Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates
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State
Mark W. Dost is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. Mark W., who practices law in Southbury, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2001. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mark W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Audrey Patrone specializes in litigation and trust and estate matters, offering guidance and counsel to individuals and families in Pittsford, New York and the surrounding areas. She assists with asset transitions during life and after death, handling transfers and sales of family-owned businesses, and managing trust and estate administration. Her practice includes creating essential documents such as wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, and pre-nuptial agreements. Audrey is committed...
Greg is certified by the National Elder Law Foundation as a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA). He also is certified by the North Carolina State Bar both as a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law and as a Board Certified Specialist in Elder Law. Greg has been rated by his peers as being "preeminent" in his fields of law. He frequently lectures to civic and community groups and at continuing legal education seminars on various topics relating to estate planning and ad...
Dana Dwiggins is a member of the firm's management committee and former managing partner of the firm, where she focuses her practice primarily on probate and trust litigation, small business litigation, trust and estate administration, guardianships and trust and wills. She routinely represents heirs, beneficiaries, creditors and private and professional fiduciaries in both contested and uncontested matters affecting all aspects of trusts and estates. Dana has substantial experience litigatin...
Mr. Cracchiolo is an adviser to high net worth individuals and families on a variety of personal, business and tax matters, including estate planning, estate, gift and generation-skipping tax issues, closely-held business transactions and succession, family office formation and operation, private trust companies, real estate transactions and philanthropic strategies. He also represents professional and individual trustees on trust and estate administration matters and works closely with famil...
Deborah Anderson is a partner in the Private Clients group. She represents individuals, trusts, partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations with respect to estate, income and gift tax planning matters and trust and estate administration. What do you focus on? I focus my practice on two main areas, utilizing over twenty years of experience in these specialties, to provide an integrated approach to estate and trust practices. Estate Planning I provide estate, gift and integrated ...
Aaron Bradley Flinn is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law and Trusts and Estates. Aaron Bradley, who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Aaron Bradley is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Heidi uses her life experience to bring a practical and relatable approach to her estate planning practice. She advises clients on a wide variety of estate planning matters, including estate and trust administration and pre and post-marital agreements. Additionally, Heidi has experience with real property, business and entity formation and general consultation, and commercial leases and contracts. Heidi is a member of the Orange Book Forms Committee and the Rules and Forms Committee of the Co...
Jennifer V. Boyer is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Jennifer V., who practices law in Asheville, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jennifer V. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Howard S. Tuthill III (Terry) is a Principal with Cummings & Lockwood in its Stamford office and a member of the Firm's Private Clients Group. Terry joined Cummings & Lockwood in 1993 after practicing for 14 years with the New York law firm of Kelley, Drye and Warren and seven years with the Connecticut law firm of Cross, Brodrick & Chipman.
Ron Pearson focuses his practice on estate planning for high net worth individuals, owners of closely held businesses and in the administration of estates and trusts. His clients include prominent individuals in the entertainment industry and commerce. Ron's areas of practice include sophisticated tax planning techniques relating to high net worth individuals. His estate planning services include living trusts, gift and insurance trusts, continuing trusts for children and other beneficiaries ...
Diana S.C. Zeydel focuses her practice on estate, trust and tax planning for high net worth individuals and families. Her practice includes planning for U.S. and non-U.S. citizens and residents. She specializes in sophisticated intra-generational wealth transfer strategies and business succession planning. She assists clients in litigated probate, trust and guardianship matters, and represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service in matters involving complex fiduciary income tax and es...
Meredith K. Sugar is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law and Trusts and Estates. Meredith K., who practices law in Columbus, Ohio, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Meredith K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Craig Cockrell advises businesses, individuals, municipalities and state agencies on tax matters and business transactions including business formations and start-ups, stock and asset acquisitions, real estate transactions and public financing transactions. He also assists individuals and families with preparing and implementing estate and business succession plans and provides legal counsel on wealth transfer strategies. Having extensive experience in administrative tax proceedings, Craig al...
Bernard A. Krooks is a founding partner of the law firm Littman Krooks LLP with offices in New York City, White Plains and Fishkill. Mr. Krooks is the President of the Special Needs Alliance ( www.specialneedsalliance.org ), a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting families with special needs planning. Mr. Krooks is past President of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a Fellow of NAELA, founding member and past president of the NY Chapter of NAELA. He is...
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.