Leiha Macauley, a partner in the Individual Clients Practice, advises on all aspects of estate, gift and charitable planning, closely held businesses, administration of estates and trusts, and fiduciary litigation. Leiha regularly counsels entrepreneurs, private equity firm partners, closely held and public company shareholders in connection wealth preservation, including asset protection and succession planning. Leiha also prepares premarital agreements, and serves as an expert witness with respect to inherited wealth and trusts in divorce proceedings. Leiha serves as a trustee for family trusts and personal representative for estates.
Leiha is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and is a co-founder and vice president of the Greater Boston Fiduciary American Inn of Court. She is also Chair-Elect of the Boston Bar Association 2014-2015 Trusts & Estates Section, and Chair of the Boston Bar Foundation Investment Committee.
Leiha developed and co-directed the Child Health Advocacy Partnership, a venture of the East Boston Community Health Center, the Medical-Legal Partnership for Children, and Day Pitney which teamed doctors with attorneys to provide legal information and advocacy to underprivileged families. Her other civic contributions include:
- Trustee, Boston Bar Foundation, 2007 to 2013
- Member, Board of Directors, Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, 2006 to 2009
- Member, Executive Committee of the Boston University Law Alumni Association, 2002 to 2013
- Chair, Junior Fellows Society of the Boston Bar Foundation, 2006 to 2011
- Member, Boston Bar Association's Public Interest Committee, 2006 to 2010
- Co-Chair, Boston Bar Association Trusts & Estates New Developments Committee 2008 2010, Estate planning Committee 2010 to 2012, Continuing Legal Education 2012 to 2014
- Founding member and Director, Child Health Advocacy Partnership, 2006 to 2010
- Member, Executive Committee of the Trustees of the Boston Bar Foundation 2008 to 2013
- President, Boston University Law National Young Alumni Council, 2005 to 2007
- Chairman, American Liver Foundation Run for Research Marathon Team, 2004
- Vice Chairman, American Liver Foundation Run for Research Marathon Team, 2003
- Big Sister to Lauren, of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, 1999 to present
According to the 2013 edition of Chambers USA* (Chambers & Partners), clients note Leiha is "'incredibly energetic and has branched into all aspects of the practice.'"
*No aspect of these advertisements has been approved by the highest court of any state. See Awards Methodology.
Chosen for inclusion in Chambers HNW Guide (Chambers & Partners) as a leading lawyer for wealthy individuals and families Nationwide, 2017-2021; USA Eastern Region, 2016, 2019, 2021; Massachusetts, 2016-2021
Chosen for inclusion in the Chambers USA Legal Directory (Chambers & Partners) as a leading wealth management attorney in Massachusetts, 2013-2016
Chosen for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, Inc.), Trusts and Estates, 2013-2022
Selected to the list of Massachusetts Women's Edition Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), Estate Planning and Probate, 2017
Selected to the list of Massachusetts Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), Estate Planning and Probate, 2005-2020
Selected to the list of Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars (Thomson Reuters), Estate Planning and Probate, 2005-2014
Named a Five Star Wealth Manager in the Boston area, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013
Received the 2011 Lelia Josephine Robinson Award from the Boston University School of Law Women's Law Association. The award, named for the first woman admitted to practice law in Massachusetts, honors exemplary leadership in one's community.
Recognized by the Boston Globe as one of six Boston-area "unsung heroes" who is doing her part to make Boston a better place, 2008
Recipient of the Boston Business Journal's "40 under 40" award, which recognizes business professionals who have demonstrated talent, leadership, and promise and whose community contributions and professional abilities have brought them measurable success in their chosen field, 2006
Recognized by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as an "Up and Coming Lawyer," an annual selection of 15 Massachusetts lawyers who have been members of the bar for 10 years or less and who have distinguished themselves in their careers and in their communities, 2006
Honored as one of 10 lawyers selected to participate in the Boston Bar Association's Public Interest Leadership Program, 2003
No aspect of these advertisements has been approved by the highest court of any state. See Awards Methodology.