Estate & Trust Litigation Attorneys
19,876 verified estate litigation attorneys across the United States. Will contests, trust disputes, fiduciary breach, and elder financial abuse claims. Compare verified estate litigation attorneys nationwide by experience, peer ratings, and client reviews — get matched with counsel in any state, free for clients.
Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award in Estate Planning. Member, Board of Trustees, Sutter Hospitals Foundation, 1989-2001—.
Mr. David Steinfeld is a lawyer practicing 215, business counseling, business law and 16 other areas of law.
Emily A Foehr is a lawyer practicing estate planning for parents of handicapped children, estate planning for unmarried couples, estate planning for t...
Brian H. Nelson is a lawyer practicing wills and probate, trusts and estates, real estate and 6 other areas of law.
Richard M. Morgan has been practicing law in Georgia since 1987.
National College for DUI Defense,Certificate (2010). National College of DUI Defense Summer Session taught at Harvard Law School (2010).
Law Clerk to the Honorable Thomas W. Cooper, Jr., Circuit Judge, 3rd Judicial Circuit, 2001-2002.
Brendan Sweeney serves as Counsel in the firm's Financial Services Litigation Group with a focus on representing financial institutions in all matters...
Mr. Vyzas received his start as a legal aide in the New York State Department of Law, Real Estate Financing Bureau, where he reviewed cooperative, con...
Named one of Georgia Trend Magazine's Legal Elite for 2016 in Tax, Estate, and Trust Law; Selected for Super Lawyers of Georgia (2013, 2014, 2015, 201...
Louis A. Russo is the founding member of Russo Law LLC, a New York and New Jersey business law firm focused on commercial contracts, business acquisit...
Tae Kelley Bronner is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, probate and trust litigation, real property and 3 other areas of law. Tae received a B.A. d...
I am married and have three young children. My family is very much like the family described on the Why You? — Mid-Life page.
As a litigation attorney, Mr. Loew’s primary areas of practice include trust and estate litigation (including will and trust contests), fiduciary liti...
Liane K. Wakayama is a lawyer practicing probate / trust litigation, civil litigation, business disputes and 5 other areas of law.
Peter Michael Spingola is a lawyer practicing litigation, civil litigation, trial practice and 42 other areas of law. Peter received a B.A. degree fro...
Patrick Joseph Reilly is a lawyer practicing estate and trust litigation, divorce, complex civil litigation. Patrick received a B.A. degree from Washi...
Attorney Gary Vanasdale has earned the distinguished AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. This high achievement is earned by a select group of ...
Joseph L. Bierwirth, Jr. is a lawyer practicing probate litigation, real estate litigation, business litigation and 4 other areas of law.
Brandon D. Hamm is a lawyer practicing estate litigation, business succession planning, taxation and 7 other areas of law.
Attorney Joblin C. Younger founded the Law Office of Joblin C.
Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Gamma Mu Honor Societies. Listed as one of the "Top 100" attorneys in the U.S. by Worth Magazine (three times).
Philip S Sousa is a lawyer practicing estate planning, estate planning for parents of handicapped children, estate planning for unmarried couples and ...
Mr. Scott A.
Mr. Andrew Scott Katzenberg is a lawyer practicing asset protection, charitable giving, estate litigation and 8 other areas of law.
Being licensed in Ohio and Michigan, Brad has extensive experience in many areas of law including real estate transactions and litigation, probate and...
About Amie Gartenberg View website Awards AV Preeminent Peer Rated This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers fo...
Andrew David Wyman is a lawyer practicing business litigation, civil litigation, commercial landlord and tenant and 15 other areas of law. Andrew rece...
Datan Zvi Dorot is a lawyer practicing estate planning, taxation, business and taxation and 7 other areas of law. Datan received a B.S. degree from Fl...
Litigating complex matters since 1998 in both state and federal courts, Adam has earned, from his peers, the highest rating for legal ability and ethi...
Daniel Joseph McKenna is a lawyer practicing personal injury, civil litigation, business law and business representation and 7 other areas of law. Dan...
Mr. Robert L Stewart, Jr is a lawyer practicing appellate practice, bankruptcy, business dispute resolution and 21 other areas of law.
