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Wills, Trusts and Estates

Legal Practice

2023 Best Law Firms - Rochester Trusts and Estates Tier 1 Badge
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  • Gov. Hochul Vetoes Bill Requiring Notification and Identification of Agent Under a Power of Attorney
  • New York Governor Vetoes Grieving Families Act and other Amendments to Expand New York’s Wrongful Death Cause of Action
  • Including Digital Assets in Your Modern-day Estate Plan
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Understanding that clients have unique financial situations and personal objectives, we listen carefully and consider all factors involved when advising our clients in developing and implementing successful, customized solutions for the preservation, management and transfer of wealth to the next generation. Our attorneys have extensive experience using comprehensive and sophisticated planning strategies to help clients navigate the seemingly overwhelming complexities of estate planning, disability planning, and elder law and to meet their individual, family, and business succession needs in a tax-efficient and cost-effective manner.

Asset Protection Planning

In today’s highly litigious society, high-net-worth families and business owners who do not have a comprehensive asset protection plan in place risk significant financial loss. Therefore, protecting personal and business assets from lawsuits, creditor claims, bankruptcy, divorce and IRS audits is more important than ever. We help individuals, families, and business owners understand the risks they face, and design asset protection plans to guard against potential liabilities. While asset protection may be effectively provided before a claim or liability arises, it is much more difficult to do so afterwards. Consequently, we work proactively with our clients to implement asset protection strategies designed to deter creditors from pursuing claims and to impede their ability to seize assets or collect judgments. Our proven strategies establish a legal barrier between our clients and their assets to protect their net worth against attack, while avoiding unnecessary estate taxes and related costs. Such strategies include the formation of corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, as well as the use of asset protection trusts.

Business Succession Planning

The decision whether to transfer ownership and/or control of a family business to the next generation is an important and challenging one. Our attorneys have counseled many businesses throughout this process and use sophisticated techniques to help achieve maximum tax benefits. It is crucial that entrepreneurs and business owners plan for the transition of their businesses upon retirement or death. Business succession and exit strategies involve complicated details that must be addressed by a business and estate planning attorney equipped with advanced knowledge of business transition. We advise clients planning for the orderly transfer of the management and ownership of family businesses. In addition, we have considerable experience addressing both business and personal objectives facing founding business owners, minority shareholders and succeeding generations. For example, ensuring that all children share equally in a parent’s estate can be difficult if only one child wishes to participate in the family business. Our attorneys have developed effective approaches for handling this situation and other sensitive and complex succession planning challenges. Attorneys from the Wills, Trusts and Estates Practice Group often team with our Corporate and Tax Law attorneys to provide comprehensive business succession planning solutions that minimize the impact of estate and gift taxes and provide for the orderly transition of family businesses.

Charitable and Philanthropic Planning

Our attorneys assist clients in fulfilling their charitable objectives by creating trusts with favorable income and estate tax benefits. For some clients, this means establishing a family charitable foundation to allow their descendants to continue the family tradition of making charitable gifts. For other clients, this means establishing charitable remainder trusts so they may retain the use and benefit of the trust property for their lifetime, while naming one or more charities to receive the trust property when they die.

Cross-Border Tax and Estate Planning

U.S. citizens, non-U.S. citizens, and multinational families may have property in more than one country. Our attorneys combine sophisticated estate and tax planning with careful consideration of non-tax issues that promote family harmony and the successful management of worldwide assets. To that end, we prepare qualified domestic trusts for non-U.S. citizen spouses, engage in pre-immigration planning and asset protection for individuals preparing to move to the United States, and structure the ownership of worldwide assets using trusts, corporations and other entities. With offices across New York state and a collaborative relationship with one of Canada’s largest law firms, Harris Beach is well positioned to resolve U.S./Canada estate planning and succession issues. Whether you own Canadian assets, live abroad or have non-U.S. citizen family members, our attorneys navigate the interplay between the U.S. and Canadian tax regimes.

Elder Law and Special Needs Planning

Elder Law and Long-Term Care Planning

We have developed effective strategies to assist clients in dealing with the concerns and challenges that come with aging. For instance, we have established living trusts for many of our aging clients. With such a trust, a family member or a trust company can take responsibility for managing our client’s property should our client become disabled. This type of trust can also be used to distribute a client’s estate without having to navigate the probate process.

