Mary M. Ackerly

Mary M. Ackerly, counsel in Murtha Cullina’s Trusts & Estates practice, works collaboratively with clients to reach their goals through personalized and innovative solutions.

Molly's practice involves sophisticated estate planning, estate and trust administration, and elder law for families and individuals. She also assists clients with real estate and taxation matters.

Since being appointed by the Governor in 2013, Molly has served as a Connecticut delegate to the Uniform Law Commission, a national organization that promotes statutory uniformity. She served two consecutive terms as a Division Chair and has served on numerous drafting committees, including the Uniform Trust Decanting Act, the Uniform Fiduciary Income and Principal Act, the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship and Other Protective Arrangements Act, the 2017 revision of the Uniform Parentage Act and the Electronic Wills Act.

Molly serves on the Probate Court Rules Advisory Committee, a volunteer body made up of individuals appointed by the Probate Court Administrator to draft a comprehensive update of the Probate Practice Book to set forth uniform rules of practice and procedure in the courts of probate. The rules were adopted by the Connecticut Supreme Court in November 2012, became effective on July 1, 2013 and were most recently revised in 2023.

Prior to joining the firm, Molly was a partner at Ackerly Brown LLP, a firm she founded in 2001. From 1987 to 1994, Molly served as a Probate Judge for the District of Norfolk. During this time, Molly served on the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Probate Assembly and she was the probate judge member for the Council on Probate Judicial Conduct from 1989 to 1994.

Areas of Focus