Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates
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State
Louis P. Karol is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Louis P., who practices law in Garden City, New York, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Louis P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Hilary C. Pierce is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Hilary C., who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Hilary C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Christopher K. Caswell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law and Trusts and Estates. Christopher K., who practices law in Sarasota, Florida, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christopher K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Virginia Symmes Sheehan is a Martindale-Hubbell AV rated attorney and a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) with many years of experience in the area of trusts and estates. She is actively engaged in the areas of estate planning, elder law, estate and trust administration, federal and state transfer (estate, gift and generation-skipping) taxation and federal and state income (personal and fiduciary) taxation. Virginia’s experience includes all phases of administ...
Louis S. Harrison has long been recognized as one of the premier estate planning attorneys in the country. A founding partner of Harrison & Held, LLP – one of the nation’s most elite estate planning firms – Lou’s practice encompasses all aspects of trust and estate planning, including estate and business planning for closely held companies. In addition to individuals in need of sophisticated planning, Lou represents numerous family offices, public figures, CEOs of ...
Marcus Loden is a Shareholder in the Business Practice Group. His statewide practice involves a wide variety of matters concerning business succession planning, trusts and estates, transactional and real estate work. Marc holds a masters of law degree in taxation from the foremost graduate tax program in the country. He is uniquely qualified to assist individuals and business owners with their operations and wealth transfer tax planning. He has: Drafted numerous estate plans for individuals a...
With over a decade of experience, including ten years at Hook Law Center, P.C., Shannon has developed a significant presence in elder law and special needs planning. Her practice addresses issues related to aging and disability, spanning from basic estate planning to advanced long-term care asset protection strategies. Shannon works with clients on a range of matters, including guardianships, conservatorships, complex estate administration, and comprehensive estate plan development, offering ...
For four decades, Jim Ryan has helped high net worth Arizona families create and enjoy financial legacies. A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and a Certified Specialist in Estate and Trust Law, Jim Ryan is a widely acknowledged leader in Phoenix-Scottsdale legal and business circles for complex estate and business planning and estate administration. Jim is a past chair of the Estate and Trust Advisory Commission for the State Bar of Arizona, which administers...
Joseph M. Dencker is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Joseph M., who practices law in Denver, Colorado, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joseph M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Julius H. Giarmarco, J.D., LL.M., is chair of the firm's Trusts and Estates Practice Group. Julius received his law degree from Wayne State University, and his master of laws from New York University. He is licensed to practice law in both Michigan and New York. Julius' primary practice areas include estate planning, business succession planning, wealth transfer planning, and life insurance applications. He is a former instructor in both the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Certified Fina...
Travis Harrison focuses his practice on counseling individuals and families with regard to their wealth management and estate planning needs. He advises clients on the preparation of wills, trust agreements, powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives and prenuptial agreements. He provides legal counsel in connection with probating estates, analyzing estate and gift taxation matters, advising fiduciaries in connection with the administration and investment of estate and trust assets, an...
Justin Savioli is a partner with Katz Baskies & Wolf PLLC. He is a graduate of the University of Miami (B.A.) and University of Miami School of Law (J.D., cum laude). He served as an Articles and Comments Editor on the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta, a professional law fraternity. He received his Master of Laws in Taxation (LL.M.) from the University of Florida.
Arthur E. Gibbs III is a partner in the Trusts and Estate Planning Group and is licensed to practice law in Ohio and Florida. Art is an Ohio State Bar Association Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law and focuses on providing creative estate, tax and business planning advise to business owners and other wealthy individuals, as well as representing individuals, financial institutions, and non-profits in estate disputes. Art is a past Chair of the firm’s Cle...
Scott Erickson is an AV-rated Certified Specialist in Estate and Trust Law and a past chair of the State Bar of Arizona's Estate and Trust Advisory Commission, which assists the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization in the certification of estate and trust law practitioners. A partner at Frazer Ryan, Scott has an estate planning practice encompassing asset protection planning, business succession planning, charitable gift planning, pre-marital planning, probate and trust administration, busin...
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.