Jane Coogan is an estate planning and probate attorney based in Attleboro, Massachusetts. She is a Partner at Coogan Smith, LLP, serving families and businesses across Southern New England.
Born and raised in Attleboro. Partner at Coogan Smith. Focused on estate planning, probate, business succession, and building long term client relationships.
On a quiet street in Attleboro, a golden retriever named Clark trots ahead of two girls racing each other toward their mother. It is a simple scene, but it says a lot about who Jane Coogan is. Her life is centered in the same place it began. The people she serves are often the same families she grew up around. Her work does not feel distant from her life. It is woven into it.
This is the thread that carries through her story. A life shaped by community. A career driven by clarity, empathy, and practical service. And a theme that shows up again and again in how she talks about her work. Success, in her view, starts with making things easier for someone else.
Rooted in Attleboro
Jane grew up as the youngest of five children in a busy Attleboro home. She ran cross country and track at Bishop Feehan High School and learned early what it meant to stay committed to something day after day. She stayed close to home even as she built her academic path. After earning her BA in English from the College of the Holy Cross, she went on to Villanova University School of Law, where she earned both her JD and her LLM in Taxation.
Those fields fit her personality well. Estate planning, tax law, business succession, and probate are areas that reward focus, patience, and the ability to explain complicated ideas in simple terms. Jane liked the mix of technical skill and human connection. She liked solving problems that made life smoother for real people.
A Career Built on Trust
After law school, Jane began her career at Feingold and Edelblum in New Jersey. She worked on sophisticated estate plans for high net worth families, business formation, succession planning, and estate administration. The work required precision and careful listening. It also required empathy.
“You need a strong knowledge base,” she says, “but you also need to really understand what the client is dealing with. A lot of this work happens during emotional moments.”
In 2014, she returned home to join Coogan Smith, LLP. The move was a return to the community that raised her, and it was a return to the type of work that matters most to her. Today, as a Partner, she helps families plan for their futures, administer estates, structure businesses, and navigate major life decisions.
She measures success by outcomes and by how clients feel at the end of the process. For her, clarity matters. Stewardship matters. And steady guidance matters most.
A Theme of Empathy
The theme of this profile is empathy. It shows up in her upbringing, her career, and the way she talks about the balance between family and work.
She often mentions her parents when asked about influence. Her father was a respected attorney who cared deeply for his clients. Her mother modeled what it means to build a loving home. Both shaped Jane’s approach.
“My parents gave us confidence,” she says. “They showed us what it means to support people, both in work and at home.”
That same approach guides how she mothers her two daughters. She wants them to see a life built on service, steadiness, and good choices.
And she wants younger women in law to see that it is possible to have both a career and a family without losing either part.
Staying Present in Two Worlds
Like many working parents, she has learned that balance is never perfect. But she has a system that works for her. When she is home, she is with her children. When she is at the firm, she is focused on the job at hand. Staying present keeps both parts of her life strong.
It also keeps her grounded. Her hobbies reflect that same simplicity. She skis. She runs. She reads. And she spends time with the people she loves.
Community at the Center
Jane’s life extends into the community through board work and local involvement. She serves on the Sturdy Memorial Hospital Foundation. She is a board member of the Attleboro YMCA, where she works on the finance and governance committees. She is also active with the Friends of St. John the Evangelist School and served as President of the Attleboro Area Bar Association.
These roles keep her connected to the city where she grew up and the people she now serves as an attorney.
In the end, Jane Coogan’s story is not about spotlight moments. It is about steady progress and long relationships. It is about showing up for family, clients, and community. It is about choosing a life that feels meaningful, not just impressive.
Success, for her, is simple. If a client feels cared for, if a project ends with clarity, if her daughters can look at her and see someone they admire, then she has done what she set out to do.
And that is the kind of success that lasts.
Interview with Jane Coogan
How do you define success in your work and in your life?
Success, to me, is always tied to the outcome and the experience someone has along the way. In my practice, the goal is not just to finish a project. The goal is to make a difficult or emotional situation feel clearer for the client. Estate planning and probate often involve big life moments. If a client walks out feeling more secure or more supported than they did when they walked in, that feels like success.
In my personal life, success is measured by the people closest to me. If my daughters feel encouraged, if they see a mother who works hard and still shows up for them, that matters more than anything. Those two parts of my life balance and reinforce each other.
What early experiences shaped the way you approach your career today?
Growing up as the youngest of five in Attleboro shaped me more than I realized at the time. Our home was busy and full of personality. I learned to listen, to observe, and to find my place in a big group. Running cross country and track in high school also taught me a lot about discipline. You do the work every day, not just on race day. That mindset translates directly to law. Good legal work is built on steady effort.
My father’s career also had a strong impact. He was an attorney who cared deeply for his clients. People still tell me stories about how he helped them. Watching that taught me what professionalism looks like. My mother modelled a different kind of strength. She made our home feel supported and steady. Together, they gave me a clear picture of the kind of adult I wanted to be.
What personal habits help you manage the demands of being a partner, a parent, and a community member?
The biggest habit for me is presence. I try to be fully where I am. When I am at work, I am focused on the client in front of me. When I am at home, I try not to let my attention drift back to my desk. It is not always perfect, but it keeps me grounded.
I also lean on simple routines. Running clears my mind. Reading helps me reset. Even small things like taking Clark, our golden retriever, out for a walk gives me a few minutes to breathe. Those moments add up.
People often describe estate planning and probate as emotional areas of law. What makes you effective in that environment?
Knowledge is the starting point, but empathy is what makes this work meaningful. Clients come in during stressful or uncertain times. They might be planning for the future or handling the loss of someone close. If you only focus on the documents, you miss the human part of the job.
I try to listen closely. I try to understand not just what a client needs legally, but what they are feeling. That helps me guide them through complicated decisions with more care and clarity. It also builds trust, and trust is essential in this kind of work.
Who has influenced your sense of responsibility and purpose the most?
My parents, without question. My father influenced how I see the legal profession. He was respected not just because he was knowledgeable, but because he treated people well. He gave his clients confidence and support when they needed it most. That left a strong impression on me.
My mother influenced the way I parent and the way I balance my life. She encouraged me to build a family of my own and has always supported me as I navigate being both a mother and an attorney. Their example has guided so many of my decisions.
What advice would you give younger attorneys, especially women trying to balance career and family?
First, give yourself permission to grow in both areas. You do not have to choose between your career and your family. You can do both, even if the balance shifts from day to day.
Second, stay present. When you are at work, give it your full attention. When you are home, give your family the same. That helps reduce guilt on both sides.
Finally, seek out support. Mentors, colleagues, family members, and friends can make a huge difference. No one balances everything alone. And you should not feel like you have to.
