ECKEL - Key Persons
Cassandra (Cassie) Merrill joined Eckel, Hoag & O'Conner in May of 2022 as an Administrative Assistant/ Receptionist. She is responsible for being the welcoming face and voice of the firm, as well as providing a variety of administrative support for the attorneys and staff.
Cassandra received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the spring of 2022. She concentrated in Management and Marketing, completing her education Magna cum laude.
With her background in social media marketing, she has taken over the firm's constant contact connections. She keeps up with the firm's monthly E-newsletter and other pages.
Cassandra lives in Chelmsford with her family and her beloved St. Bernard Harley Quinn. Cassandra enjoys reading and baking along with going on adventures with her pup Harley. She is active in the local gardening groups and maintains a growing plant collection as well.
Elaine joined Eckel, Morgan & O'Connor, LLC in 2015. She left in 2017 to care for her elderly parents in Maine. Elaine rejoined the firm, under the new ownership of Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor, in January 2019 as an estate planning paralegal and assists the firm attorneys with drafting estate plans and real estate documents.
She has 25 years of prior experience as an office manager and bankruptcy specialist/preparer for a sole practitioner located in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Elaine has three children and has been blessed with three grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends at home and at the beaches of Maine. She is a football afficionado and a diehard fan of the New England Patriots.
Elizabeth (Lizzy) Gagliardi joined Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor in 2022 as an Administrative Assistant. Lizzy works to help keep client files organized and spends much of her time with digital archives. She is also on staff at a local public Library where she is usually on-desk for Circulation and Children's
Gia joined Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor in May of 2023 as a legal intern. She is now a legal resident and is working at Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor part-time while she finishes up her last and final year of law school at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. Gia is responsible for assisting attorneys and staff with various tasks.
Gia received her Bachelor's Degree in International Relations at Boston University in the spring of 2020. She concentrated in studying the Middle East and North Africa region, and received two minors in psychology and French, completing her education with a cum laude designation. Gia studied abroad in Paris, France to attend the French University, L'Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) in the spring of 2019 to further complement her studies in French and International Relations.
Gia lives in Sudbury with her family and wiener dog, Mocha, and plans on living in Boston following completion of law school. She enjoys running, yoga, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and spending summer days at the beach.
Kathleen (Kitty) M. O'Connor is a founding partner of Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor. Kitty received her Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Southern Connecticut State University, her J.D. degree from New England School of Law, and her Masters of Law in Taxation (LLM) from Boston University School of Law. She was a member of the New England Law Review and named a New England Scholar. She wrote Marital Property Reform in Massachusetts: A Choice for the New Millennium, an article analyzing the spousal elective share in Massachusetts, which appeared in the Fall 1999 New England Law Review. Before receiving her J.D. degree, Kitty was a Contract Manager at Yale University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Eckel, Morgan, and O'Connor LLC (now Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor), she was associated with the Law Office of William J. Brisk in Newton.
Linda joined Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor in 2020 as the receptionist. She has now moved into the position of paralegal who currently assists the firm attorneys with drafting estate plans and real estate documents.
Linda received her Bachelor's Degree in English, concentrating in Journalism and Professional Writing, from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She earned minors in Digital Media Studies and Italian Language Studies as well as filling her spare time with a multitude of marketing classes.
With her experience of writing in a digital setting through lifestyle blogs and social media, Linda has become the voice of the firm's E-newsletter and other social media accounts.
She is married and lives in Ayer with her husband who shares in her interest for law, Broadway music, and Marvel films.
Margaret A. Hoag received her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College and her J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School. At Suffolk University Law School, she was a member of the Transnational Law Review and the winner of several writing awards including the White, Inker, Aronson Award, and the Moot Court "Best Brief" Award. Prior to joining Eckel, Morgan & O'Connor LLC (now Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor), she was associated with Mendel & Associates and The Law Office of William J. Brisk.
Ms. Hoag is the co-author of Massachusetts Elder Law, published by Lexis Law Publishing in 1998, updated in 1999 and 2001. She has authored and co-authored several articles for American Jurisprudence, a legal encyclopedia published by West Publishing. She lectures frequently for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Alzheimer's Association, Suffolk University Law School, and various local community education programs.
Ms. Hoag concentrates her practice in the area of elder law, including long-term care planning, guardianship and conservatorship, MassHealth (Medicaid) application, estate planning, and probate administration.
She served on the board of the Concord Council on Aging for seven years and she is a current member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
Maureen Matthews Beal, Office Manager, joined Eckel, Hoag & O'Connor in March 2017 as an administrative assistant after 25 years as a full-time mom/community volunteer in Groton. She grew up in Acton and Boxboro and now calls Littleton her home.
Tracy Ringdahl Casaletto graduated cum laude from Suffolk University in Boston with degrees in Criminology & Law and Psychology before completing graduate courses at Lesley University in Cambridge. She is a Notary Public, attends hearings before the Office of Medicaid's Board of Hearings, contributes to our blog, and attends continuing education courses in Elder Law and Medicaid Planning.
After 10 years of experience as a Boston paralegal in both the private and public sectors, followed by 10 years of experience in Operations Management, she returned to the field of law and joined the firm in 2009 to gain an understanding of estate planning, long term care planning, and probate administration. She now specializes in elder law & long term care planning including asset protection and Medicaid applications. Her focus on thorough elder planning, as well as the positive working relationships she has established with the local elder care community, have proven to be highly successful in preparing our clients, their spouses, and their families for the inevitable challenges of aging and the costs associated with that care. Tracy feels a great responsibility to treat the elders of our community with the dignity and respect they have earned and to patiently guide their advocates through the complicated field of elder care.
Tracy lives in Chelmsford with her sons, Clayton & William, and their beloved rescue dog, Ramsey.