Top Best Estate Lawyers | 18723 Available

Jim Funnell is a principal of Brody Wilkinson and a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Group. His practice is limited to Special Needs Planning for family members with disabilities, trusts and estates planning, and trusts and estates administration. Mr. Funnell is a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney. Mr. Funnell is admitted to practice in Connecticut and has practiced in Fairfield County for over thirty years. He is also admitted to practice in Texas. Prior to joining the firm, he was a partner at the former law firm of Hermenze & Marcantonio LLC in Westport, Connecticut.. Mr. Funnell is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Estates and Probate Section, and for over twenty years served as the editor in chief of the Estates and Probate Section Notes & Commentary, a continuing legal education publication for Connecticut attorneys.. Mr. Funnell has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of trusts and estates since 2018. He has also been recognized as a “Connecticut Super Lawyer” in the areas of estate planning and probate tax since 2006. Mr. Funnell has written widely on special needs trust planning, including the “Special Needs Trusts” chapter in Irrevocable Trusts 4th published by Thompson Reuters. He has also spoken on special needs planning to audiences that include Connecticut Probate Court judges and clerks, Connecticut Bar Association, Fairfield County Bar Association, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, PLAN of CT, Giant Steps, Knights of Columbus, and the Fairfield School District.. Mr. Funnell received his B.S. from Oklahoma State University in 1983; J.D. from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1986; and LL.M. in Business and Taxation from McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento, California, in 1987. Mr. Funnell serves on the Board of Directors of PLAN of Connecticut, a charitable organization that acts as trustee of special needs trusts for individuals with disabilities.

It’s only natural that you want to protect your quality of life and preserve a legacy for your loved ones. Unfortunately, many people find it very difficult to confront these issues and choose to avoid thinking about what needs to be done. I understand the temptation to bury your head in the sand. But I’m here to tell you it’s not as hard as you might think. Before becomong an attorney I was a physical therapist and before that a molecular biologist. My unique set of diagnostic and problem solving skills is now concentrated on estate planning and elder law to help you make the kinds of decisions needed to protect what you’ve worked so hard to build.