McCarter & English has added Joseph P. “Joe” Jaconetta and his four-member team to its Trusts, Estates & Private Clients practice. Jaconetta joins the firm’s Hartford office as a partner, along with Special Counsel Alexander J. Grodski, two veteran probate paralegals, and an experienced legal assistant. The group of five joins the firm following the addition of ten lawyers from Burns & Levinson, six of whom are also in the Trusts, Estates & Private Clients group, adding additional fire power and geographic expansion to the firm’s Private Clients practice.
“The resources and growth at McCarter & English, especially in the private clients area, are very exciting and my team and I look forward to servicing our clients from McCarter’s platform,” said Jaconetta. “The attorneys in the Trusts, Estates & Private Clients practice are top-notch professionals with broad tax experience coupled with a firmwide commitment to excellence. McCarter’s expansion in New England will allow us to deliver an even more personalized experience to our clients.”
Jaconetta and his team formerly practiced at McElroy and Deutsch, where he was a partner in its Transactional Group, with a focus on providing estate, business, and tax planning services. He and his team help high net worth clients and business owners make the right decisions about the distribution of their assets and tax planning. He also works with family businesses on succession planning, whether to family members or third parties.
Jaconetta is also the founder and current president of Carry My Brother, Inc., a nonprofit based in Glastonbury, Connecticut, which provides financial assistance to disadvantaged youth to help them participate in athletics and other enriching activities that promote excellence in academics, employment, and life. He is also a past president of the Central Connecticut Business and Estate Planning Council and the Glastonbury Rotary Club, past chairman of both the Glastonbury Education Foundation and the Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Estate and Business Planning Council of Hartford and the Tax Section of the Connecticut Bar Association.
Jaconetta graduated from Georgetown University with an LLM in Taxation in 1990, after earning his JD at American University and his BA in political science at the University of Rhode Island. Grodski earned his JD at the University of Connecticut School of Law and his BA at Seton Hall University. With nearly three decades of experience, Jaconetta has authored articles in leading national journals, including Commerce Clearing House, The Journal of S Corporation Taxation, and The Tax Lawyer, among others.
“The addition of Joe and his colleagues both expands and enhances the capabilities of our nationally recognized trusts and estates practice. They are highly skilled attorneys who have extensive experience in all facets of complex trust and estate planning and administration,” said Timothy M. Ferges, leader of McCarter’s Tax, Employee Benefits, Trusts, Estates & Private Clients practice group. “With the support of Alex Grodski and his team’s professionals, Joe’s addition immediately extends the geographic footprint of our private client practice in New England and helps us serve our existing clients. We are pleased to welcome Joe’s team to our practice group and our firm.”
Jaconetta joins former colleagues James A. “Jim” Budinetz and Peter J. Zarella, who joined McCarter’s Hartford office in August from McElroy and Deutsch. Both Budinetz and Zarella are civil and commercial litigators with experience in intra-company disputes, corporate divorce, and the representation of high-profile celebrities and personalities. Budinetz formerly served as McElroy’s Managing Partner for New England.
McCarter’s 21-member Trusts, Estates & Private Clients practice advises high net worth individuals, closely held businesses, and financial institutions, and other clients on a broad range of matters. These include estate and personal tax planning, charitable giving, estate administration, and estate, trust, and fiduciary litigation.