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Benjamin Siracusa Hillman

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Bio

Ben practices in the interrelated areas of probate litigation, elder law (including Medicaid eligibility), and estate planning. Ben represents clients in probate disputes involving incapacitated adults or following the death of a loved one. Ben is sensitive to the emotionally-charged aspects of such matters, creative in reaching a negotiated or litigated resolution, tenacious when necessary, and efficient in avoiding unnecessary litigation costs. He tries cases before both state courts and the federal court in New Hampshire, and has handled appeals of lower court decisions.

Ben also assists clients with estate planning, focusing on the needs of the elderly, retirees and near-retirees, high net worth clients, clients with special needs, same-sex couples, and young families. Ben practices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and can advise clients whose personal affairs spread across multiple states. Ben drafted and successfully advocated for passage of legislation that substantially simplified the administration of uncontested New Hampshire estates with multiple beneficiaries.

Ben also serves as in-house ethics counsel for Shaheen and Gordon, and has served as a voter protection attorney in every federal election cycle beginning in 2012.

Prior to joining Shaheen and Gordon, Ben was the William J. Brennan Fellow at the national office of the American Civil Liberties Union, where he worked in the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. Ben also clerked for the Honorable Janet C. Hall of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut and the Honorable William A. Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Admissions

  • New Hampshire
  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

Education & Career

  • A.B., Harvard College, 2003
  • J.D., Yale Law School, 2008
  • Law Clerk, Honorable Janet C. Hall, U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, 2008–2009
  • Law Clerk, Honorable William A. Fletcher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2009–2010
  • William J. Brennan Fellow, American Civil Liberties Union, 2010–2011
  • Associate Attorney, Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., 2011–2016
  • Shareholder/Director, Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., 2016—Present

Professional & Community Involvement

  • American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, Board Member
  • National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, former Board Member and former New Hampshire Chapter President
  • New Hampshire Supreme Court Society, former Board Member
  • Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, former Board Chair
  • New Hampshire Bar Association, Elder Law, Estate Planning, and Probate Law Section, Member
  • Low-Income Taxpayer Assistance Program

Recognition & Honors

  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America since 2020 in Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • AV Preeminent Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence from Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Co-Editor, A Practical Guide to Probate in New Hampshire (MCLE, 1st edition 2018)
  • Author, Setting up a multigenerational household? It pays to plan ahead, New Hampshire Business Review (2016)
  • Author, A Few Traps for the Unwary When Using Will and Power of Attorney Forms, New Hampshire Bar News (March 2015)
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