Mr. Alberto Emilio Acuna is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, advocacy, civil litigation and 11 other areas of law.
I was fortunate to grow up in Pinellas County with my father being a well-known and respected attorney and community leader. When I started thinking a...
Lisa M Panourgias is a lawyer practicing estate planning, estate litigation, wills and 7 other areas of law. Lisa received a B.A. degree from Wayne St...
Louis Okun is a lawyer practicing estate planning, probate, trusts and 16 other areas of law. Louis received a B.S. degree from University of South Fl...
Jamie J. Roth is a lawyer practicing estate planning, estate & trust administration, conservatorship/guardianship and 10 other areas of law.
Michelle J. Perkins was admitted to the bar in 1994 and practiced solo for two years before co-founding Owens & Perkins with her grandfather, C.D.
My name is Jeremy T. Cranford.
With extensive experience in nearly all types of litigation matters, Dennis L. Abramson concentrates his practice in business, real estate, and health...
Kevin Michael Chen is a lawyer practicing estate planning, probate, trust & estate administration and 12 other areas of law. Kevin received a B.A. deg...
Terence Mark Sternberg is a lawyer practicing business litigation, real estate litigation, trust litigation and 3 other areas of law. Terence has been...
Kennedy E. Lee is a lawyer practicing trusts and estates, probate, wills and probate and 2 other areas of law.
Michael focuses his practice predominantly on litigation. He litigates and arbitrates all aspects of employment and corporate matters on behalf of ind...
Ryan Gressett Reiffert is a lawyer practicing business law, small business law, business formation and 30 other areas of law. Ryan received a B.A. deg...
Mr. Paul Brentwood Derby is a lawyer practicing complex business litigation, real estate litigation, professional negligence and 3 other areas of law.
Jason E. Barth practices law in the field of real estate, construction, trust, and estate planning, business law, and general civil litigation.
Jason E. Barth practices law in the field of real estate, construction, trust, and estate planning, business law, and general civil litigation.
Jordan Blair Isrow is a lawyer practicing administrative, appellate practice, business and 27 other areas of law. Jordan has been licensed for 15 year...
Kathryn Nicole Lewis is a lawyer practicing elder law, estate planning, guardianship and 5 other areas of law. Kathryn received a B.A. degree from Har...
Ms. Heather Durham Nadler is a lawyer practicing elder, fiduciary law, elder law and 1 other area of law.
As a former teacher, I do enjoy those ah-ha moments where things click. I enjoy talking with clients and getting to know them and their situation, so ...
Jason focuses his practice on complex civil litigation involving business and real estate matters. In his business litigation practice, Jason has expe...
Raymond Joseph Koenig III is a lawyer practicing elder law, estate planning & probate, government & public affairs and 7 other areas of law. Raymond r...
John Frederick Karch is a lawyer practicing asset protection, international asset protection, trusts and estates and 28 other areas of law. John recei...
Ms. Erika Dine is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, advocacy, elder law and 10 other areas of law.
Charles Hyunchul Jung is a lawyer practicing litigation, class actions, labor and employment and 18 other areas of law. Charles received a B.A. degree...
Brian A. Glasser is a lawyer practicing appellate and supreme court practice, banking & financial services, bankruptcy & business reorganization and 2...
James K Andrade is a lawyer practicing probate, trust & will disputes, fiduciary misconduct and 9 other areas of law. James received a B.A. degree fro...
Sheila Oretsky is ranked by Chambers USA for her work in commercial litigation and is a Martindale Hubbell AV rated litigator and trial attorney. In 2...
What is Estate Litigation?
Estate Litigation is the branch of law that governs the rights, obligations, and disputes that arise within its subject matter. In the United States, estate litigation sits at the intersection of statutes enacted by Congress, the regulations issued by federal agencies, the laws passed by all fifty state legislatures, and the body of judge-made decisions known as the common law. Because every state writes its own version of the rules, the way estate litigation works in one jurisdiction can look noticeably different from how it works in another, and that is one of the main reasons attorneys in this area focus their practice geographically — to stay fluent in the local statutes, court rules, and judicial preferences that shape outcomes.
