William T. Hennessey is Chairman of the Probate and Trust Litigation Committee of the Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar and a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is a shareholder and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. Mr. Hennessey concentrates his practice in the areas of Estate and Trust Litigation, Administration, and Planning.

Practice Areas

• Individual and Fiduciary representation, with particular emphasis on Trust, Estate and Guardianship Litigation
• Estate and Trust Litigation
  • Will and Trust Contests and Defense of Fiduciaries and Beneficiaries
  • Will and Trust Construction
  • Trust Modification, Revocation, and Termination
  • Surcharge and Removal Litigation
• Guardianship Litigation
  • Competency Proceedings
  • Appointment of Guardian
  • Surcharge and Removal Litigation

Education

University of Florida, J.D., highest honors, 1996
Senior editor, Florida Law Review
Teaching assistant, legal research and writing
University of Florida, B.S., accounting, highest honors, 1993

Professional Associations and Memberships

Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
The Florida Bar
Chair, Probate and Trust Litigation Committee of the Real
Property, Probate, and Trust Law (RPPTL) Section
Member, Executive Council of RPPTL Section
Member, Probate Rules Committee
Member, Probate Law and Procedure Committee
Member, Trust Law Committee
Palm Beach County Probate and Guardianship
Practice Committee

Recent Publications and Speaking Engagements

“Till Death Due Us Part: Challenging the Validity of Marriage
in Probate Proceedings,” Your 2007 Trust & Estate
Symposium (Florida Bar)
“Conflicts Quagmire: Recognizing and Addressing Conflicts
for Your Fiduciary Clients,” Your 2006 Trust & Estate
Symposium (Florida Bar)
“What’s Good for the Goose . . . Elective Share and Other
Spousal Rights,” Wills, Trusts and Estates Certification
Review Course (Florida Bar)
“Probate and Trust Litigation: When the “Ties That Bind”
Unwind,” Wills, Trusts and Estates Certification Review
Course (Florida Bar)
“A Primer on Probate and Trust Litigation,” Wills, Trusts and
Estates Certification Review Course (Florida Bar)
“Uncivil War: Navigating the Battlefield of Probate and Trust
Litigation,” Florida Bar Seminar
“Conflicts Quagmire: Recognizing and Addressing Fiduciary
Conflicts,” Annual Palm Beach County Bar Association
Probate and Estates Seminar
“Intestate Succession,” in Litigation Under Florida Probate Code
(3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th ed.)
“Will Construction,” in Litigation Under Florida Probate Code
(3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th ed.)
“Elective Share,” in Practice Under Florida Probate Code
(3d , 4th, and 5th ed.)

William T. Hennessey

Shareholder, Litigation Department
West Palm Beach, FL

(561) 650-0663 Direct Dial
(561) 655-5677 Facsimile