The best estate planning lawyers in NYC in 2026 for wills, trusts and estate administration include Withers for cross-border families, Seward & Kissel and Carter Ledyard & Milburn for established private-client practices, Farrell Fritz for trusts and estates litigation, and Day Pitney, McLaughlin & Stern and Proskauer's private client group.
An international private-client firm, ideal for cross-border families.
Withers is a global law firm built around private clients, with a large New York office advising on estate planning, trusts and the tax issues of families with assets in several countries.
A long-established New York firm with a respected trusts and estates group.
Seward & Kissel's trusts and estates practice advises families on wills, trusts, estate administration and charitable planning.
1 Battery Park Plaza, New York, NY 10004
A historic Manhattan firm with a strong private-client practice.
Carter Ledyard & Milburn, founded in the 1800s, has a long-standing trusts and estates practice handling estate planning and administration.
28 Liberty St, New York, NY 10005
Known for trusts and estates litigation as well as planning.
Farrell Fritz has one of the region's largest trusts and estates practices, including a well-known estate litigation team.
A firm with a deep individual-clients practice.
Day Pitney's individual clients group advises on estate planning, trusts, tax and family-office matters from its New York office.
A century-old Manhattan firm with a trusts and estates practice.
McLaughlin & Stern, founded in 1898, has a trusts and estates practice advising on wills, trusts, estate administration and elder law.
A major firm's private client group for complex wealth planning.
Proskauer's private client services group advises on sophisticated estate, gift and generation-skipping tax planning, trusts and philanthropy.
11 Times Square, New York, NY 10036
Yes. New York State has its own estate tax with a lower exemption than the federal one, and a 'cliff' that can tax the whole estate if it exceeds the exemption by more than 5%. Planning with an attorney matters.
Probate is the court process, handled by the Surrogate's Court in each county, that validates a will and appoints an executor.