Best Lawyers in New Jersey, United States for Trusts and Estates

Mr. Backer concentrates his practice in estate planning, estate and trust administration and fiduciary litigation. He brings over forty years of specialized experience to his representation of individuals, owners of closely held businesses, executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries. He aggressively manages will disputes, will construction proceedings, accounting and other fiduciary litigation for individuals and New Jersey-based bank trust departments. He advises and implements we...

Allan C. Bell is Chair of the Trusts and Estates Practice Group. Mr. Bell practices primarily in tax planning for individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, estates and trusts. He brings his innovative, in-depth tax planning experience as well as the ability to analyze, explain and implement sophisticated techniques to his clients. His insight into the government’s interpretations and views on issues allows him to provide efficient and thorough services and work product without t...

Michelle Bergeron Spell focuses her practice on estate planning, succession planning and trust and estate administration for domestic and foreign individuals. She has extensive experience in multi-generational estate planning and asset protection. Michelle's clients include high net worth individuals and families for whom she handles such matters as wills, grantor retained interest trusts, generation-skipping trusts, family limited partnerships and living trusts. Michelle has extensive experi...

John concentrates his practice on corporate and business law, tax, wills, trusts and estate planning, and elder law.

Philip Corbo is a Co-President of the Firm and a member of the Tax, Trusts & Estates Department. His practice focuses on estate planning, business succession planning, fiduciary/trust & estate litigation, and trust & estate administration. He is a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Philp represents high net worth individuals and families in matters ranging from estate planning to complex business succession planning. His client base includes owners of mult...

Member Stuart Cox concentrates his practice in all aspects of trust and estate law, including asset analysis and preparation of a full range of estate planning documents. He has extensive experience in the areas of lifetime and post-mortem estate tax planning, federal and state taxation of gifts and estates, fiduciary income taxation, and related real estate, corporate and commercial law. Mr. Cox is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a graduate of the Univer...

Member Andrew J. DeMaio advises clients in trust and estate planning and administration, and in litigation of related matters. He has written and lectured extensively on trusts and estates subjects and on the use of technology in the practice of law. He is an author/editor for Leimberg Information Services, a national online publication for lawyers, accountants, and other professionals. Andrew and his wife Debby live in Holmdel with their three sons. In his free time, he enjoys sports photogr...

Susan Dromsky-Reed helps families and individuals create plans which can simply and easily transfer assets to their heirs, while taking into consideration necessary income, estate, and inheritance tax planning. Her goal is to provide peace of mind and to promote family harmony, during the planning process and during estate administration. As part of her practice, she provides individuals and families with planning and tax advice regarding spousal, intergenerational, and business succession; c...

Victor S. Elgort is Chair of the firm’s Tax Group. He also serves as the Chair of the firm’s E-Commerce & Information Technology Practice Group. His practice concentrates on business law and tax planning, including the structuring of partnerships and joint ventures, tax-saving real estate and business exit strategies, executive compensation, and domestic and international estate planning matters. Victor organized and created the first limited liability company in New Jersey. H...

Linda N. Engleby, a partner with Donnelly Minter & Kelly, LLC, is an Estate Planning and Trust and Estate Administration attorney skilled in designing sophisticated tax-sensitive documents that address the important role family and business relationships play in the lives of her clients. Ms. Engleby tailors each estate plan individually, accounting for the complex tax issues and intrafamily matters that can arise when transferring assets from one generation to the next. She counsels clien...

Mr. Feinberg's practice focuses on estate planning, estate administration, elder law, wills and trusts, tax and business planning for individuals, corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, and tax controversies. Mr. Feinberg serves as a strategic advisor to individuals, families, business owners, executors and trustees, counseling clients on a comprehensive range of issues within the areas of tax, trust and estate law. His work encompasses the structuring of wealth preservat...

Stuart Gladstone is recognized as one of New Jersey's leading authorities representing individuals as well companies of all sizes, in the fields of comprehensive estate planning, business succession and estate taxation. His particular blend of experience proves invaluable for business owners wrestling with the structuring of purchase and sales of companies; tax efficient transfers of company equity to family members; qualified and non-qualified retirement plans; and key personnel incentive pl...

Heidi I. Hansen is a member with the firm’s Trusts & Estates and Tax Groups whose practice focuses on complex estate planning, gift tax planning and estate administration matters. She assists individuals, businesses and estates with tax audits and in the United States Tax Court; collaborates frequently with white collar defense attorneys in defending criminal tax matters; and helps form, and advises, nonprofit organizations. Heidi began her legal career in private practice before jo...

Susan Holzman focuses primarily on estate planning and administration, estate and gift taxation, and income taxation of individuals and entities. Her experience includes tax and estate planning for business executives, professionals, and high net worth owners of closely-held businesses and their families. She provides customized advice concerning business succession planning, the implementation of lifetime gift programs, and intra-family sales, and she drafts and negotiates premarital agreeme...

My practice is concentrated on trust and estate planning and administration and business succession planning for principles and shareholders of closely held businesses. My practice also includes addressing clients' philanthropic goals, including providing counsel to clients on all aspects of nonprofit corporate governance, and structuring charitable trusts and private foundations.

