Best Lawyers Near You in Westport, Connecticut for Trusts and Estates
JAMES D. FUNNELL, JR. is a principal of Brody Wilkinson and a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Group. His practice is limited to trusts and estates planning, special needs planning for family members with disabilities, and trusts and estates administration. Mr. Funnell is a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney. Mr. Funnell is admitted to practice in Connecticut and has practiced in Fairfield County for over thirty years. He is also admitted to practice in Texas. Prior to joinin...
Daniel G. Johnson is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Stamford office where he has practiced since joining the Firm in 1997. He practices primarily in the areas of estate planning, family business succession planning, estate administration and trust administration. Dan frequently lectures on estate and tax planning topics before both lawyer and non-lawyer audiences.
George L. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. George L., who practices law in Greenwich, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which George L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. George practices in all areas of estate and trust planning and administration, including advising individuals on th...
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...
David W. Thal is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. David W., who practices law in Stamford, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ann L. Fowler-Cruz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. Ann L., who practices law in Danbury, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ann L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Lisa F. Metz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Lisa F., who practices law in Southport, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lisa F. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Conrad Teitell is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Stamford office. Through his law practice, lectures, publications, columns and congressional activities, Conrad strives to help charitable organizations receive and donors make taxwise charitable gifts that take into account their entire estate plan for themselves and their families. He is also frequently called upon to help clients patch-up plans that have gone awry. He has been an adjunct la...
Margaret A. Deluca is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Stamford office. She joined the Firm in 1996 and concentrates in the areas of estate planning, business succession planning, estate and trust administration and probate litigation. She is on the Firm's Board of Directors and is the Administrative Co-Chair of the Stamford Private Clients Group.
PETER T. MOTT is a principal of Brody Wilkinson and a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Group. Mr. Mott practices in the areas of estate planning and trusts and estate administration. He assists individuals with tax and charitable gift planning, business owners with succession planning, and families planning for aging or incapacitated family members. Mr. Mott is a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney. He is admitted to practice in Connecticut and has practiced in the Greater Bri...
HEATHER J. LANGE is a principal of Brody Wilkinson and is a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates and Dispute Resolution Groups. Ms. Lange practices in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, estate settlement, and probate, trust and fiduciary litigation. She represents high net worth individuals and family groups with the preparation of sophisticated wills, revocable trusts, private foundations and charitable trusts and when necessary, litigates probate proce...
John R. Musicaro, Jr. is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Stamford office. John practices in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration and fiduciary services. He served as Chairman of the Firm's Private Clients Group for over 12 years.
Douglas H. Olin is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Greenwich office. Doug joined Cummings & Lockwood in 1999 and became a Principal in 2001. His practice focuses on estate planning, family business succession planning, and estate and trust administration. Doug speaks frequently on estate and tax planning topics before both lawyer and non-lawyer audiences.
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...
Alyssa V. Sherriff is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Alyssa V., who practices law in Southport, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Alyssa V. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
RONALD B. NOREN is a principal of Brody Wilkinson and a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Group. Mr. Noren practices in the area of trusts and estates, including estate planning, transmission of wealth, estate settlement, and trust administration. He represents individual clients and family groups, often on a multi-generational basis, to preserve and transmit earned and inherited wealth incorporating personal and family goals with efficient tax planning. Mr. Noren often works wi...
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.