Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates
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State
Nikki Marie Sherwood is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Nikki Marie, who practices law in Boston, Massachusetts, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nikki Marie is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Amy Davis Adams is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Amy Davis, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Amy Davis is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael W. Galligan is a partner in the Trusts & Estates Department at Phillips Nizer LLP, where he practices primarily in the areas of domestic and international estates and trusts, U.S. and cross-border estate and income tax planning, private international law, and immigration. Mr. Galligan concentrates his practice in complex U.S. and international estate planning and the administration of U.S. and non-U.S. trusts, estates and other wealth transfer and wealth preservation vehicles. In ...
Henry J. Leibowitz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Henry J., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Henry J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
John Lessel is an attorney with RMP LLP in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he focuses his practice on Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. He works with individuals, families, and business owners on planning and compliance matters designed to address both current needs and long-term goals. John earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1970. He received his Juris Doctor, with Honors, from the University of San Diego in 1976, followed by a Master...
Joy M. Eckelkamp’s practice focuses on elder law, estate planning, special needs planning, guardianship, probate, trust administration, and fiduciary representation. She is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) with the National Elder Law Foundation and has been recognized with the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer-Reviewed rating for excellence in legal practice. While attending South Texas College of Law Joy was awarded the Inaugural Lyndon B. Johnson Civil Rights Award. Joy is a ...
Jacque Albus is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law and Trusts and Estates. Jacque, who practices law in St. Louis, Missouri, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jacque is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Wayne Eig refers to himself as a business and tax lawyer for individuals and closely held entities, providing advice to clients involved in various business, investment, financial and succession planning activities. Sometimes, his clients are individuals or families, sometimes entities and often a combination of individuals/families and affiliated entities working together. Sometimes, these businesses have great value, sometimes they do not – but all of these clients have needs which re...
Ilene Sherwyn Cooper is a partner practicing litigation and estate planning in Surrogate’s Courts throughout Metropolitan New York. Before joining Farrell Fritz, she served for ten years as the Chief Law Assistant of the Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court. Her responsibilities there included preparing judicial opinions on complex and novel issues; acting as the Trial Assistant to the Surrogate, preparing pretrial memoranda, jury charges, evidentiary rulings and post-trial decisions;...
Joseph E. Tierney, III has more than forty years of experience focused primarily on tax and corporate law for businesses, owner families and individuals. He has particular experience in the design and administration of plans for very large estates, including some whose accumulated assets have totaled in the eight- and nine-figures. He has also been lead counsel in the purchase and sale of numerous businesses and has extensive experience in entity selection and structuring. Because tax consequ...
Kristen Bennett is passionate about the law and enjoys helping her clients navigate potentially confusing areas of estate planning, as well as estate and trust administration, with care, understanding and compassion. She keeps abreast of the ever-changing laws that affect her clients so that she can give them the most up-to-date information possible. Practicing in the firm’s Greater Wilmington, Delaware office, Kristen also provides counsel on taxation and tax planning for individuals a...
Lindsay M. Cummings 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. Lindsay M., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lindsay M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Konrad’s practice focuses on advising high net-worth individuals and businesses with sophisticated tax planning. Prior to joining Lasher, Konrad obtained his CPA and worked as both a tax consultant and auditor gaining a strong understanding and acumen of tax returns, financial statements and business operations. After obtaining his law degree, Konrad went on to advise Fortune 500 companies in sophisticated tax planning and compliance. Konrad now brings his experience to medium-sized bus...
Richard A. Kroll, Esq. has an active practice in the area of Estate Planning, Trusts, and Probate. He is past or current member of the Special Needs Alliance, the Trusts and Estates sections of the New York State Bar Association, Monroe County Bar Associations, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and the Estate Planning Council of Rochester. A graduate of Brighton High School, Hobart College, Suffolk University Law School (where he was editor-in-chief of its Law Review) and Harvard L...
Jenny Heichelbech works to save her estate planning clients money and headaches by structuring their estate plans in a way that protects their family interests while maximizing their tax exemptions and credits. She focuses on being responsive and working efficiently to meet the needs of her clients.
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.