At a practical level, Estate Litigation attorneys spend their time on three categories of work. The first is advice and prevention: counselling clients on how to structure transactions, draft documents, and conduct business so that legal risk is minimised before a dispute ever begins. The second is transactional execution: producing the contracts, filings, notices, and registrations that the law actually requires to make a decision legally binding. The third is contested representation: defending or pursuing a client's interests when a dispute escalates to negotiation, regulatory enforcement, arbitration, or litigation in court.
The clients who hire Estate Litigation lawyers range from individuals navigating a single life event to multinational corporations with complex regulatory exposure. What unifies them is the need for an experienced lawyer who knows the relevant code sections, has appeared in the relevant courts, and can translate the strategic options into language a client can act on. AttorneyQnA currently lists 19,876 verified estate litigation attorneys across the United States, each with a public profile showing their bar admissions, years in practice, and the kinds of matters they have handled — with the deepest concentration of practitioners in California.
When do you need an Estate Litigation attorney?
Most people contact an estate litigation lawyer for one of two reasons: something is about to happen that they want done correctly the first time, or something has gone wrong and they need it fixed before it gets worse. The earlier you involve counsel, the more options you usually have, and the lower the cost of getting to a resolution tends to be. The scenarios below are the ones we see most often on AttorneyQnA from prospective clients searching for estate litigation representation.
Once your signature is on a contract, settlement, lease, or release, your bargaining leverage drops sharply. A short pre-signature review by an estate litigation lawyer is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Cease-and-desist letters, regulatory notices, and demand letters all start clocks. Missing the response window can convert a manageable problem into a default judgment or formal enforcement action.
Statutes of limitations, filing windows, and appeal periods are jurisdictional — courts cannot extend them as a favour. If you can identify a date that matters, you need a lawyer before that date arrives.
The moment opposing counsel appears, the conversation moves out of normal English and into procedural language. Continuing unrepresented usually means losing ground you cannot recover later.
Forming an entity, choosing a venue, structuring a deal, or selecting a remedy each has long-term consequences. A consultation at the planning stage is far cheaper than redoing it after the fact.
Multi-state matters bring conflict-of-laws questions that change which statutes apply and which court has authority. An attorney licensed in the right jurisdiction is not optional.
If any of the situations above describes where you are right now, the next step is a focused consultation. Use the Ask a Lawyer tool for short written questions, or browse the 19,876 estate litigation attorneys listed above to book a paid consultation directly.
How to choose an Estate Litigation attorney
The single biggest factor in choosing an estate litigation lawyer is fit with your specific matter. A lawyer with twenty years of estate litigation experience but no exposure to your particular sub-issue can easily be a worse choice than a five-year associate who has handled the same problem repeatedly. We recommend running every prospective lawyer through the same five-step checklist before signing an engagement letter.
- Bar admission in the correct jurisdiction. Confirm the lawyer is admitted in the state — and where relevant, the federal district — where your matter sits. The lawyer's profile on AttorneyQnA shows every bar admission on file, and the underlying state bar's "lawyer lookup" tool will confirm active standing in under a minute.
- Direct experience with your fact pattern. Ask plainly: "How many matters like mine have you handled in the last three years, and how did they resolve?" An honest answer reveals more than years-in-practice alone.
- A written fee agreement. Whether hourly, flat fee, contingent, or hybrid, the engagement letter should specify what is included, what triggers additional charges, and how disputes are handled. Avoid lawyers who resist writing the terms down.
- Communication cadence. Decide upfront how often you expect updates, who your day-to-day contact will be, and what response time is reasonable. The number-one complaint filed with state bar grievance committees is not malpractice — it is non-communication.
- Conflict check + reputation pulse. Make sure the lawyer has run a formal conflict check, then spend ten minutes reading independent reviews and any public disciplinary history. The state bar's website is authoritative for the second; the lawyer's AttorneyQnA profile collects the first.
Once you have a shortlist, schedule consultations with two or three. Lawyers vary widely in temperament, and the right strategic match for your case is sometimes the second or third lawyer you meet — not the first.
How much does an Estate Litigation lawyer cost?
