Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates

Christina Baltz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Christina, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christina is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jerome Elwell is a litigator with extensive experience in complex civil and commercial litigation, including plaintiff’s personal injury and trust and estate litigation. The Best Lawyers ® and Super Lawyers honoree devotes a significant portion of his practice to probate and estate litigation, including contested guardianship and conservatorship matters, will and trust contests, disputed estate administrations and elder abuse violations. He received his B.S. in general business and ...

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

Bryan Howard III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Bryan, who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2001. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bryan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Joe Gibbons joined the Firm in May 2005 and became a Partner in January 2006. Prior to joining the Firm, Joe spent the majority of his career with McGinty, Gibbons, Hilow & Spellacy Co., LPA, and Carney & Broadbent, both located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Over the years, Joe has represented a variety of individuals, businesses, institutions, and governmental entities. His primary practice areas include estate planning, estate and trust administration and related litigation, real est...

JULIA B. MEISTER is a partner in Taft's Litigation, Health & Life Sciences, and Private Client practice groups and heads the firm's Cincinnati Estates, Trusts and Fiduciary Litigation practice. She counsels clients and represents them in business, commercial, estate, guardianship, trust, and fiduciary matters and professional ethics and discipline matters before courts, administrative tribunals, and arbitrators. Julia advises clients on a variety of health care issues, including privacy, ...

Deborah J. Manus is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Deborah J., who practices law in Boston, Massachusetts, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Deborah J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Howard M. Hujsa is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Bonita Springs office. Howard focuses his practice on complex estate planning (including gift, estate, charitable and generation-skipping transfer tax planning), trust and estate administration and the representation of charitable organizations. He speaks frequently on estate and tax planning topics before both lawyer and non-lawyer audiences.

David Wetsch is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law and Trusts and Estates. David, who practices law in Des Moines, Iowa, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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 ...

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...

Amanda R. Walker is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Amanda R., who practices law in Wichita, Kansas, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Amanda R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Peter R.V. Brown is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Peter R.V., who practices law in Boston, Massachusetts, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Peter R.V. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

In addition to being one of approximately 500 Certified Elder Law Attorneys in the Country, Evan is also one of fewer than 100 member of the Council of Advanced Practitioners, selected for this honor by his fellow practitioners who are members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. A 4-time Best-Selling Author in the field of Elder Law and the Estate Planning and Elder Law monthly columnist for The Practical Lawyer, Evan received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the Univer...

Betty Schaefer draws on not only her significant knowledge of the St. Louis County Probate Division, where she served as legal counsel, but also her considerable experience in private practice to craft arguments that resonate in probate court. Her deep understanding of the probate and trust codes allows her to guide clients through administration and disputes with efficiency and precision. Betty assists clients with estate and trust administration, trust funding, guardianships, and estate pla...

David Biscoe Bingham is a native of the Little Rock area and focuses his practice on estate planning, probate, trust law (taxation, litigation, and administration), state and federal income taxation (businesses and individuals) and the structuring and taxation of business entities (formation and sales/re-combinations). David represents individuals, couples and families in estate planning from straightforward wills to complex generation-skipping trusts and makes sure his clients’ assets ...