Best Lawyers Near You in Westport, Connecticut for Trusts and Estates
Richard has forty years' experience advising clients in tax matters, estate planning and administration, and business law. His clients include closely held corporations, partnerships, funds, tax-exempt organizations and high net worth individuals. Prior to entering the practice of law, Richard practiced as a Certified Public Accountant. His extensive knowledge of tax law enables him to counsel clients with respect to complex estate planning issues as well as the formation, operation, and sale...
Luke T. Tashjian is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law, Litigation and Controversy - Tax, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Luke Tashjian is an estate planning , tax , and corporate attorney. He advises his clients on estate planning, tax structuring, and transactional matters. He also represents individuals and businesses ranging from local brick and mortar businesses to multinational corporations in tax controversy matters at the state and feder...
Ellen focuses her practice on elder law and trusts and estates. She assists her clients in meeting their estate planning goals and protecting their assets for their loved ones. Ellen has significant experience in navigating the complicated long-term care system, and preparing for and filing Medicaid long-term care applications. She regularly works with clients who are able to plan for asset preservation, as well as those who must act immediately to access public benefits systems. Ellen repres...
Richard Diviney is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Richard specializes in providing comprehensive legal solutions for individuals and families in matters concerning asset management, estate planning, and probate administration in the Firm's Trusts & Estates group. With expertise in drafting wills, trusts, and other essential documents, Richard is committed to safeguarding clients' assets and ensuring that their estate planning goals...
Leslie Grodd is a seasoned tax attorney representing high-net-worth individuals in tax and estate planning, and probate matters. He also handles real estate and business transactions such as commercial and residential property closings, creating optimal corporate structures for new companies, selling, and acquiring companies, and purchasing investments. In addition to managing transactions, he counsels and helps his clients navigate potential tax and estate planning consequences. Les has had ...
Rachael E. Spina is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Rachael E., who practices law in Westport, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Rachael E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
HEATHER J. LANGE is a principal of Brody Wilkinson and is a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates and Probate Litigation Groups. Heather focuses on problem-solving, whether that entails assisting high net worth individuals and family groups with their estate planning or advocating for clients in trust and fiduciary litigation. In addition, Heather has developed a niche practice in equine law where she bridges her legal capabilities and equestrian interests. Heather is admitted to pr...
Jessie A. Gilbert is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Greenwich office. Jessie advises high net worth individuals on estate and tax issues, helping them with succession, generation-skipping and asset protection planning. She also represents executors and trustees with respect to probate, estate and trust administration matters, as well as with estate and fiduciary income taxes. Jessie is a frequent writer and lecturer on estate planning and ad...
Rachel B.G. Sherman is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group and is based in the Stamford office. She joined the Firm in 1999. Rachel works with high net worth individuals and families to address their estate planning needs, including the preparation of wills and trusts, tax planning, multi-generational planning, planning for retirement benefits and real estate holdings, gifting and preparation of gift tax returns. Rachel also focuses her practice on estate admi...
Daniel P. Fitzgerald is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and Principal-in-Charge of the Greenwich office. His practice focuses on estate planning, estate administration, taxation, partnerships, probate litigation and defending tax audits. Dan's extensive estate administration experience allows him to develop estate plans that address issues and concerns before they become problematic. He has worked with a broad range of finance, accounting, hedge fund and private...
B. Cort Delany is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Greenwich office. Cort, a Greenwich native, has worked with families from Connecticut and around the country to protect family assets from unnecessary taxes and attacks from third parties. Cort's ultimate goal is to allow successive generations to benefit from family wealth without precluding each family member from maximizing his or her personal potential.
DOUGLAS R. BROWN is a principal of Brody Wilkinson and a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates and Probate Litigation Groups. Doug practices in the areas of estate planning, estate settlement, and probate, trust and fiduciary litigation. He represents individual clients in all aspects of estate planning and estate settlement to maximize the transfer of wealth, minimize the effect of estate and gift taxes, plan for incapacity and plan effectively for disabled family members through t...
LISA F. METZ is a principal of Brody Wilkinson and a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Group. She practices in the areas of estate planning and trust and estate administration in Connecticut and New York. Lisa represents a range of clients, including high net worth individuals who are providing for multiple generations, recently divorced women, and couples with young children. For all clients, she takes the time to ensure that their questions are answered and they fully understa...
Laura Weintraub Beck is Firm-wide Chairman and Managing Director of Cummings & Lockwood. She is based in the Greenwich office. She focuses her practice on estate planning, including business succession planning and planning for real estate holdings, estate administration, probate litigation and trust administration. Laura was formerly the Chairman of Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group. In addition, she was previously Director of Client Communication for the Private Clie...
James B. Stewart practices in the areas of estate planning and trust and estate administration. While Jim is primarily engaged in various aspects of trusts and estates law, he also handles real estate transactions associated with the settlement of trusts and estates and oversees the firm’s activities with regard to the preparation of personal and fiduciary income tax returns. He also has lectured before the Connecticut Society for Certified Public Accountants on Connecticut estate settl...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
