Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates

Paul B. McCawley focuses his practice on sophisticated estate planning for individuals and families. Such planning involves an overall plan for the client and the client’s family relating to the preservation and transfer of wealth while minimizing income taxes and transfer taxes (estate taxes, gift taxes, and generation-skipping transfer taxes) to the extent consistent with the client’s goals. Paul is a Board Certified Wills, Trusts and Estates Lawyer by The Florida Bar.

Michael chairs the firm’s estate and tax practices, assisting clients in the areas of estate planning, estate counseling, estate administration, elder law, Medicaid planning, long-term care and special needs planning, and transactional tax planning. His work encompasses tax considerations, the structuring of wealth preservation strategies, and the preparation of estate planning documents such as wills, living wills and medical care directives, powers of attorney, revocable and irrevocab...

Brad Van Hoy brings more than 20 years of experience in advising high-net worth individuals, closely-held business owners, executives, and family offices with their estate, tax, business, and philanthropic planning needs. Brad builds long-term relationships with his clients, guiding them through their unique opportunities and challenges, and helping them to realize, protect, and leave a legacy with what they have worked so hard to build. Whether crafting an estate or tax plan, advising on est...

Christopher S. Simmons is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation and Controversy - Tax, Public Finance Law, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Christopher S., who practices law in Montgomery, Alabama, has been recognized since 2001. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christopher S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David M. Halpen is Principal-in-Charge of the Palm Beach office of Cummings & Lockwood. David has over twenty years of broad-based legal experience in trusts and estates planning, estate settlement, trust administration, business succession planning, and U.S. and international tax planning for a variety of high net worth clients. Prior to joining Cummings & Lockwood, he was a shareholder with Dunwody, White & Landon in their Naples and Palm Beach offices.

Mr. Merline is a shareholder in the firm. Mr. Merline has been with the firm since 1983. He is a certified specialist in the fields of both Taxation Law, and Estate Plan­ning and Probate Law by The Supreme Court of South Caroli­na. He is listed in the book The Best Lawyers in America in the following fields: Business Organizations, Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, Employee Benefits Law, Litigation - ERISA, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Litigation and...

J. Leslie LaReau is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. J. Leslie, who practices law in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Leslie is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Peter Walsh is an attorney with twenty years of experience in estate and asset protection planning and inheritance litigation. Peter assists clients with preserving family wealth through estate and asset protection planning. For example, he utilizes various estate planning techniques to minimize taxes and administrative expenses upon the death or incapacity of a family member. Such planning may include a revocable trust to avoid the cost of court involvement upon the death or incapacity of th...

Eric practices in the areas of taxation, trusts and estates, wills, probate and business law. He represents clients in tax controversies before the Internal Revenue Service, the Kansas Department of Revenue and in federal and state courts. His representative clients include individuals and closely held businesses. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, the U.S. Tax Court and the state courts of Kansas and Oklahoma.

Bill Harbison works primarily in the areas of corporate law and trusts and estates. He also handles litigation in those same practice categories. A cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, Bill received his bachelor’s degree with highest honors in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Jennifer R. D'Amato is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Jennifer R., who practices law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jennifer R. is held by other top lawyers in t...

Leigh-Alexandra Basha focuses her practice on domestic and international estate and tax planning. She counsels an affluent international client base on a wide range of sophisticated matters, including estate and trust administration, family wealth preservation, tax compliance, as well as business succession, expatriation and pre-immigration planning. Leigh is head of the Firm’s Washington, DC, Private Client Practice Group. Please view more on Leigh-Alexandra's biography here: https://w...

Robert B. Judd is a shareholder whose practice encompasses estate and healthcare planning, the administration of complex estates and trusts, and probate, trust, and fiduciary related litigation. Originally from upstate New York, Mr. Judd has been a resident of Fort Lauderdale since 1985. He has earned an AV Preeminent rating as independently determined by Martindale-Hubbell, has been designated in “Best Lawyers in America” for several years in the areas of trusts and estates and r...

Melisa Mysliwiec is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law and Trusts and Estates. Melisa, who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Melisa is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Deborah D. Cochran has over 34 years of experience assisting individuals, families and business owners with all of their estate planning needs. Her practice includes designing custom estate plans for each client, as well as tax planning and trust and estate administration. Debby’s personable approach quickly puts her clients at ease and comfortable to discuss their family situation, helping them focus on what is most important to them. Debby then works with her clients to design the app...

Chuck Staples grew up in Auburn, Alabama, where he was educated in the local public schools. He received his Bachelor of Science from Washington and Lee University in 1967 and his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude , in 1971 from the University of Georgia, where he was on the Georgia Law Review and was admitted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Chuck has been with the firm since 1971. His areas of practice include corporate and business organizations and related areas, entity selection/formation, est...