. The siblings appealed and the prior decision was upheld at the appellate level. The siblings applied to the Supreme Judicial Court for further appellate review and their request was denied. Later represented the client in the divorce and succeeded in securing a favorable settlement for the client that allowed them to keep their inheritance and valuable real estate that their business operated out of and where the client resided.
• Represented an elderly client who established a trust over 20 years ago against an estranged adult child who sued for control over and a distribution of the trust assets despite their intention that the child not receive anything, if at all, until the client’s death. After trial, succeeded in defeating the child’s attempt to get more than what the trust provided for, as well as the attempts to secure other financial benefits from the client that were unintended. Also succeeded in securing an award of counsel fees on behalf of the client that must be paid by the child.
• Represented a client, a physician, post-trial in their appeal of a probate court’s decision that removed custody of their young child from the client following their move out of state to start a new job, awarding custody to the other parent. Client previously had sole legal and physical custody by agreement of the parties. Prevailed on the appeal, and the Appeals Court vacated the Probate and Family Court judge’s decision, finding the change in custody erroneous and remanding to a different judge in the Probate and Family Court for further proceedings. After a four-day trial, prevailed in securing a custody and parenting plan that returned the minor child to the client’s home and allowed the child to attend school in client’s town, which opposing parent had vehemently objected to.
memberships
Massachusetts Bar Association
Boston Bar Association
Women’s Bar Association
Boston Estate Planning Council
Massachusetts Family and Probate American Inn of Court
Greater Boston Family Law Inn of Court
articles
articles
“Compromise Agreements,” MCLE Fiduciary Litigation in the Probate Court, November 2016
Various chapters, MCLE Massachusetts Divorce Law Practice Manual, September 2016
“Can You Undo Divorce Decrees Once They’re Final?” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, January 2016
“3 Keys to Child Safety,” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, September 2015
“International Parental Child Abductions: The Hague Convention Can Help,” Massachusetts Divorce Law Monitor, July 2015
features
“People Moves of the Week,” Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine, March 2014
interviews
“Q&A with Leading Divorce Attorneys at Burns & Levinson,” Boston Citybizlist, October 2020
quotes
“Burns & Levinson’s Crowley: Counseling with Compassion,” Boston Business Journal, December 2011
speaking engagements
“International Kidnapping: A Nuts and Bolts Primer for the Family Law Practitioner,” Panelist, Boston Bar Association Webinar, May 2022
“The Hague Convention & International Child Custody Disputes: Understanding Your Rights & Avoiding Pitfalls,” Webinar Host, Burns & Levinson’s Divorce Law Monitor, April 2021
“COVID-19 Part 2: Lessons Learned in Family Law and Our Path Forward,” Panelist, Social Law Library, April 2021
“COVID-19: Divorce Questions and 19 Possible Solutions,” Panelist, Social Law Library, August 2020
“How to Know When You Are Ready to Divorce,” Webinar Host, Burns & Levinson’s Divorce Law Monitor, June 2020