Estate Planning Attorney in New York City

Estate planning is not only for the super rich. If you want a say in what happens to your legacy, you want an estate plan.

My name is Albert Goodwin. I'm an estate planning attorney. I'm going to walk you through what matters when choosing an estate planning attorney, and share how I work with my clients.

Estate planning touches many different parts of your life at once. It takes years of hands-on work to see how all of those pieces fit together. This is what I do every day. I work with families at every stage of life who want to make sure their wishes are carried out and their loved ones are taken care of.

What I do, at its core, is make sure two things happen. That your plan saves on taxes. And that your wishes are carried out after you're gone. Those two things sound simple, but getting them right takes real knowledge and real care.

A lot of my clients end up creating a trust. A trust lets you skip probate. That means your family can settle things smoothly and privately after you pass. But a trust can do more than that. It can cut your tax bill. It can also be set up to help protect you when it comes to Medicaid.

You also want an attorney who knows the courts that handle estates. In New York, that's the Surrogate's Court. I appear there on a regular basis. I know what's needed and how the process works from the inside. A good plan is built around how things actually work, not just how they look on paper.

Here's how we work together. We sit down, talk about your life, your family, your assets, and what you want to happen. Then we build a plan around that. No two plans are alike because no two people are alike. If you own a home or a business, we'll talk about the best way to pass that on to the people you choose, while keeping taxes and costs down.

We prepare your documents with care so there's no room for confusion. We're there when you sign everything, making sure all the legal steps are done correctly.

And when the documents are signed, your plan is in place. If life changes down the road and you want to update things, we're here for that too.

I take the time to explain things in plain terms. The more you understand, the better your plan will be.

If you're ready to get your estate plan in place, I'd love to talk. We go over your goals and give you a clear picture of what makes sense for you and what it will cost. No pressure, no confusing language.

You can contact us by phone at 212-233-1233 or by email at [email protected].

Planning ahead is a real gift to the people you love. It brings peace of mind — for the people you care about as well as for you.