bove@bovelanga.com
10 Tremont Street
Suite 600
Boston, MA 02108
Tel: 617-720-6040
Fax: 617-720-1919

Alexander A. Bove, Jr.

Senior Strategist

“The practice of law is one of the most rewarding professions one could choose. It is consistently challenging in terms of thought, analysis, and problem-solving, while at the same time it is humbling, calling for us to constantly strive to improve ourselves in the profession. But its greatest reward and most enriching feature is the opportunity to meaningfully assist our clients and their families and build long term relationships of trust and confidence. We will never sacrifice that.”

Alexander A. Bove Jr. is an internationally known and respected trust and estate attorney with over thirty-five years of experience. He is Adjunct Professor of Law, Emeritus, of Boston University Law School Graduate Tax Program, where he taught estate planning and advanced estate planning for eighteen years. Prior to that he taught estate planning for four years at Northeastern University Law School. In 1998 he was admitted to practice as a Solicitor in England and Wales. In addition to his J.D. and LL.M. degrees, in 2013, he earned his Doctorate in Law from the University of Zurich Law School.

Mr. Bove is frequently engaged as an expert witness or consultant in trusts and estates matters and has extensive pre-trial, trial, and settlement experience in that regard. Numerous domestic and international law firms have consulted with him on trust & estate matters.  More specifically, he has testified or consulted on cases involving the interpretation of trust administrative provisions, responsibilities of trustees and rights of beneficiaries, the standard of care requires of an estate planning lawyer, beneficiary disputes, and related matters, testifying on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants in those specific areas as well as in the fields of trusts, wills, probate and estate planning in general.

In addition, Mr. Bove’s law practice encompasses domestic and international estate planning, and he is regularly consulted by attorneys and other professionals in issues related to cross border estate planning in such jurisdictions as the UK, Italy, Germany, France among others.  In the course of his practice, Mr. Bove is periodically called upon to serve in the fiduciary capacity of trustee and executor.

He has published seven books, including three law books, and one of his books, “The Complete Book of Wills, Estates and Trusts” Holt & Company NY, has over 100,000 copies in print. He is also the editor and contributing author of the two volume set “Asset Protection Strategies” published by the American Bar Association, with an up-dated second edition publication date expected in late 2017. Mr. Bove has written and published over 1,000 articles and is a regular contributor of articles to a number of legal journals, including Trusts & Estates, Estate Planning, Trusts & Trustees (Oxford University Press), and Trusts e Attività-Fiduciarie (Italy). He is also on the editorial board of Trusts & Estates Journal. From 1973 to 1995 he authored the widely acclaimed legal and financial column, “The Family Money”, for the Boston Globe. He is also co-columnist with his Partner, Melissa Langa, of the Column, The Trustworthy Advisor, appearing bi- monthly in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. His latest book, Trust Protectors – A Practice Manual With Forms is available through Juris Publishing.

Mr. Bove is also an internationally known and acclaimed lecturer in his fields of expertise.  He has lectured on the subjects of his specialty at the annual Heckerling Tax Institute, the annual meeting of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC), the Association of Advanced Life Underwriters (AALU), the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the annual Top of the Table Conference, the annual Notre Dame Estate Planning Institute, the Southern California Estate Planning Institute, The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law (TIAETL), and the University of Liechtenstein Annual Trust Conference, in addition to numerous other international conferences in England, Italy, and Switzerland. He has been named in “The Best Lawyers in America, Trusts and Estates” for 2012 – 2016. He was also named Estate Planner of the Year by the Boston Estate Planning Council and was elected to the National Estate Planning Hall of Fame in 2014. His accomplishments are also noted in Marquis Who’s Who in America 2016 70th Edition.

    • Advanced Estate and Tax Planning

    • Asset Protection Planning: Domestic and International

    • International Estate and Tax Planning

    • Expert Witness: Trusts (including offshore trusts), Wills and Will Contests

    • Planning with Life Insurance

    • Family Business and Succession Planning

    • Special Trusts for the Disabled and for Personal Injury Settlements

    • Adjunct Professor of Law: Boston University School of Law, Graduate Tax Program, 1985-2003

    • Lecturer in Law: Northeastern University Law School, 1983-1984

    • Co-Author:  The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts 4th Edition.  Publication date 2020

    • Editor & Contributing Author:  Domestic Asset Protection Trust, American Bar Association Publication date 2020

    • Editor & Contributing Author:  Planning with Domestic and Offshore Entities, American Bar Association 2017

    • Author: Trust Protectors: A Practice Manual with Forms, Juris Publishing, Inc., Huntington, NY, 2014

    • Author:  The Development, Use and Misuse of the Trust Protector and Its Role in Trust Law and Practice, Schulthen Publishing, 2014

    • Author: The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts, Holt & Co., New York, NY, Third Edition, 2005

    • Editor-in-Chief & Co-Author: Asset Protection Strategies, Volumes I & II, American Bar Association, 2002 & 2005

    • Editor-in-Chief: Asset Protection Journal; published quarterly by Panel Publishers, Law Division, New York, NY, 1999-2002

