BURNS THOMAS - Key Persons
Attorney Christine Thomas decided that the estate planning model needed a complete overhaul when she saw how the average plan omissions impacted families. Christine saw that children were left with strangers when guardians were chosen that were not local. She witnessed clients who hesitated to reach out with questions over the fear of another bill arriving in the mail. The model had to change so better fit the clients.
decided that the estate planning model needed a complete overhaul when she saw how the average plan omissions impacted families. Christine saw that children were left with strangers when guardians were chosen that were not local. She witnessed clients who hesitated to reach out with questions over the fear of another bill arriving in the mail. The model had to change so better fit the clients.
Christine focuses on the personal and inter-personal aspects of the estate planning process. She is especially interested and versed in educating and guiding clients to choose the appropriate fiduciaries for their plan, be it guardians for minor children, health care representatives, trustees of a trust or an executor for a will. She ensures you are making informed decisions regarding who will be making decisions for you should you pass or become incapacitated.
Christine graduated from Colgate University with a major in Japanese. After working in the environmental field for a number of years, Christine decided to return to school and enrolled at Quinnipiac University School of Law and received a Juris Doctorate there. She is admitted in the Connecticut Bar. Christine has returned to the legal world after years of raising their children full time. She and her husband, Bill, have 3 crazy, fun children. She is an avid, if mediocre, gardener who enjoys the ongoing challenge.
Education
Quinnipiac College School of Law, Hamden, Connecticut
Colgate University
Attorney William P. Burns, Jr. focuses his practice on estate planning and represents a diverse range of clients from all walks of life. He takes education-focused approach in his practice with the goal of educating his clients, guiding them in their decision-making process and providing clients with top-notch representation that allows them to find the perfect solution for their estates.
Bill works with a number of financial professionals and institutions in order to effectively represent his clients. The goal is to serve the client, not only from a legal perspective, but from a whole-life prospective, thoughtfully considering what the client truly needs for their plan.
A Connecticut native, Bill spends time with his clients to understand the unique needs of their families and helps them develop an effective plan. His practice is grown from many years as a family lawyer where he saw the damage left behind when an estate plan failed. And they often failed. Ex-spouses were walking away with family inheritances. Trusts were going unfunded leaving children with nothing but expensive, but ultimately, value-less paperwork. Seniors who needed end of life planning struggling to find a way to pay their bills when medical issues became financially unmanageable.
Bill obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut where he graduated cum laude. After graduating from UCONN, Bill obtained his Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) series 6, 7, 63 and 65 licenses. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Quinnipiac University School of Law, also cum laude. While in law school, Bill was actively involved in the Tax Law Society as its President and directed the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program at the Law School. His interest in tax law and financial planning has spilled over into his practice and his ability to see long term consequences to various estate planning options. Currently, Bill lives in Monroe with his wife, Christine, and their 3 children. Bill is licensed in both the Connecticut State and Federal courts. He is also admitted to the United States Tax Court and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court.
Education
Quinnipiac College School of Law, Hamden, Connecticut
J.D.