When a successful business founder sits across my desk on Madison Avenue, the conversation almost always shifts from immediate tax mitigation to long-term permanence. They
When a grieving family sits in a Brooklyn funeral home trying to recall a passing comment made at a Thanksgiving dinner five years prior, the
You’ve been asked to serve as the trustee for a family friend’s trust in Manhattan. You’re honored, but as the initial warmth of the request
I once had a client whose family found themselves in a waiting room at a Manhattan hospital. Their father was unconscious after a sudden stroke,
A client recently came to our Manhattan office with his father’s will, assuming it was the only document he needed. The father was still alive
When a client’s parent passes away in New York, their entire financial life—everything they owned in their name alone—becomes “the estate.” It is a legal
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent who left behind a multi-family property, two operating businesses, and a will drafted during the Clinton administration, the
A client once came to my office after his father, a successful Brooklyn restaurant owner, died without a will. The father had always been clear
Understanding Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in New York When it comes to planning for long-term care and preserving your assets, a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust
A couple I met with recently in my Manhattan office believed they were in the clear. With a net worth of around $9 million—their home,
I often meet families after it’s too late. A recent case comes to mind—three siblings inherited their parents’ home in Suffolk County, a property they’d
A family in Brooklyn receives a stack of official-looking documents from the Surrogate’s Court. They always assumed that when their father passed, his will would
When a Brooklyn family sits across my desk with a manila envelope of property records belonging to a deceased parent, the first document they usually
I often meet with couples who bought their Brooklyn brownstone in the 1980s. Back then, it was a family home—a place to raise children, not
A few months ago, a man came to my office after his mother passed away in Brooklyn. She had left a will, and he was
When a Manhattan father suffers a severe stroke, his adult children usually look to his desk drawer for answers. If they find only a Last
A family loses a father in Brooklyn. While the house and bank accounts dominate the immediate legal discussions, a very tangible reminder of his absence
When a Brooklyn family discovers a deceased parent’s will, their first assumption is usually that this single document controls everything the parent owned. They prepare
A man I met last year walked into a bank in Manhattan holding his late mother’s will. He was named as the executor and assumed
A client from Queens recently called my office in a panic. Her father had just passed away, leaving behind a modest apartment, some savings, and
I once met with a family in Brooklyn whose father had meticulously handwritten his final wishes. He signed it, dated it, and tucked it into
I once sat with a couple in their late 70s from Queens. They had owned their home for forty years, paid it off, and planned
A client sat in my Manhattan office last week, looking at a draft of their will. “Russel,” he said, “what exactly is a fiduciary? And
When a family walks into our Madison Avenue office following a sudden loss by suicide, the atmosphere is entirely different from a typical estate planning
I once worked with a Brooklyn family whose mother had passed away. Her children found a clear, photocopied will in her desk drawer, but the
When a surviving child sits across from my desk in Manhattan with a box full of their late parent’s mail, they usually express a sense
I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count. A newly-appointed executor—often a grieving son or daughter—walks into a bank in Manhattan to close
A client came to my office last month with a straightforward goal. A lifelong Manhattan resident, she wanted to name her brother—who retired to Florida—as
A client called my office from California last week. His mother had recently passed away in her Brooklyn home, where she had lived for fifty
A business owner in Manhattan passes away unexpectedly. He was divorced, remarried, and had children from both marriages. He always meant to update his estate