    • Co-Author:  Estate Taxation in Massachusetts, Callahan Publishing, 1990-1996

    • Author:  The Lawyers Medical Planning Manual, Sacker Press, 1990

    • Author: Nearly Free Tuition, Viking Press, New York, NY 1985, 1988

    • Author: The Lawyers Medicaid Planning Manual, Ormond Sacker Press, Boston, MA, 1996

    • Author: The Medicaid Planning Handbook, National Edition, Little Brown Publishing Co., Boston, MA, 1992, 1995, 1997

    • Author: Joint Property, Simon & Schuster/Fireside, New York, NY 1982

    • Author: A Professional Guide to Living Trusts, Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Co., 1978 Co-Author: Estate Taxation in Massachusetts, Callaghan & Co., Chicago, IL 1980

    • Author: Can Your Trust Become a “Dangerous Device”, Steve Leimberg’s Estate Planning Email Newsletter – March 2022

    • Author:  Trust Protector-The New Bodyguard for the Family Office, The International Family Offices Journal – March 2021

    • Panelist:  2020 IBA Virtual Annual Meeting – Walking the Tightrope:  Just Because It’s Legal, Does That Make It Right?

    • Presenter:  InterActive Legal:  Evolving Roles in Trust Planning:  Advising Fiduciaries, Non-Fiduciaries & those in Between, October 2020

    • Panelist:  Florida Bar Virtual Fall Conference – Advance Wealth Protection:  The Trust Protector – Trust(y) Watchdog or Expensive Exotic Pet, October 2020

    • Panalist:  ATEC Virtual Fall Meeting – The Ethics of Asset Protection Planning, October 2020

    • Author:  Are We Missing the Purpose of the Purpose Trust? Trusts & Estates, October 2020

    • Author:  Private Non-Charitable foundations in the U.S.,  Estate Planning, December 2019

    • Author:  The Purpose Trust Has A New Purpose. Probate & Property July/August 2019

    • Author:  Building A Solid (Private) Foundation, Trusts & Estates, July 2018

    • Author:  Another Look at Trust Decanting.   Trusts & Trustees 2018

    • Author:  Can an Incompetant Make a Fraudulent Transfer? Estate Planning Magazine, February 2017.

    • Author:  Asset Protection – The Missing Chapter from the Family Office Manual, The International Family Office Journal, December 2016.

    • Co-Author:  The Purpose Trust Becomes a Work of Art, Estate Planning, October 2016.

    • Speaker:  “The Trust Protector: A mini-revolution in Trust Law” at the 42nd Annual Notre Dame Tax & Estate Planning Institute on October 27, 2016.

    • Webinar:  Trust Protectors & Asset Protection: What Techniques Can You Trust? American Law Institute September 21, 2016,   2- 3:30 p.m.

    • Author:  A Protector by Any Other Name, Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal of Texas University School of Law, Spring 2016.

    • Co-Author: Trusts and Estates Forum, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly 2002-present.

    • Author:  Death of a Trust, Trusts & Estates, February 2014.

    • Co-Author:  Selecting a Trust Protector, Trusts & Estates, February 2013.

    • Author:  Exploring the Trust Protector, Trusts & Estates, May 2012.

    • Author:  Is the Private Annuity Really Dead, Estate Planning, January 2012.

    • Co-Author: Self-Settled Trust and Similar Devices Under the Bankruptcy Code, October 12, 2011.

    • Author:  The Case Against the Trust Protector, Journal of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel, Summer 2011.

    • Author: Using the Powers of Appointment to Protect Assets, Journal of the American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel, Fall 2010.

    • Author: Offshore Asset Protection Trusts, Trusts & Estates Magazine, November 2010.

    • Author: What’s It Like to Be Dead and What if You Came Back – The Legal Issues, Estate Planning Magazine, November 2010.

    • Author: Trusts vs. Private Foundations, Trusts & Estates Magazine, November 2009.

    • Author:  Trusts v. Non-Charitable Foundations, Trust & Estates, November 2009.

    • Author: Directing Discretion in Discretionary Trusts – Letters of Wishes, Journal of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Summer 2009.

    • Co-Author: Handling the Risks of Foreign Bank Accounts, Estate Planning Magazine, July 2008.

    • Author: Trust Protector – Notre Dame Estate Planning Institute, September 2008.

    • Co-Author: The Foreign Bank Account Bomb – How to Defuse It, Estate Planning, 2008.

    • Author: The United States As An Offshore Asset Protection Trust Jurisdiction – The World’s Best Kept Secret?, Trusts & Trustees, Oxford Journals, 2008.

    • Author: The Swiss Annuity, Trusts & Estates Magazine, March 2007.

    • Author: Improving Your Form: Serious Oversights in Asset Protection Trusts And How to Avoid Them, Offshore Investment, May 2007.

    • Author: Asset Protection Trusts – The Creditor’s Nightmare, Journal of Taxation of Investments, Civic Research Institute, Winter 2007.

    • Author: Offshore Trusts and Estate Planning – Overlooked Essentials, IFC Review, 2007.