Applying for Medicaid to meet the escalating costs of long-term care can be a daunting and lengthy process. Our attorneys’ extensive experience handling Medicaid matters allows them to identify and address issues before they become problems to help ensure a smooth and timely approval of Medicaid benefits. Upon Medicaid approval, we implement strategies that enable our clients to preserve part of their assets for their family, while continuing to receive skilled nursing home care.

Estate and Trust Administration

The accumulation of wealth without proper planning can result in the dilution of a person’s estate. Our attorneys see three critical elements to an estate plan: (1) building the estate, (2) protecting the estate and (3) distributing the estate to the beneficiaries. We prepare probate petitions, accountings for executors and trustees, fiduciary income tax and estate tax returns, and inventories of estate and trust assets and liabilities. We consider all tax planning alternatives, including taking advantage of certain tax elections, disclaimers and other “post-mortem” techniques. Our attorneys have successfully represented estates in tax controversies with the IRS and state tax authorities. We also have significant experience litigating questions involving the validity and interpretation of Wills and Trusts. Moreover, we ensure that estate and trust assets are properly accounted for, appraisals are obtained, tax filing requirements are met, and distributions of estate and trust assets are made in a correct and timely fashion. Our attorneys combine extensive experience and an understanding of the emotional issues that arise to ease the executor’s or trustee’s responsibilities involved in marshaling, liquidating, administering and transferring assets upon the death of a family member.

Estate Planning Services

No one likes to think about life’s difficult “what ifs.” What if I have a devastating injury or illness and cannot care for myself? What if I suddenly die? Who will ensure that my estate goes to those I love and the causes I support? Taking action now to safeguard assets is one of the best decisions a person can make. Estate planning is a lifelong process in which individuals regularly evaluate their immediate situations as they plan for future needs. Estate plans are fluid documents which should be reviewed and updated as life events occur, such as the birth of a child, a change in marital status, an inheritance or acquisition of significant assets, retirement or the death of a spouse. Our attorneys have a long history of providing careful and thorough trust and estate planning services. Because each client’s circumstances are unique, we do not offer “one size fits all” trust and estate plans. We advise clients who need a simple Will, Power of Attorney, and Health Care Declaration (which includes a Health Care Proxy and Living Will), as well as those in need of highly sophisticated estate planning services. We craft customized estate plans involving insurance, life estates, trusts and other techniques to help our clients meet their goals. Our highly personal approach to estate planning also takes into consideration the family dynamics and individual personalities that invariably affect estate planning decisions.

Last Will and Testament

A Last Will and Testament is just one part of a comprehensive estate plan. If a person dies without a Will, he or she is said to have died “intestate,” and state laws will determine how and to whom the person’s assets will be distributed. Ultimately, a Will is a formal set of instructions to the probate court detailing how a person wants to dispose of his or her assets upon death. A Will may also be used to nominate an executor (or personal representative) of a person’s estate, as well as a guardian for minor children.

Power of Attorney

A Power of Attorney is a legal document giving an attorney-in-fact the legal right to act on someone’s behalf. The amount of power granted depends upon the terms of the document. A Power of Attorney may be very broad or very specific. Powers of Attorney terminate upon the death of the maker, and may terminate when the maker becomes incapacitated.

Health Care Documents (or Advance Directives)

No one wants to watch a loved one deteriorate on life support because there were no advance directives specifying how the individual should be treated in a catastrophic medical situation. An advance directive is a document that specifies the kind of medical and personal care that a person would want in the event that he or she is unable to speak for himself or herself. An advance directive can specify who will make and communicate decisions on someone’s behalf, and can set out the circumstances under which a person would not like his or her life to be prolonged. Ultimately, an advance directive provides greater peace of mind when making decisions about life support and other end-of-life actions.

Estate Planning for Non-Traditional Families

Non-traditional families constitute a significant sector of our population and often face unique estate planning challenges. Estate planning for unmarried couples (same-sex or heterosexual), blended families, and second marriages requires a thorough understanding of applicable state and federal income, gift tax, and estate laws to prevent costly and potentially relationship-damaging litigation. Our attorneys are familiar with the estate planning issues confronting the non-traditional family and have experience in providing creative legal solutions to meet their unique needs.

Florida Law

Because many of our clients have ties to Florida, we offer a full range of estate planning and estate administration services, not only for Florida residents, but also for New York residents who own property in Florida. A number of our Wills, Trusts and Estates attorneys are admitted to practice in Florida as well as New York state.

