Whitney Gagnon Headshot
Whitney A. Gagnon
Director, Trusts & Estates Department and Chair of the Elder Law Practice Group
Office603-334-6927
100 Arboretum Drive
Suite 140
Newington, NH 03801

Whitney focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning, elder law, and probate and trust administration.  She advises individuals and families and assists in establishing comprehensive estate plans. Whitney’s estate planning practice ranges from preparing foundation estate plans for young families to designing and implementing complex plans that incorporate sophisticated estate, gift, income, and generation skipping transfer tax strategies.

Whitney counsels clients in relation to the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Medicaid laws and prepares plans to achieve clients’ estate planning and long-term care planning objectives.  Whitney also practices in the area of special needs law where she works with individuals with special needs and their families to develop plans to provide for the individual’s supplemental needs and enhance the individual’s quality of life.

Whitney also represents clients in probate court matters including estate settlement, trust administration, and guardianship and conservatorship proceedings.  Whitney counsels fiduciaries and beneficiaries in connection with the administration of estates and trusts.

Whitney received a dual Bachelor of Art in Political Science and Justice Studies, cum laude, from the University of New Hampshire and her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from New England Law | Boston.

Areas of Focus

  • Elder Law
  • Estate Planning
  • Trusts and Estates Administration
  • Tax Planning

Admissions

  • New Hampshire
  • Massachusetts
  • Maine

Involvement

  • Leadership NH, Class of 2023
  • MassNAELA, Board of Directors; Co-Chair of the Ethics Committee
  • Hospice Help Foundation, Board of Directors (2019-2020)
  • Leadership Seacoast, Class of 2019
  • New Hampshire Estate Planning Council
  • Boston Estate Planning Council
  • Women’s Bar Association
  • National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
  • Professionalism and Ethics Committee of NAELA
  • Massachusetts Chapter of NAELA
  • New Hampshire Chapter of NAELA

Recognitions

Additional Publications

  • Panelist, “Guide to Wills and Estate Planning,” NH Magazine, March 16, 2021
  • Contributor, “Ask the Experts: Wills and Estate Planning,” NH Magazine, March 2021
  • Contributor, “Ask the Experts: Guide to Wills and Estate Planning,” NH Magazine, February 20, 2019
  • Author, “Wills: New Hampshire,” Thomson Reuters’ Practical Law, November 19, 2018
  • Co-author, NAELA Aspirational Standards, Second Edition, April 24, 2017 –  https://www.naela.org/AspirationalStandards
  • Co-author, Exploring the Future, NAELA Journal, 2012
  • Co-author, Massachusetts Elder Law, 2nd ed., 6th release, LexisNexis, 2013

Speaking Engagements

  • “New IRA Regulations Applying at Death – Very Recent and Surprising Changes Impacting all IRA Owners,” NH Bar Association CLE (2022)
  • “Practical Answers to Ethical Questions Arising in Elder Abuse Cases,” American Bar Association, National Aging and Law Conference (2018)
  • “Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, and MOLST,” Massachusetts Assisted Living Association (2018)
  • BAE Systems – Legal Information Series – Elder Law (2017)
  • Co-presenter, “NAELA’s Continuing Evolution to a Changing Environment: Redefining the Practice of Elder Law,” NAELA annual conference (2017)
  • “The Facts About Medicaid (MassHealth) Planning and Eligibility,” Hospice and Palliative Care Federation Annual Conference (2015)
  • “How Pre-Planning Can Save Your Independence,” Council on Aging (2015)