Comprehensive Estate Planning Services

Estate planning is the process of ensuring that your assets go where you want them to go — and that your loved ones are cared for — when you’re no longer able to make those decisions yourself. It is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give your family.

Our estate planning attorneys work with individuals and families at every stage of life to create customized plans that protect what matters most.

Last Will & Testament

A will is the foundation of most estate plans. It allows you to:

  • Name beneficiaries for your assets
  • Designate an executor to administer your estate
  • Name guardians for minor children
  • Make specific bequests of personal property
  • Express your wishes regarding burial or final arrangements

Without a valid will, New York’s intestacy laws determine how your estate is distributed — and the result rarely matches your actual wishes.

Trusts

A trust allows assets to pass to beneficiaries outside of probate, with greater privacy, speed, and control.

Revocable Living Trust

Avoids probate, maintains your control during your lifetime, and allows for seamless transfer of assets at death. Ideal for those with property in multiple states.

Irrevocable Trust

Removes assets from your taxable estate for estate tax planning and Medicaid eligibility purposes.

Special Needs Trust

Allows you to leave assets to a family member with disabilities without disqualifying them from government benefits like Medicaid and SSI.

Testamentary Trust

Created within your will to manage assets for minor children or other beneficiaries who shouldn’t receive a lump sum outright.

Powers of Attorney & Healthcare Documents

  • Durable Power of Attorney — Authorizes a trusted agent to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated
  • Healthcare Proxy — Designates someone to make medical decisions on your behalf
  • Living Will — Expresses your wishes about end-of-life medical treatment

Probate Administration

When a loved one passes, our attorneys guide executors and administrators through the probate process — filing the will, inventorying assets, notifying creditors, and distributing the estate.

New York Estate Tax Planning

New York has its own estate tax with an exemption of approximately $7.16 million (2026). Estates near or above the threshold benefit enormously from proactive planning to minimize exposure through trusts, lifetime gifting, and other strategies.