Guardianships

Families with incapacitated, elderly or developmentally disabled members increasingly encounter legal and practical issues surrounding long-term care and support. Our attorneys help clients in establishing guardianships to provide assistance to those who are unable to independently manage their financial and personal matters. We counsel clients on a wide spectrum of guardianship and conservatorship matters from court actions to administration. Through proper planning, we allow individuals to predetermine medical and financial decisions, thus lessening the burden of difficult choices and anxiety for family members.

Personal Tax Planning

Our attorneys continuously monitor tax law developments and utilize innovative planning strategies to help clients minimize their tax liability. We address a broad range of tax issues, including, but not limited to, charitable giving, intra-family gifts, separation or divorce, change of employment and change of domicile.

Pre- and Post-Nuptial Agreements

Our attorneys assist couples by drafting, reviewing and providing legal advice concerning pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. Pre-nuptial agreements are contracts between two individuals planning marriage which express their decisions regarding debts, assets, property, finances and other matters. In the absence of a pre-nuptial agreement, spouses are subject to state laws regarding property ownership and support should they divorce, and to state probate laws should one spouse die. A properly drafted pre-nuptial agreement takes precedence over marital property, divorce and probate laws.

Post-nuptial agreements are entered into by spouses after they are married and before a divorce. These agreements take into account similar decisions as pre-nuptial agreements. The parties agree upon a division of certain assets. Post-nuptial agreements are effectuated either at the time of the agreement or at some future event, such as the dissolution of marriage or death of a spouse. Our attorneys provide advice necessary to help ensure that pre- and post-nuptial agreements prevent costly litigation between spouses and serve our clients’ best interests in providing future security.

Retirement Planning

Qualified retirement plans and IRAs are a major asset for most clients. However, the tax issues governing distributions can be bewildering. We assist our clients by preparing beneficiary designations that have favorable tax consequences. In appropriate cases, we help our clients use their retirement benefits to carry out their charitable objectives at substantial tax savings.

Special Needs Planning

Caring for an individual with special needs presents families with unique challenges that require experienced legal advice and counsel. If you suddenly pass away or become incapacitated, who will take care of your special needs family member? Who will make his or her financial, health care and legal decisions? How can you leave him or her a portion of your estate while ensuring that he or she will still qualify for state and federal benefits? Our attorneys understand these challenges and are experienced in developing effective estate plans and establishing the necessary trusts and guardianships to ensure a high quality of life for special needs individuals.

We assist clients with guardianships to help ensure that their special needs family member has a future advocate who can make personal decisions for him or her. Our attorneys establish supplemental needs trusts to help beneficiaries by augmenting government benefits and paying for goods, services and equipment not covered by Medicaid. We provide guidance on the various benefit programs for special needs individuals and the requirements for Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability and Medicaid benefits. Additionally, we help clients have a better understanding of Special Education resources available to support special needs children.

Wills, Trusts and Estates Litigation

Practice Leader(s)

Audrey Peartree

Audrey Patrone Peartree

Member

People

Ryan Belanger

Ryan J. Belanger

Associate
Darius Chafizadeh

Darius P. Chafizadeh

Member
Don Crittenden

Don R. Crittenden

Senior Counsel
Brendan Ewing

Brendan H. Ewing

Associate
Meaghan Feenan

Meaghan T. Feenan (Lambert)

