Attorneys Ann N. Butenhof

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shareholder | Manchester, NH

Before joining Sheehan Phinney, Ann Butenhof was a founding partner of Butenhof & Bomster, PC. Her early work with the non-profit New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) representing low-income and elderly residents led to a strong appreciation of the special legal and care challenges facing these NH residents. She is well known in New Hampshire’s legal community for her experience in navigating Medicaid eligibility rules, public benefits programs, and special needs trusts. Ann specializes in estate planning, elder law, and planning for the future care and financial security of children with special needs and individuals who have disabilities by tailoring estate plans to protect life savings while maintaining eligibility for needs-based public benefits programs. In addition to directly working with individuals and families, Ann is a trusted legal resource for financial planners and fellow attorneys in her practice areas. Ann has been requested to lecture and train numerous attorneys and financial advisors on elder law and special needs topics, including the New Hampshire Bar Association, the New Hampshire Association of Justice, and the NH Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

With her law partner, Judith Bomster, Ann has co-authored a chapter entitled “Special Needs Trusts” in the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education publication “A Practical Guide to Estate Planning in New Hampshire.”

Admissions

  • State of New Hampshire

Civic Involvement

  • National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), Member and chaired the Formation Committee that established the New Hampshire chapter of NAELA, serving as its first president
  • New Hampshire Estate Planning Council , Member
  • New Hampshire Bar Association, Trust & Estate and Health Law Sections
  • New Hampshire Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NH NAMI), former Board Member
  • Queen City Rotary, Member since 2010, serving as its President for the 2019-2020 year
  • Special Needs Alliance (SNA), Member, former Member of its Education Committee and Board of Directors

Awards

  • Martindale Hubbell, AV Preeminent rating
  • Best Lawyers in America, Elder Law
  • Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year, Elder Law, (2014, 2017, 2022, 2024)
  • New England Super Lawyers, Elder Law and Estate Planning & Probate
  • Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
  • National Elder Law Foundation Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA), only one of four attorneys to do so