Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Trusts and Estates
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State
Jim Brun focuses his practice on estate planning as well as probate and trust administration. Prior to joining Keating Muething & Klekamp, he was a partner with a large Cincinnati law firm where he practiced for more than 21 years, concentrating his practice in the estate planning and personal tax areas. Jim served as a law clerk to the Honorable George H. Palmer, Judge of the Court of Appeals for the First Appellate District of Ohio from 1976-1978.
Patrick C. Wooten is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Trusts and Estates. Patrick C., who practices law in Charleston, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Patrick C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Tom Garth practices in the areas of taxation, corporate and estate tax, estate planning, qualified retirement plan, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, foreign tax planning, securities, and health care. He has practiced before Probate Courts, State Courts, U. S. District Courts, and Tax Courts. Mr. Garth regularly represents clients in the formation of family limited partnerships, LLCs, grantor retained annuity trusts, grantor trusts and other leveraged estate planning opportunities. In addi...
Rachael Pirner represents clients in trust and probate-related litigation. She has represented clients in probate as well as civil courts in matters involving trust accountings and malfeasance issues, will contests, contested guardianship and conservatorship matters, and contested adoptions. Rachael also assists individuals in connection with assisted reproduction, handling all aspects, from the contract work to the establishment of paternity and/or maternity. Rachael has practiced 20 years a...
Barbara Wheaton concentrates her legal practice on estate planning, estate and trust administration, charitable giving, and related disciplines. Barbara's clients include high net worth individuals, business owners, family offices, charities and fiduciaries. She represents her clients' interests in probate proceedings involving trustee or executor duties, guardianships, trust administration and reformation, and contested estate administrations. Barbara also works extensively with nonprofit or...
James Fassold is a shareholder at Tiffany & Bosco who concentrates his practice on probate and trust litigation, estate administration, elder law, and appeals. He is an adjunct professor at the Phoenix School of Law, and has served as a mediator and expert witness. Over the years, Jim has handled numerous probate and trust disputes, as well as guardianships and conservatorships. He is frequently engaged to handle complex probate litigation matters, including will and trust contests, breac...
David P. Eby is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice and Litigation - Trusts and Estates. David P., who practices law in Manchester, New Hampshire, has been recognized since 2017. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
John F. Carberry is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Litigation Group and is based in the Stamford office. John has over a quarter century of experience representing creditors in state and federal courts, including bankruptcy court. He serves as a Special Master, Attorney Trial Referee, Arbitrator and Fact Finder for the Connecticut Superior Court in Stamford. John also serves as Principal-in-Charge of the Stamford office, the Firm's General Counsel, Loss Prevention Partner and Pro Bo...
ROBERT C. EROEN is a partner at Hill, Farrer & Burill, LLP in downtown Los Angeles. Mr. Eroen has practiced primarily in the field of trust, estates and probate for over 25 years, and has been certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law since 2003. Mr. Eroen’s practice focuses primarily on litigation, including trust and will contests, fiduciary breaches and removal, and the increasingly important area...
David A. Baker serves as head of the Firm's Estate, Trust and Guardianship Controversy Practice Group. He advises clients in the areas of estate, trust and guardianship litigation; probate, estate, trust and guardianship administration; and charitable foundation and exempt organization administration and litigation. He also practices estate planning. Please visit our website for more on David's biography: https://www.mwe.com/en/team/b/baker-david-a
Hirschel Abbott concentrates his practice in estate planning, closely held businesses and entity selection, fiduciary litigation, charitable planning, and tax-exempt organizations. He currently serves as a co-chair of the firm’s Tax, Trusts and Estates Practice Group. As a Board-Certified Tax Law Specialist and a Certified Public Accountant, Hirschel counsels businesses and other high net worth individuals and families on matters related to property, tax, and estate planning. He also ad...
John Sheftall, a Partner in Hall Booth Smith’s Columbus offices, concentrates his practice in fiduciary law including estate planning, estate administration, and fiduciary litigation. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, serves as a Director of SunTrust Bank in Columbus, and is a former Trustee of the St. Francis Hospital Foundation. John was admitted to the Georgia State Bar in 1983. He was born in Macon, Georgia, and received his Bachelor of Arts, magna ...
Stanberry Foster Jr. is a Seattle-based attorney who focuses on trusts and estates, including estate planning, wealth transfer, and trust and estate administration. He advises individuals and families on strategies for the control, management, and protection of assets across a wide range of estate sizes. His practice includes the preparation of wills, trusts, and community property agreements, as well as guardianships, elder law matters, and gift and tax planning. He also handles the administ...
Alan Albert is a nationally-honored trial lawyer who has represented clients from Muhammad Ali to multinational corporations in a broad array of commercial disputes, white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions, intellectual property litigation and other governmental and regulatory matters. Mr. Albert has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America continuously for the past 20 years, and is one of a small number of lawyers in the country to be recognized by Best Lawyers in six dis...
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.