Senior Counsel
Myles Fischer

Myles B. Fischer

Member
Julian Modesti

Julian B. Modesti

Member
Lisa Powers

Lisa M. Powers

Senior Counsel
Christina Suits

Christina M. Suits

Senior Counsel
Judy Cuzzacrea Wagner

Judy N. Wagner

Member

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All Blogs, All Insights, Wills, Trusts & Estates Blog |
 February 6, 2023
Including Digital Assets in Your Modern-day Estate Plan
In the ever-increasing digital world, it is important to consider your digital assets when preparing your estate plan....read more
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 January 31, 2023
New York Makes Changes to Notary Public Laws for In-Person and Electronic Notarizations
In New York State, notaries who register with the Department of State and comply with new rules, can perform electronic notarizations. ...read more
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 January 31, 2023
New York Governor Vetoes Grieving Families Act and other Amendments to Expand New York’s Wrongful Death Cause of Action
Governor Hochul vetoed the NYS Grieving Families Act which would have overturned century-old law that bars plaintiffs in wrongful death suit...read more
All Blogs, All Insights, Wills, Trusts & Estates Blog |
 December 21, 2022
Gov. Hochul Vetoes Bill Requiring Notification and Identification of Agent Under a Power of Attorney
Gov. Kathy Hochul recently vetoed a bill that would have changed the notification requirements for trust beneficiaries and fiduciaries....read more
All Insights, All Blogs, Wills, Trusts & Estates Blog |
 November 7, 2022
Veterans Day: Benefits For Those Planning Their Estates
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs offers a myriad of programs to veterans and their beneficiaries....read more
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 October 21, 2022
Retirement Accounts: Much Needed Clarity Regarding the 10-Year Rule
New changes to the Internal Revenue Code have introduced new rules altering the RMD rules for plan participants and their beneficiaries...read more
All Insights, All Blogs, Wills, Trusts & Estates Blog |
 September 29, 2022
Harris Beach Attorney to Speak on Estate Planning
Partner Myles Fischer will speak on estate planning in an upcoming presentation with Jewish Family Services of Northeastern New York....read more
All Blogs, All Insights, Wills, Trusts & Estates Blog |
 September 26, 2022
Make Sure Stepchildren are Cared for in Estate Planning
Laws of inheritance apply to biological children and formally adopted children. If you do not have the legal relationship, you need to make ...read more
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 September 7, 2022
Snowbird? We Can Help With Estate Planning For Those Living In Two Places
Splitting time between two or more places you love is a much-desired retirement dream for many. Some are “snowbirds” – those who live farthe...read more

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Wills, Trusts and Estates

Legal Practice

■ Profile

Understanding that clients have unique financial situations and personal objectives, we listen carefully and consider all factors involved when advising our clients in developing and implementing successful, customized solutions for the preservation, management and transfer of wealth to the next generation. Our attorneys have extensive experience using comprehensive and sophisticated planning strategies to help clients navigate the seemingly overwhelming complexities of estate planning, disability planning, and elder law and to meet their individual, family, and business succession needs in a tax-efficient and cost-effective manner.

■ Services

Asset Protection Planning

In today’s highly litigious society, high-net-worth families and business owners who do not have a comprehensive asset protection plan in place risk significant financial loss. Therefore, protecting personal and business assets from lawsuits, creditor claims, bankruptcy, divorce and IRS audits is more important than ever. We help individuals, families, and business owners understand the risks they face, and design asset protection plans to guard against potential liabilities. While asset protection may be effectively provided before a claim or liability arises, it is much more difficult to do so afterwards. Consequently, we work proactively with our clients to implement asset protection strategies designed to deter creditors from pursuing claims and to impede their ability to seize assets or collect judgments. Our proven strategies establish a legal barrier between our clients and their assets to protect their net worth against attack, while avoiding unnecessary estate taxes and related costs. Such strategies include the formation of corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, as well as the use of asset protection trusts.

Business Succession Planning

The decision whether to transfer ownership and/or control of a family business to the next generation is an important and challenging one. Our attorneys have counseled many businesses throughout this process and use sophisticated techniques to help achieve maximum tax benefits. It is crucial that entrepreneurs and business owners plan for the transition of their businesses upon retirement or death. Business succession and exit strategies involve complicated details that must be addressed by a business and estate planning attorney equipped with advanced knowledge of business transition. We advise clients planning for the orderly transfer of the management and ownership of family businesses. In addition, we have considerable experience addressing both business and personal objectives facing founding business owners, minority shareholders and succeeding generations. For example, ensuring that all children share equally in a parent’s estate can be difficult if only one child wishes to participate in the family business. Our attorneys have developed effective approaches for handling this situation and other sensitive and complex succession planning challenges. Attorneys from the Wills, Trusts and Estates Practice Group often team with our Corporate and Tax Law attorneys to provide comprehensive business succession planning solutions that minimize the impact of estate and gift taxes and provide for the orderly transition of family businesses.

Charitable and Philanthropic Planning

Our attorneys assist clients in fulfilling their charitable objectives by creating trusts with favorable income and estate tax benefits. For some clients, this means establishing a family charitable foundation to allow their descendants to continue the family tradition of making charitable gifts. For other clients, this means establishing charitable remainder trusts so they may retain the use and benefit of the trust property for their lifetime, while naming one or more charities to receive the trust property when they die.

