Dennis Delaney joined the firm in 1998 and serves as the Chair of the Private Client Group. For over 20 years, clients throughout the country have appointed Dennis as their family trustee, executor and have engaged him for complex estate planning, tax advice, wealth management, business succession planning, and tax controversies. His areas of expertise include:

• Perpetual dynasty trusts, quiet trusts, domestic asset protections trusts, pet trusts and directed trusts
• Comprehensive asset protection programs
• Income and estate tax minimization strategies, including expertise in migrating trusts to tax-free jurisdictions
• Strategies for concentrated wealth holdings and unique assets
• Amending irrevocable trusts, including non-judicial settlement agreements, modifications, and decanting assets from existing irrevocable trusts to newly created trusts
• IRS audits of estate and income tax returns

Dennis also serves as Managing Director of Hemenway Trust Company, a private fiduciary firm based in New Hampshire. He is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and is a Fellow at the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC).  

• Oversees business succession and estate planning for a family owning a $200 million private company.
• Eliminated many millions of dollars in transfer taxes for clients by creating and administering dozens of grantor-retained annuity trusts.
• Led several land protection projects throughout the country using a variety of sophisticated techniques to protect environmentally sensitive land from development, save millions of dollars in transfer taxes, and maximize after-tax values for owners and their families.
• Created and administer private foundations, charitable lead trusts, and charitable remainder trusts involving tens of millions of dollars in funding.

• Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
• Named as a New England Super Lawyer
• Editor-in-Chief, Boston University Law Review
• Recipient of Dr. John Ordronaux Prize from Boston University School of Law

• White paper: “Rock Solid in New Hampshire” detailing the many advantages that New Hampshire offers as a premier trust venue
• Co-authored the Trusts & Estates Magazine article, “Depression-Era Trusts Come Home to Roost,” December 2016
• Featured in the U.S. News and World Report article, “Why Millennials Are Dominating the Housing Market”
• Featured in Forbes articles, "9 Best Tax Breaks for Millennials" and “Can Millennials Get Audited”
• Quoted in Chicago Tribune in article regarding estate planning (2013)
• Authored articles published in Private Wealth Magazine, Financial Planning, Banker & Tradesman, Mass High Tech Journal, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, The Harvard Press, The Virginia Tax Review, The Monthly Digest of Tax Articles, and Exhibit A
• Member, New Hampshire Trust Council
• Past co-Chair, Estate Planning Committee, Boston Bar Association’s Trusts & Estates Section
• Author of chapters in various books published by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, including Drafting Irrevocable Trusts in Massachusetts as well as Understanding and Using Trusts
• Authored Hemenway & Barnes client advisories including "Pitfalls and Opportunities under the New Federal Tax Law: Parts 1, 2 & 3" (2018, 2019), "Year-End Tax Strategies Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017" (December 2017), "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as Enacted: Effect on Individuals and Families" (December 2017), "How Individuals and Families Could Be Affected by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" (November 2017), "Protecting Your Credit After a Data Breach" (September 2017), "Sound financial fundamentals for millennials: Gaining stability in an uncertain time" (June 2015), “Digital Dilemmas: Protecting your Digital Property” (May 2014), “Moving your IRA? New IRS Regulations” (March 2014), “Trusts for Pets Now Allowed in Massachusetts” (January 2011) and “Who Will Inherit Your Passwords?” (July 2010)

• Issues in Administration of Directed and Divided Trusts” (2017 New Hampshire Trust Conference, September 29, 2017).
• "Practical Drafting Issues and Decanting After Kraft - What are the implications for Massachusetts trusts?” (MCLE, January 21, 2015)
• “Trust Situs: Where Should You Go and How Should You Move?” (Boston Bar Association, October 30, 2013)
• “How Philanthropy Can Help Grow Your Business and Bottom Line" (Family Business Association, May 31, 2012)
• "The Family Enterprise: One Family’s Story" (Executive Conference Center, Babson College, October 27, 2011)
• "Managing the Complex Case of the Family Enterprise" (Family Firm Institute, October 14, 2011)
• "Estate Administration and Post-Mortem Estate Planning" (MCLE, May 25, 2011)
• "The Generation Skipping Transfer Tax in 2010 and Beyond" (Boston Probate Forum, December 1, 2010)
• "Representing Estate and Trust Beneficiaries and Fiduciaries" (ALI-ABA, July 15, 2010)
• "Trusts & Estates Year in Review" (Boston Bar Association, June 15, 2009)
• "Qualified Personal Residence Trusts" MCLE (April 29, 2009)
• "Nuts & Bolts of International Estate Planning" (Boston Bar Association, October 28, 2008)
• "Trusts & Estates Mid-Year Review" (Boston Bar Association, December 16, 2007)
• "Drafting Tax Allocation Clauses" (Boston Bar Association, June 22, 2006)

• Boys & Girls Club of Boston, Board of Trustees, Trustees Leadership Council and Planned Giving Advisory Committee
• Sherborn Rural Land Foundation, Trustee
• Alan Thayer Mudge Memorial Fund, Trustee
• Boston Athletic Association, Member

“My job often addresses the nexus of many, often conflicting, challenges for my clients. They want to provide financial stability for descendants while keeping them motivated to lead engaged, productive lives. Much of their wealth consists of their family owned business; they want to reward children who help grow it, but also ensure that children who don’t work in it are treated fairly. They have a profound commitment to charitable giving and want to maximize their impact. They would like their vacation home to be enjoyed by future generations but don’t want their estate plan to create friction among family members. These issues are not easy, but nor are they new. For over 150 years we have helped generations of clients achieve their personal and family goals.”