Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates
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Miriam Wogan Henry is a partner in the Tax Practice Group and a member of the firm’s board of directors. She focuses on estate planning, including family wealth transfer plans, charitable planning, and business succession planning, along with advising clients regarding fiduciary litigation and transfer tax controversy matters. Miriam advises on trust and estate planning matters such as drafting wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and marital property agreements. Advising clients in conne...
Michael Calcagni is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Michael, who practices law in Garden City, New York, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
S. Dresden Brunner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. S. Dresden, who practices law in Naples, Florida, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which S. Dresden is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
At Withers Bergman LLP, Steven focuses his practice on estate planning, trust and estate administration, charitable giving and representing tax-exempt organizations. He has designed and used computer modeling to show the economic consequences of various estate planning and charitable giving techniques. Steven is also experienced in the area of executive compensation, focusing on compensation and intermediate sanctions issues for tax-exempt organizations. Steven has represented exempt organiza...
Mike is an experienced transaction and bond counsel. He has represented numerous public and private companies, including HCA Healthcare Corporation, Eckerd Corp., Jim Walters Corp. and Tenet Healthcare Corp. (formerly National Medical Enterprises, Inc.), in acquisition and joint ventures. From 1997 to 1999 Mike served as assistant general counsel for Tenet Healthcare Corp. During that time he provided general legal services to 17 acute-care hospitals in the state of Florida, which included bo...
Peter L. Peterson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Nonprofit / Charities Law, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Peter L., who practices law in Salina, Kansas, has been recognized since 1983. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Peter L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
As an experienced estate planning attorney and business counselor, Carla Lovell understands that the matters she handles involve more than just dollars and cents. Carla’s sophisticated yet practical tax and estate planning, charitable planning, and business succession guidance help individuals, families, and business owners protect a lifetime of hard work and lay the foundation for a secure future. She provides clarity for fiduciaries and beneficiaries who must navigate complex trust an...
David H. Alexander practices law in New York and Florida, and serves as a foreign legal consultant in Ontario, Canada. His areas of practice include wills, estates and trusts, estate planning and administration, business counseling, corporate law and taxation. He represents Canadian and other foreign corporations in the establishment of United States subsidiaries and in their conduct of business in the United States. He also represents Canadian and other foreign persons who purchase assets in...
Elizabeth R. Glasgow focuses her practice on multigenerational wealth preservation and tax minimization, including the creation and implementation of dynasty trusts, business succession plans, asset protection strategies and charitable giving structures for business owners, real estate investors, entrepreneurs, and families managing inherited wealth. She provides comprehensive advice on a wide range of issues facing mobile high net worth individuals and geographically dispersed families, incl...
Jim Smith is a founding partner of Smith Hurst, PLC. Jim’s practice experience is extensive and spans the full range of business advisory and transactional law. He routinely counsels companies across diverse industries in a myriad of business matters including capital raising, advising Boards of Directors, senior management, executives and controlling shareholders regarding governance and fiduciary duty matters, compliance with regulatory obligations, ordinary course of business contrac...
Edward A. Vergara is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Edward A., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Edward A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Shane A. Hart is a partner in Holland & Knight's Tampa office and a member of the Private Wealth Services Group. He represents clients in estate planning and estate administration matters. His practice focuses on developing comprehensive estate plans for clients in a way that minimizes transfer taxes while achieving other desired goals. He also counsels personal representatives in the administration of estates, including the preparation of necessary court filings and the estate tax return...
Richard Wehrle is a Member of the firm and is based in the Lexington office. His practice focuses on trusts and estate administration, estate planning and charitable giving, charitable and non-profit organizations, estate and gift taxes, probate, and fiduciary law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. More Than Stites & Harbison Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, Richard was a partner at Bowles Rice LLP in Lexington, Kentucky, handling trusts and estate planning for eight years....
Marjorie Rogers represents businesses, tax-exempt organizations and individuals in the areas of federal taxation, estate planning and administration, including probate litigation, employee benefits and ERISA. She has more than thirty years' experience advising clients on their complex tax issues, wills, trusts, family succession plans, retirement plans, and business entity planning. Marjorie listens to her clients to determine their individual goals and helps clients achieve them with a plan ...
John L. Laster is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. John L., who practices law in Fairfax, Virginia, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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.