Attorney

For more than 50 years, Donald N. Freedman has concentrated his practice in elder law, special estate planning for families with children with disabilities and other special needs, work- and entitlement-related legal problems of children and adults with disabilities, and advising trustees, guardians, and other fiduciaries on most appropriately meeting their responsibilities. He has argued important elder, special education and disability law cases before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Now retired from the partnership of the firm he co-founded in 1982, he continues to serve as Senior Counsel. He also currently serves as volunteer counselor with the SHINE Program, which provides free unbiased health insurance information, counseling, and assistance to older and disabled people who are eligible for Medicare.

He was included in Best Lawyers® in the area of elder law from 2008 to 2022. In addition, SuperLawyers® has consistently since 2004 selected Don as a Top Rated Attorney in the Elder Law, Estate Planning & Probate and Health Care areas of practice and he has been included in the top 100 “Super Lawyers” in Massachusetts in any field. Annually since 1997, he has been selected as a “Top Rated Lawyer in Trust and Estates” and been given the “AV Preeminent” rating – its highest - from Martindale-Hubbell. In January 2009, Don was chosen by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education to be recipient of its Scholar-Mentor Award for “outstanding contributions to legal education” over the preceding twenty-five years.

In collaboration with colleague Atty. Emily Starr, Don conceived, edited and contributed chapters to the most important treatise for Massachusetts attorneys on elder and disability law, the three-volume Estate Planning for the Aged or Incapacitated Client in Massachusetts, originally published by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education in 1990, through its 4th edition (2015 update). He has spoken and written widely on elder and disability law topics, including “On Competency and Capacity of Older Adults to make Decisions” in the Journal of Geriatric Care Management (Spring 2015); and “Younger-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease: Key Legal and Financial Issues for the Aging Life Manager” in the Journal of Aging Life Care (Summer 2017).

Reflecting the breadth of his interests, Don has been board chair of both the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Association and the Learning Prep School for children with special needs. Among other positions, he has served on the Governor’s Commission on Mental Retardation and as planning director and later as an appointed member of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. He has also served as a board member of Jewish Vocational Services, where he chaired the Disabilities Services Committee. He has just reached board term limits with Newton-at-Home, a volunteer-powered nonprofit purposed with empowering older adults to live independently, safely and with peace of mind at home. He has provided pro bono services through the Bet Tzedek program of Jewish Family & Children’s Services and through the Senior Partners for Justice program of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association.

Don has long been active with Temple Emanuel, in Newton, where he currently serves on the Daily Minyan, Bereavement and Inclusion committees and volunteers with the Stars of David, an activity group he and his wife helped found about 30 years ago for Jewish adults with developmental disabilities or other special needs. A graduate of Brandeis University, he obtained his law degree from Boston College Law School and has done graduate coursework with the Boston University School of Law Graduate Tax Program.