    • Author: Stripped Private Installment Notes, Estate Planning Magazine, April 2006.

    • Author: The No-Tax Dynasty Trust, Trusts & Estates, March 2006.

    • Author: Letters of Wishes Can Be Invaluable, Trusts & Estates, January 2006.

    • Author: Trust Protector – Friend or Fiduciary? Trusts & Estates, November 2005.

    • Author: The Growing Use of Trust Protectors: Are We Overprotected? Trusts & Trustees, September 2005.

    • Author: The Rise of the Purpose Trust, or Trusts Without Beneficiaries: Purpose Trusts for the Family Pet or the Family Business, Trust & Estates, August 2005.

    • Author: The United States Judge Tackles the “Now You See It – Now You Don’t” Strategy of Offshore Trusts, Trusts & Trustees, July/August 2005.

    • Author: Put Your Trust in Money or Put Your Money in Trust?, Published in Horizon Air Magazine, Paradigm Communications Group, April 2005.

    • Author: The Use of Purpose Trusts in the United States, selected by the American Bar Association for inclusion in “Best of ABA Sections,” GPSolo Magazine, March 2005.

    • Author: The Intra-Family Tax-Deferred Transactions Combined with a Variable Universal Life Policy, Estate Planning Magazine, February 2005.

    • Author: The Use of Purpose Trusts in the United States, Trusts & Trustees, July/August 2004.

    • Author: Drafting Offshore Trusts – Are We Productively Evolving or Just Perpetuating our Predecessors, Misconceptions, Trusts & Estates, July 2004.

    • Author: Protecting Assets Through Insurance and Annuities, Estate Planning Magazine, June 2004.

    • Author: Asset Protection, Swiss Annuities and Trusts, Offshore Investment, May 2004.

    • Author: The Purpose of Purpose Trusts, Probate & Property Magazine, May/June 2004.

    • Author: The Trust Protector: Trust(y) Watchdog or Expensive Exotic Pet? Estate Planning, August 2003.

    • Author: Combining a Private Annuity with a Variable Universal Life Policy, Estate Planning, December 2002.

    • Author: Asset Protection Planning With Trusts, Published in Journal of Practical Estate Planning, April-May 2002.

    • Author: The Mechanics of Establishing an Offshore Trust; Chapter 5 of Asset Protection Strategies, American Bar Association, 2002.

    • Author: Exercising Powers of Appointment – A Simple Task or Tricky Business?, Estate Planning Magazine, June 2001.

    • Author: Powers of Appointment; More (Taxwise) Than Meets the Eye, Estate Planning Magazine, October, 2001.

    • Author: Moving the Immovable: Protecting the Real Estate from Creditors’ Claims, Estate Planning Magazine, August/September 2000.

    • Author: Thought-Provoking Ways of Circumventing Section 684, (Or) Taming the Paper Tiger, Asset Protection Journal, Winter 1999.

    • Author: The Foreign LLC: Will It Replace Family Limited Partnership?, Asset Protection Journal, Winter 1999.

    • Author: A Dangerous Tax Trap In Structured Settlements, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, August 18, 1997.

    • Author: Use of Powers of Appointment to Protect the Home, Estate Planning, January, 1997.

    • Financial/Legal Columnist: The Boston Globe, “Family Money” column, 1973-1995.

    • Author: You Can Create Your Own Dynasty with a Multigenerational Trust, Boston Globe, May 18th, 1995.

    • Author: Tax Planners Know They Must Use the Right Tool for the Right Job, Boston Globe, February 9th, 1995.

    • Author: Firms with Big Insurance Bills are Finding a Place in the Sun, Boston Globe, December 15th, 1994.

    • Author: The Value of an Experts Appraisal is Usually Worth the Price, Boston Globe’s Family Money 1994.

    • Academician: The International Academy of Estate & Trust Law

    • Fellow: American College of Trust & Estate Counsel; Member, International Estate Planning Committee

    • Former Chair: Asset Protection Committee of the Real Property Probate & Trust Division of the American Bar Association

    • Law Society of England and Wales, London, England

    • Society of Trusts & Estate Practitioners, London, England

    • Inducted to the Estate Planning Hall of Fame by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC) 2015

    • Designated Advanced Estate Planner, Distinguished, by NAEPC, 2014

    • Served on Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code Committee, 2014

    • Best Article of 2004 by Probate & Property Magazine – “The Purpose of Purpose Trusts”

    • Accredited Estate Planner, National Association of Estate Planning Councils

    • Estate Planner of the Year, Boston Estate Planning Council, 1996

    • Outstanding Graduate, Suffolk University Law School, 75th Anniversary, 1986

    • Massachusetts, 1970

    • United States Tax Court, 1971

    • England and Wales, Solicitor, 1998

    • Ph.D. Law, University of Zurich, 2014

    • Boston University School of Law, Graduate Tax Program, LL.M. in Taxation, 1972

    • Suffolk University, J.D., 1967

    • Northeastern University, B.B.A., 1963

    • Northeastern University, A.E., 1961