Mark W. Dost is part of our estate planning and probate group, providing comprehensive estate planning services to individuals and families seeking professional assistance with gift planning, long-term care planning, administration of trusts, and more.

Admitted to practice before state and federal courts in Connecticut, as well as the United States Tax Court, Mark has decades of experience and is prepared to assist with drafting wills and trusts, settling estates in probate court, and qualifying for Medicaid, among other areas of focus. He is qualified to represent audits and proceedings before the Internal Revenue Service, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, and the State and Federal Courts.

Mark’s professional accomplishments have been recognized and honored time and again. These include being named to the list of Best Lawyers in America (Trusts and Estates: Elder Law) from 2001-2024; Lawyer of the Year for the New Haven metro area (Best Lawyers) in 2021 and 2024; inclusion in the list of Super Lawyers (Trusts and Estates) from 2006-2024; and Who’s Who in America.

Education

• Boston College Law School, Boston, Massachusetts
  • J.D. cum laude
  • Honors: Member, Boston College Law Review
     
• University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts
  • A.B. summa cum laude

Professional Associations & Memberships

• Elder Law Section, Connecticut Bar Association, Member and Former Chairman
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
• Executive Committees of the Estates and Probate Section and Elder Law Section, Connecticut Bar Association, Member
• Tax Section, Connecticut Bar Association, Member
• American Bar Association & National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Member

Representative Cases

• Groppo v. Jacks, 210 Conn. 277 (1989)
• Bradley’s Appeal from Probate, 19 Conn. App. 456 (1989)
• Mangines v. Ermisch, 243 Conn. 510 (1998)

Published Works

• “A Practical Guide to Issues in Connecticut Elder Law,” general editor (with Susan Nobleman) and contributor, LawFirst Publishing, Connecticut Bar Association, 2012
• “Estate Planning with Retirement Benefit Distributions,” (Co-Author with J. Galiette), Aspen Law & Business, 3d ed, 2006
• “Charitable Deduction Planning for Avoiding the Connecticut Cliff Tax”, Connecticut Bar Association (CBA), December, 2008
• “Annuities and Medicaid Planning and Qualification after the Deficit Reduction Act”, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys CT Chapter, October, 2007
• “Annuities and Medicaid Planning and Qualification after the Deficit Reduction Act”, Connecticut Bar Association (CBA), June , 2008
• “Testamentary Trusts, Taxes, and Title 19: The Use of Marital and Nonmarital Trusts in Planning for Long-Term-Care Costs”, Connecticut Bar Association (CBA), November, 2004
• “Gift Planning by Connecticut Conservators”, CBA Estates and Probate Newsletter, August, 2002
• “Basic Tax Planning Considerations in Elder Law”, Fourth Annual New England Elder Law Symposium, September, 2001
• “Minimum Distribution Rules for Dummies? (The New Minimum Distribution Regulations);” The ElderLaw Report, Panel Publishers, April, 2001
• “Medicaid Update: Congress Amends Section 217 and the Department of Social Services Develops the 1115 Waiver”, CBA, November, 1997
• “Geriatric Jails? Congress Attempts to ‘Criminalize’ Asset Transfers”, CBA (Reprinted in Estates and Probate Newsletter, November 1996), October, 1996
• “Estate Planning with Retirement Benefits”, National Academy of Elder Law Attys. Annual Symposium,Seattle, May, 1994
• “Transferring Personal Residences by Individuals of Modest Means”, CBA (reprinted in Estates and Probate Newsletter, December 1993 and February 1994), November, 1993
• “How Connecticut’s New Gift Tax Impacts Medicaid Planning”, CBA Estates and Probate Newsletter, April, 1992
• “Planning for Incapacity”, Connecticut Lawyer, March and April, 1991

Honors

• Fellow: American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
• Best Lawyers in America (Trusts and Estates; Elder Law), 2001-2024
• Lawyer of the Year for the New Haven metro area in Best Lawyers for 2021 and 2024
• Super Lawyers (Trusts and Estates), 2006-2024
• Who’s Who in America

Bar Admissions

• Connecticut
• U.S. District Court District of Connecticut
• U.S. Tax Court