On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court suspended attorney Jane I. Coogan from practicing law for six months, with half of that term stayed under certain conditions. The ruling, overseen by Associate Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt, stems from a case brought forward by the Board of Bar Overseers concerning Coogan’s professional conduct.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Jane I. Coogan,” with case number BD-2025-053.
The board’s initial recommendation called for the suspension due to Coogan’s failure to file a trust-related document with the Probate and Family Court, misrepresentations made to clients to conceal this misconduct, and false statements provided under oath to the Office of Bar Counsel during the subsequent investigation.
The case originated from a complaint filed on behalf of two sisters who were beneficiaries of trusts established by their deceased parents. They had retained an attorney in Rhode Island who, in turn, engaged Coogan to file a petition seeking the Rhode Island attorney’s appointment as successor trustee for the trusts. The sisters emphasized the urgency of the matter due to friction with their brother and the need to access rental income from trust-owned properties.
However, Coogan failed to file the petition. Instead, she misled the referring attorney, reporting progress and even fabricating a hearing date. This deception continued for several months, during which the attorney and his paralegal made repeated attempts to get updates. Unbeknownst to them, the sisters’ brother filed his own petition to become the successor trustee. The sisters ultimately terminated their relationship with the Rhode Island attorney, who was later sued by the sisters in Rhode Island small claims court and ordered to reimburse them $2,900, an amount later reimbursed to him by Coogan.
The hearing committee initially found Coogan in violation of multiple professional conduct rules, including failure to provide competent representation, failure to act with reasonable diligence, failure to maintain reasonable communication with clients, knowingly making false statements of material fact to a third person, and engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.
During the investigation by bar counsel, Coogan made further false statements, claiming she had mailed the petition but it was returned due to a missing filing fee, and denying she had told the referring attorney that a hearing date had been set. The committee found these statements violated rules against knowingly making false statements in connection with a disciplinary matter and engaging in conduct that adversely reflects on fitness to practice law.
While Coogan did not appeal the committee’s findings to the Board of Bar Overseers, she argued before the Supreme Judicial Court that her misrepresentations to bar counsel were not “material” and that a finding of a lack of candor should be reserved for more egregious cases. The court rejected these arguments, finding that the misrepresentations were an attempt to minimize the scope of her neglect.
The court did acknowledge mitigating factors related to personal and professional problems Coogan experienced during the relevant period, specifically events related to her marriage and divorce, which impacted her ability to function professionally. Aggravating factors included Coogan’s experience as an attorney, the multiple professional rule violations, and the harm caused to her clients.
In addition to the six-month suspension, with three months stayed, Coogan must also successfully complete a legal education program approved by bar counsel and undergo a practice audit by the Law Office Management Assistance Program.
According to Avvo, Ms. Coogan is a trusts lawyer in Attleboro, MA. She acquired her law license in Massachusetts in 2014.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
