A New York estate gets complicated fast. Add a brownstone, a business interest, and a blended family, and a plan written decades ago stops holding up. This guide looks at five New York firms built for estates with real moving parts and where each one fits.
1. Estate Law New York – Built for New York families with layered estates
The firm that keeps a New York legacy clear, calm, and cared for.
What sets Estate Law New York apart is its refusal to practice anywhere but New York. Every matter runs through the state’s Surrogate’s Court and its SCPA rules, so the guidance fits the county where your family actually files. That local footing matters when an estate carries property, a business, and heirs who live in different places.
Attorney Alan Vaitzman, Esq., keeps the work personal, so clients speak with him directly rather than a paralegal. They get plain answers about probate timelines, trust administration, and Medicaid planning, without the fog that makes people avoid the topic for years. The tone stays calm and steady, the kind you want when the conversation touches aging parents and long-term care.
- Five-borough reach. Coverage spans Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, plus Nassau and Westchester.
- Surrogate’s Court fluency. The practice works inside New York’s SCPA and Surrogate’s Court process as daily terrain.
- Long-term care planning. Medicaid planning and trust administration are handled in-house.
Best for: New York families who want one steady guide for planning, probate, and long-term care under state law.
2. Morgan Legal Group – Probate avoidance and estate litigation under one roof
A New York City firm that leans hard into trusts and courtroom estate disputes.
Morgan Legal Group concentrates on wills, trusts, probate, and elder law across New York City. Its calling card is probate avoidance, and the firm pushes revocable living trusts as the tool to keep an estate out of Surrogate’s Court and off the public record.
The firm also litigates. When a will faces a challenge, its attorneys handle SCPA 1404 examinations and contested probate, which suits families bracing for a fight. That courtroom muscle pairs with a broad, high-volume practice, so the team has likely handled a situation close to yours before.
- Trust-first planning. Revocable and irrevocable trusts anchor most of the firm’s estate plans.
- Will-contest litigation. The team defends and challenges wills in Surrogate’s Court.
- Elder law depth. Medicaid and long-term care planning sit alongside the estate work.
- Deep caseload. A high volume of estate matters keeps the team fluent in current Surrogate’s Court practice.
Best for: New Yorkers who expect a will contest or want an aggressive push to avoid probate.
3. Trust and Estates – A litigation-forward option for contested estates
A New York practice that lives in Surrogate’s Court disputes.
Trust and Estates focuses on the contested side of estates. Will challenges, trust disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims, and fiduciary removal actions form its core, all inside New York’s Surrogate’s Court.
Straightforward planning is available too, from wills to revocable and irrevocable trusts. Its real edge is the courtroom, where deep Surrogate’s Court experience gives families a steady hand when a will or trust turns into a fight.
- Dispute focus. Will contests and trust litigation are the firm’s daily work.
- Fiduciary matters. Accountings and fiduciary removal actions are part of the core practice.
- Metro coverage. Service reaches New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester.
- Full-service backing. Planning, probate, asset protection, and elder law sit alongside the litigation work.
Best for: families already in conflict over a will, trust, or executor.
4. McLaughlin & Stern – A century-old full-service firm with an estates group
A large East Coast firm where trusts and estates sit beside many other practices.
McLaughlin & Stern brings more than a hundred years of history and offices in New York, Connecticut, Florida, and California. Its Trusts and Estates group is one practice inside a broad platform that also covers corporate, real estate, tax, litigation, and matrimonial work.
That scale is the draw. A client whose estate ties into a business sale, a divorce, or a tax question can keep the work in one building. Estate planning is one part of that wide platform, which suits clients who value big-firm reach alongside their estate work.
- Big-firm platform. Corporate, tax, real estate, and litigation teams work alongside the estates group.
- Multi-state reach. Offices in New York, Connecticut, Florida, and California support clients with assets across state lines.
- Cross-practice fit. Estate work can connect to business and matrimonial matters in-house.
- One of many practices. The estates group shares the firm with corporate, tax, and litigation teams.
Best for: clients whose estate overlaps with business, tax, or litigation needs.
5. Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano – An elder law firm with an estate planning practice
A Westchester firm that reads estates through the lens of aging and long-term care.
Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano works from White Plains and Somers, with a practice built on elder law, Medicaid planning, and asset protection. Estate planning sits inside that elder law focus, which fits families planning around aging and the cost of long-term care.
The firm’s reach is regional. Its footprint favors Westchester and the Hudson Valley over the five boroughs, so a Manhattan or Brooklyn estate can fall outside its usual terrain. For care-driven planning, the elder law grounding is the draw.
- Elder law core. Medicaid planning and asset protection anchor the practice.
- Care-focused planning. Guardianships and special needs planning round out the elder law work.
- Regional footprint. Offices in White Plains and Somers center the firm on Westchester and the Hudson Valley.
- Estate planning as one piece. Wills and trusts sit within a broader elder law focus.
Best for: families whose estate plan revolves around elder care and long-term care costs.
How the Five Compare
| Company | Main Focus | Best For | Service Area |
| Estate Law New York | New York estate planning, probate, Medicaid | Families wanting one steady NY guide | Five boroughs, Nassau, Westchester |
| Morgan Legal Group | Trusts and probate litigation | Contested wills and probate avoidance | New York City metro |
| Trust and Estates | Trust and estate litigation | Families already in conflict | NYC, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester |
| McLaughlin & Stern | Full-service firm with estates group | Estates tied to business or tax | New York, Connecticut, Florida, California |
| Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano | Elder law, Medicaid, asset protection | Estate plans tied to elder care | Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, NYC |
FAQs
How long does probate take in New York?
Most New York estates move through Surrogate’s Court in about nine to eighteen months. Timelines stretch when a will is contested, heirs are hard to locate, or the estate holds property in more than one county. A revocable living trust can sidestep the process for assets titled to it.
Do I need a trust or just a will in New York?
A will still passes through Surrogate’s Court, which is public and slow. A revocable living trust keeps titled assets private and out of that process. Families with real estate, a business, or out-of-state property often use both, with a pour-over will backing the trust.
What is Medicaid planning, and why does it matter here?
Long-term care in the New York City metro can run past twenty thousand dollars a month. Medicaid planning arranges assets ahead of New York’s five-year lookback so a family avoids spending down everything. An early start gives the plan room to work.
Can I handle a New York estate with out-of-state property?
Yes, though property in another state can trigger a second probate there. Deeding that property into a revocable living trust often removes the need for ancillary probate. A New York firm comfortable with multi-state estates can coordinate the pieces.
What should I bring to a first estate planning meeting?
Bring a rough list of assets, any current will or trust, beneficiary designations, and notes on family circumstances such as minor heirs or a family business. That snapshot lets a New York attorney flag gaps and map next steps in one sitting.
Which Firm Fits Your Situation
If your priority is steady New York planning across probate and long-term care, Estate Law New York is the right call. If you expect a will contest or want an aggressive probate-avoidance push, Morgan Legal Group is worth a look. If your family is already fighting over an estate, Trust and Estates fits the moment. If your estate ties into a business sale or a tax question, McLaughlin & Stern is worth a look. If your estate plan is mostly an elder care plan, Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano fits that narrower need.