Cross-Border Tax and Estate Planning

U.S. citizens, non-U.S. citizens, and multinational families may have property in more than one country. Our attorneys combine sophisticated estate and tax planning with careful consideration of non-tax issues that promote family harmony and the successful management of worldwide assets. To that end, we prepare qualified domestic trusts for non-U.S. citizen spouses, engage in pre-immigration planning and asset protection for individuals preparing to move to the United States, and structure the ownership of worldwide assets using trusts, corporations and other entities. With offices across New York state and a collaborative relationship with one of Canada’s largest law firms, Harris Beach is well positioned to resolve U.S./Canada estate planning and succession issues. Whether you own Canadian assets, live abroad or have non-U.S. citizen family members, our attorneys navigate the interplay between the U.S. and Canadian tax regimes.

Elder Law and Special Needs Planning

Elder Law and Long-Term Care Planning

We have developed effective strategies to assist clients in dealing with the concerns and challenges that come with aging. For instance, we have established living trusts for many of our aging clients. With such a trust, a family member or a trust company can take responsibility for managing our client’s property should our client become disabled. This type of trust can also be used to distribute a client’s estate without having to navigate the probate process.

Applying for Medicaid to meet the escalating costs of long-term care can be a daunting and lengthy process. Our attorneys’ extensive experience handling Medicaid matters allows them to identify and address issues before they become problems to help ensure a smooth and timely approval of Medicaid benefits. Upon Medicaid approval, we implement strategies that enable our clients to preserve part of their assets for their family, while continuing to receive skilled nursing home care.

Estate and Trust Administration

The accumulation of wealth without proper planning can result in the dilution of a person’s estate. Our attorneys see three critical elements to an estate plan: (1) building the estate, (2) protecting the estate and (3) distributing the estate to the beneficiaries. We prepare probate petitions, accountings for executors and trustees, fiduciary income tax and estate tax returns, and inventories of estate and trust assets and liabilities. We consider all tax planning alternatives, including taking advantage of certain tax elections, disclaimers and other “post-mortem” techniques. Our attorneys have successfully represented estates in tax controversies with the IRS and state tax authorities. We also have significant experience litigating questions involving the validity and interpretation of Wills and Trusts. Moreover, we ensure that estate and trust assets are properly accounted for, appraisals are obtained, tax filing requirements are met, and distributions of estate and trust assets are made in a correct and timely fashion. Our attorneys combine extensive experience and an understanding of the emotional issues that arise to ease the executor’s or trustee’s responsibilities involved in marshaling, liquidating, administering and transferring assets upon the death of a family member.

Estate Planning Services

No one likes to think about life’s difficult “what ifs.” What if I have a devastating injury or illness and cannot care for myself? What if I suddenly die? Who will ensure that my estate goes to those I love and the causes I support? Taking action now to safeguard assets is one of the best decisions a person can make. Estate planning is a lifelong process in which individuals regularly evaluate their immediate situations as they plan for future needs. Estate plans are fluid documents which should be reviewed and updated as life events occur, such as the birth of a child, a change in marital status, an inheritance or acquisition of significant assets, retirement or the death of a spouse. Our attorneys have a long history of providing careful and thorough trust and estate planning services. Because each client’s circumstances are unique, we do not offer “one size fits all” trust and estate plans. We advise clients who need a simple Will, Power of Attorney, and Health Care Declaration (which includes a Health Care Proxy and Living Will), as well as those in need of highly sophisticated estate planning services. We craft customized estate plans involving insurance, life estates, trusts and other techniques to help our clients meet their goals. Our highly personal approach to estate planning also takes into consideration the family dynamics and individual personalities that invariably affect estate planning decisions.

Last Will and Testament

A Last Will and Testament is just one part of a comprehensive estate plan. If a person dies without a Will, he or she is said to have died “intestate,” and state laws will determine how and to whom the person’s assets will be distributed. Ultimately, a Will is a formal set of instructions to the probate court detailing how a person wants to dispose of his or her assets upon death. A Will may also be used to nominate an executor (or personal representative) of a person’s estate, as well as a guardian for minor children.

Power of Attorney

A Power of Attorney is a legal document giving an attorney-in-fact the legal right to act on someone’s behalf. The amount of power granted depends upon the terms of the document. A Power of Attorney may be very broad or very specific. Powers of Attorney terminate upon the death of the maker, and may terminate when the maker becomes incapacitated.