Martin L. Lepelstat focuses his practice on tax and trusts and estate planning. He represents individuals, businesses, partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations, and special types of entities in connection with strategic planning, structuring and defense of tax transactions. Martin frequently represents clients at both the federal and state levels in tax related matters, including tax audits and appeals. As a skilled practitioner in the tax controversy area, he has dealt with IR...

Steven A. Loeb is a member with the firm’s Corporate & Securities, Tax, and Trusts & Estates Groups. Bringing more than 15 years of experience and a keen understanding of the ever-evolving tax environment, he is a seasoned advisor in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, estate litigation, charitable planning, marital planning, and nonprofit formation and counseling. In addition, Steven is adept at addressing the needs of his individual and corporate clients on ma...

Member Mary Pat Magee represents individuals, beneficiaries, executors, trustees, and guardians in all areas of trust and estate law. She advises individuals regarding their planning needs and counsels individuals and professionals in fulfilling their duties when administering estates, trusts, custodial and other fiduciary accounts. She has a wealth of experience in federal estate and gift tax as well as New Jersey estate and inheritance taxes. When issues between beneficiaries or fiduciaries...

Kenneth D. Meskin has more than 40 years of experience in sophisticated trust and estate planning, the administration of trusts and estates, probate litigation, and closely-held business planning. Ken is adept at using sophisticated and creative tax and estate planning techniques to ensure that assets pass to the intended beneficiaries at as little cost as possible to the client. To minimize state and federal tax burdens and transfer wealth, Ken has structured gift-giving programs, insurance ...

Member Stephen J. Oppenheim counsels and assists his clients with estate and tax planning, estate and trust administration, and the related areas of estate, trust and tax law. He has been engaged in the private practice of law for more than forty-five years. Mr. Oppenheim has been selected by his New Jersey peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America and New Jersey Super Lawyers. Mr. Oppenheim and his wife, Judie, have lived in Rumson for more than twenty-five years. They have three childr...

David Ritter provides advice on income and estate tax planning for individuals, including tax planning for their business and investments. He provides business succession planning and sophisticated estate planning services to a wide range of clients. Mr. Ritter also provides advice and prepares agreements for the organization, operation, sale and/or merger of closely held businesses organized as corporations, limited liability companies or partnerships. He has represented such businesses with...

David Schlossberg has more than 35 years of experience counseling clients in the full range of trust and estate planning matters, administration of estates and other tax-related matters. His in-depth knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding the protection and distribution of wealth help ensure that clients meet not just their business and financial objectives, but their personal goals as well. David served as the managing director of the firm from 1997-2014. David represents many...

Joseph P. Scorese is a Member of the Sills Cummis & Gross Tax, Trusts and Estates Practice Group. Mr. Scorese’s primary area of practice is complex estate planning and estate and trust administration for high net worth individuals and families. Mr. Scorese counsels clients in the New York and New Jersey area and helps them design and realize both appropriate and realistic estate planning goals.

Joel Siegel’s practice focuses on counseling high net worth individuals and multi-generational families in a manner which enables them to achieve their tax, and more importantly, their non-tax objectives. To accomplish this goal, he works closely with his clients and their other advisors to fully understand their family situation, their financial situation and their wishes and concerns for their spouses and descendants. Joel also handles tax controversy matters before the Internal Reven...

Tara S. Sinha is a Partner of Witman Stadtmauer, P.A., in Florham Park, New Jersey. She concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, estate and probate litigation, and federal and state taxation. Ms. Sinha is admitted to practice in the States of New Jersey and New York, as well as the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the United States Tax Court. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (“ACTEC&rd...

Daniel A. Swick is a business counselor with more than 25 years of experience providing general corporate counsel and tax advice on a full range of business and personal planning matters, including estate, tax and closely-held business planning. Counsel to High-Net-Worth Families Dan is a trusted counselor for many families with significant multigenerational wealth and closely-held business and real estate interests, helping them structure their estate plans to minimize gift, estate and gener...

Ms. Ahern focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, with a focus on high net worth individuals. Her work includes business succession and intergenerational planning, long term care planning, charitable gift planning and planned giving. Ms. Ahern assists clients in the drafting of various estate planning documents including wills and trust arrangements, and provides counsel regarding estate and income tax saving techniques in the estate planning process. In the a...

John Paul D. Dziuba II practices with the firm’s Trusts & Estates Group. He represents and advises moderate to high-net-worth individuals and families on all aspects of estate, tax and business planning – as well as estate and trust administration matters. While in law school, he held a legal fellowship with a nonprofit international human and civil rights organization affiliated with the United Nations. John Paul received a B.A., with honors , in History and Economics from Bo...

Laura R. Feitelson represents and advises moderate to high-net-worth individuals and families on all aspects of estate, tax and business planning – as well as estate and trust administration matters. Laura recently served as a Tax and Trusts & Estates Associate at Akerman LLP in Naples, Florida. Prior to this position, she worked as a Trusts and Estates Associate at a Pennsylvania firm and as a Senior Wealth Planner at a wealth management firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she...

Michelle L. Scanlon is an Associate in the firm’s Estate Planning and Administration & Wealth Preservation Practice, and Elder Care & Special Needs Law Groups, where she focuses her practice on assisting individuals and families with a range of estate and tax planning. Michelle represents and advises her clients regarding estate planning, estate administration, trust administration, special needs planning, elder planning, and guardianships. She has experience drafting legal docu...