Overview
Margaret "Meg" St. John Meehan focuses her practice on providing estate planning services to high net worth individuals and their families. Her focal point is on minimizing gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, as well as adapting existing trusts to improve their income and estate tax efficiency and utility, structuring gifts, and implementing sophisticated tax planning strategies.
In addition to this, Meg provides counsel to principals in the private equity and hedge fund sectors, advising them on optimizing planning opportunities associated with carried interests. Furthermore, she advises family offices and their principals on a wide range of matters, including tax optimization, governance, structuring, and comprehensive planning solutions.
Meg also oversees all phases of estate administration, including probate, preparation of estate tax returns, and estate tax audits. Her practice extends to advising donors on planned giving and providing guidance to private foundations and public charities on formation, qualification, and governance matters.
Education and Credentials
Education
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Quinnipiac University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2011, Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal, Editor-in-Chief
- Marist College, B.A., magna cum laude, 2006
Admissions
- State of Connecticut
- State of New York
Affiliations
- Connecticut Bar Association, Estate and Probate Section, Executive Committee
- Fairfield County Bar Association
- New Haven Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
- Waterbury Bar Association
Recognition and Community
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the highest court of any state. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. See Awards Methodology.
Recognitions
Selected to the list of Connecticut Super Lawyers Rising Stars (Thomson Reuters), Estate & Probate, 2019-2024
Quinnipiac University School of Law Academic Excellence Award, 2011
Quinnipiac University School of Law Outstanding Legal Scholarship Award, 2011
Quinnipiac University School of Law Service to the Law School Award, 2011
Community Involvement
Fairfield County's Community Foundation, Rising Professional Advisors Council
News & Insights
Thought Leadership
- New Direction: The Connecticut Uniform Directed Trust Act , May 18, 2020
- The 'ART' of Estate Planning: Assisted Reproductive Technology Issues to Consider , May 10, 2018
- Nonprofit Newsletter Fall 2017 - Certain New York Donor Disclosure Requirements Remain Unenforced - for Now , October 2, 2017
- Nonprofit Newsletter Fall 2016 - Easy Mistakes - Denials of Charitable Contribution Deductions for Lack of Substantiation Letters and Complete Appraisals , Fall 2016
News
- 2022 Promoted Partners, February 1, 2022
- Margaret St. John Meehan, January 4, 2022
- Day Pitney Elects Its Largest Class of New Partners, January 4, 2022
In The Media
Publications
- Modern Estate Planning In the Age of Genetic Testing, WealthManagement.com, February 27, 2025
- Skipping the Slice: Carried Interest Derivatives as an Alternative to Vertical Slice Gifting for Fund Principals, Connecticut Bar Association Estates & Probate Section Newsletter, December 2024
- New Cross-Border Planning Issues: New York Estate Taxation for the Connecticut Resident, Connecticut Bar Association Estates & Probate Section Newsletter, June 30, 2016
- FLP Transfer Runs Afoul of IRC Section 2036(a), Wealthmanagement.com, March 22, 2016
- In Land We Trust: Conservation Tax Incentives Made Permanent, Wealthmanagement.com, February 8, 2016
- Estate Planning with Digital Assets, Connecticut Bar Association Estates & Probate Section Newsletter, June 2015
- Termination of Charitable Remainder Trusts, Trusts and Estates Magazine, October 1, 2014
Media Mentions
- Day Pitney's 2022 Newly Promoted Partners Featured in BBA's Law Firm Newsletter, Boston Bar Association Law Firm Newsletter, January 13, 2022
- Day Pitney Elects Largest-Ever Class of New Partners, Connecticut Law Tribune, January 10, 2022
Speaking Engagements
- "The Marital Deduction, Credit Shelter Planning and Portability," Tax Conferences in July: Introductions to Trusts and Estates, NYU School of Professional Studies, July 15, 2024
- "Connecticut Probate and Trust Administration," National Business Institute, October 13, 2023
- "Advantages of Using a Connecticut Corporate Trustee," Salisbury Bank Wealth Advisory, December 15, 2022
- "Estate Taxes II: The Marital Deduction, Credit Shelter Planning, and Portability," NYU School of Professional Studies, July 11, 2022
- The Unsung Heroes of the CT Trust Code: Directed and Domestic Asset Protection Trusts, November 7, 2019
- Estate Planning, Charitable Gift Annuities and Other Creative Financial Planning for Land Trusts, March 19, 2016