Health Care Documents (or Advance Directives)

No one wants to watch a loved one deteriorate on life support because there were no advance directives specifying how the individual should be treated in a catastrophic medical situation. An advance directive is a document that specifies the kind of medical and personal care that a person would want in the event that he or she is unable to speak for himself or herself. An advance directive can specify who will make and communicate decisions on someone’s behalf, and can set out the circumstances under which a person would not like his or her life to be prolonged. Ultimately, an advance directive provides greater peace of mind when making decisions about life support and other end-of-life actions.

Estate Planning for Non-Traditional Families

Non-traditional families constitute a significant sector of our population and often face unique estate planning challenges. Estate planning for unmarried couples (same-sex or heterosexual), blended families, and second marriages requires a thorough understanding of applicable state and federal income, gift tax, and estate laws to prevent costly and potentially relationship-damaging litigation. Our attorneys are familiar with the estate planning issues confronting the non-traditional family and have experience in providing creative legal solutions to meet their unique needs.

Florida Law

Because many of our clients have ties to Florida, we offer a full range of estate planning and estate administration services, not only for Florida residents, but also for New York residents who own property in Florida. A number of our Wills, Trusts and Estates attorneys are admitted to practice in Florida as well as New York state.

Guardianships

Families with incapacitated, elderly or developmentally disabled members increasingly encounter legal and practical issues surrounding long-term care and support. Our attorneys help clients in establishing guardianships to provide assistance to those who are unable to independently manage their financial and personal matters. We counsel clients on a wide spectrum of guardianship and conservatorship matters from court actions to administration. Through proper planning, we allow individuals to predetermine medical and financial decisions, thus lessening the burden of difficult choices and anxiety for family members.

Personal Tax Planning

Our attorneys continuously monitor tax law developments and utilize innovative planning strategies to help clients minimize their tax liability. We address a broad range of tax issues, including, but not limited to, charitable giving, intra-family gifts, separation or divorce, change of employment and change of domicile.

Pre- and Post-Nuptial Agreements

Our attorneys assist couples by drafting, reviewing and providing legal advice concerning pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. Pre-nuptial agreements are contracts between two individuals planning marriage which express their decisions regarding debts, assets, property, finances and other matters. In the absence of a pre-nuptial agreement, spouses are subject to state laws regarding property ownership and support should they divorce, and to state probate laws should one spouse die. A properly drafted pre-nuptial agreement takes precedence over marital property, divorce and probate laws.

Post-nuptial agreements are entered into by spouses after they are married and before a divorce. These agreements take into account similar decisions as pre-nuptial agreements. The parties agree upon a division of certain assets. Post-nuptial agreements are effectuated either at the time of the agreement or at some future event, such as the dissolution of marriage or death of a spouse. Our attorneys provide advice necessary to help ensure that pre- and post-nuptial agreements prevent costly litigation between spouses and serve our clients’ best interests in providing future security.

Retirement Planning

Qualified retirement plans and IRAs are a major asset for most clients. However, the tax issues governing distributions can be bewildering. We assist our clients by preparing beneficiary designations that have favorable tax consequences. In appropriate cases, we help our clients use their retirement benefits to carry out their charitable objectives at substantial tax savings.

Special Needs Planning

Caring for an individual with special needs presents families with unique challenges that require experienced legal advice and counsel. If you suddenly pass away or become incapacitated, who will take care of your special needs family member? Who will make his or her financial, health care and legal decisions? How can you leave him or her a portion of your estate while ensuring that he or she will still qualify for state and federal benefits? Our attorneys understand these challenges and are experienced in developing effective estate plans and establishing the necessary trusts and guardianships to ensure a high quality of life for special needs individuals.

We assist clients with guardianships to help ensure that their special needs family member has a future advocate who can make personal decisions for him or her. Our attorneys establish supplemental needs trusts to help beneficiaries by augmenting government benefits and paying for goods, services and equipment not covered by Medicaid. We provide guidance on the various benefit programs for special needs individuals and the requirements for Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability and Medicaid benefits. Additionally, we help clients have a better understanding of Special Education resources available to support special needs children.

Wills, Trusts and Estates Litigation

■ People

Team Leaders

Audrey Patrone Peartree

Member
(585) 419-8710
apeartree@harrisbeach.com

Team

Ryan J. Belanger

Associate
(585) 419-8943
rbelanger@harrisbeach.com

Darius P. Chafizadeh

Member
(914) 683-1212
dchafizadeh@harrisbeach.com

Don R. Crittenden

Senior Counsel
(607) 330-7726
dcrittenden@harrisbeach.com

Brendan H. Ewing

Associate
(585) 419-8654
bewing@harrisbeach.com

Meaghan T. Feenan (Lambert)

Senior Counsel
(518) 701-2742
mfeenan@harrisbeach.com

Myles B. Fischer

Member
(518) 701-2718
mfischer@harrisbeach.com

Julian B. Modesti

Member
(315) 214-2004
jmodesti@harrisbeach.com

Audrey Patrone Peartree

Member
(585) 419-8710
apeartree@harrisbeach.com

Lisa M. Powers

Senior Counsel
(585) 419-8869
lpowers@harrisbeach.com

Christina M. Suits

Senior Counsel
(518) 701-2735
csuits@harrisbeach.com

Judy N. Wagner

Member
(716) 200-5157
jwagner@harrisbeach.com

Harris Beach and its subsidiaries provide a full range of legal and professional services for clients across New York state, as well as nationally and internationally. Harris Beach is among the country’s top law firms as ranked by The National Law Journal and is among the BTI Elite law firms based on in-depth interviews of more than 600 corporate counsel at the world’s largest and most influential companies. Our clients include Fortune 100 corporations, privately-held companies, emerging businesses, public sector entities, not-for-profit organizations and individuals. Principal industries we represent include education, energy, financial, food and beverage, health care, insurance, manufacturing, medical and life sciences, real estate developers, and state and local governments and authorities.

Industry Teams
Automotive and Vehicle Dealerships
Blockchain and Digital Assets 
Cannabis
Construction and Surety
Educational Institutions Higher Ed
Educational Institutions K-12
EMS and Fire Protection Providers
Energy
Financial Institutions and Capital Markets
Food and Beverage
Health Care
Industrial and Consumer Manufacturing
Medical and Life Sciences
Municipalities and Local Agencies
Nanotechnology
Photonics
Racing and Gaming
Real Estate Developers
Science and Technology
Telecommunications and Media
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
USA Collegiate Sports
Veterinary Medicine

Practices
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Appellate
Business and Commercial Litigation
Collection Law
Commercial Real Estate
Corporate
Cybersecurity Protection and Response
Diversity Compliance
E-Discovery (e-infoSM)
Employee Benefits
Employment Litigation
Environmental Law
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
Financial Restructuring, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights
Government Compliance and Investigations
Health Law
Immigration Law
Insurance Coverage
Intellectual Property Law
International Trade Law
Internet Law
Labor and Employment Law
Mass Torts and Industry-Wide Litigation
New Markets Tax Credit
Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law
Product Liability and Comprehensive General Liability
Public Finance and Economic Development
Real Property Valuation Litigation
Residential Real Estate
Tax Law
White Collar Crime
Wills, Trusts and Estates

Consulting Services
HB Solutions LLC
Collegiate Sports Compliance
Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
Economic Development and Public Affairs
Educational Institution Assistance
EMRG® (E-Discovery Management Resources Group)
Energy
Health and Human Services
Human Resources
Information Technology
Marketing and Communication Services
Municipal and Local Agency Assistance

HB Cornerstone LLC
Owner Representation
Design Services
Facilities Consulting
Move Management

Caetra.io
CyMetric (Cybersecurity Regulation Compliance Software)

Offices throughout New York:

Albany
677 Broadway
Albany, NY 12207
518-427-9700

Buffalo
726 Exchange Street
Buffalo, NY 14210
716-200-5050

Ithaca
119 East Seneca Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-273-6444

Long Island
333 Earle Ovington Boulevard
Uniondale, NY 11553
516-880-8484

New York City
100 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
212-687-0100

Rochester
99 Garnsey Road
Pittsford, NY 14534
585-419-8800

Saratoga Springs
513 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518-587-0551

Syracuse
333 West Washington Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-423-7100

White Plains
445 Hamilton Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
914-683-1200

Offices also in:

New Haven, CT
195 Church Street
New Haven, CT 06510
203-784-3159

Newark, NJ
One Gateway Center
Newark, NJ 07102
973-848-1244

Washington, DC
800-685-1429

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
© 2022 Harris Beach PLLC

Content current as of February 8, 2023 5:59 am
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