Legal fees in the United States are not regulated by a uniform schedule, so what you pay an estate litigation lawyer depends on the billing model the lawyer offers, the complexity of your matter, and the local market. There are four billing structures used in this practice area; most engagements use one, but hybrid arrangements are increasingly common.
1. Hourly billing
The default model for most non-contingent matters. Rates for estate litigation attorneys in the U.S. typically range from $150–$250/hour in smaller markets to $400–$700/hour in major metropolitan areas, with senior partners at large firms commanding $900/hour and above. Hourly billing is fairest when the scope of work is genuinely unpredictable, but it creates an incentive structure that the client has to monitor.
2. Flat fee
Increasingly used for well-defined transactions — incorporations, will drafting, single-issue filings, uncontested matters. A flat fee tells you exactly what the deliverable will cost, and the lawyer absorbs the risk of unexpected complexity. Ask whether the flat fee includes filing fees, third-party costs, and any post-filing follow-up.
3. Contingency
Where it is permitted by the rules of professional conduct — most often in plaintiff-side estate litigation work involving monetary recovery — the lawyer is paid a percentage of the proceeds, typically 33% before suit is filed and 40% after. The client pays nothing if there is no recovery. Contingency fees align the lawyer's economics with yours, but the percentage compounds across time, so very strong cases sometimes do better on hourly billing.
4. Retainer / subscription
A monthly fee that buys a defined block of access or hours. This is common for businesses with ongoing estate litigation needs — contract review, employee questions, regulatory check-ins. A subscription smooths out spending and gives the lawyer a reason to know your operation in depth.
Whichever model you choose, ask for an itemised written estimate before the engagement begins, and ask explicitly what is not covered. Surprise expenses are the most common source of attorney-client friction.
Frequently asked questions about estate litigation
How quickly can an estate litigation lawyer review my matter?
Most lawyers can schedule an initial consultation within 1–3 business days. Urgent matters — pending deadlines, time-sensitive notices, court-ordered hearings — should be flagged in your first message; many lawyers reserve emergency consultation slots for that reason. If you need a written answer faster, the Ask a Lawyer tool typically returns answers in under 24 hours.
Do I need a estate litigation lawyer in my exact city, or anywhere in my state?
Bar admission is the controlling rule: any attorney licensed in your state can represent you in that state's courts and agencies, regardless of which city they're based in. Practical proximity still matters for in-person meetings, local court familiarity, and access to the local bench and bar. For state-level filings and remote-friendly matters, an attorney elsewhere in the same state often works fine.
Will an initial consultation cost me anything?
Many estate litigation attorneys offer a free 15- to 30-minute initial consultation; others charge a flat consultation fee that may be credited against the engagement if you hire them. The lawyer's profile lists the consultation policy. Free does not always mean better — a fee-based consultation is sometimes the sign of a lawyer who treats their time, and yours, seriously.
What documents should I bring to the first meeting?
Bring every contract, notice, letter, filing, or written communication connected to the matter; a written timeline of events with dates; the names and contact details of every other party involved; and any deadlines or hearing dates you are already aware of. Even an incomplete file is more useful than a verbal summary alone.
Can I change lawyers if I am not happy with mine?
Yes. Clients can discharge their lawyer at any time, for any reason, by written notice. Your case file belongs to you and must be transferred to your new counsel. Any unpaid fees through the date of discharge remain owed; any unearned advance must be refunded. If you are mid-litigation, the court typically must approve the substitution, but approval is routine.
How long does an typical estate litigation matter take?
It depends almost entirely on whether the matter is transactional or contested. A transactional matter — a contract, a filing, a single-step transaction — can resolve in days to weeks. A contested matter — anything involving disputed facts, court intervention, or regulatory action — typically takes months at minimum, and complex cases can run multiple years. Your lawyer should give you a realistic outside estimate at intake.
Are estate litigation lawyer fees tax-deductible?
It depends on the nature of the matter and current tax law. Fees connected to producing or collecting taxable income, managing investment property, or operating a business are often deductible; fees for personal matters generally are not. Because rules change, confirm deductibility with a tax professional for the year in which the fees are paid.
What is the difference between estate litigation and the related practice areas?
Estate Litigation overlaps with several adjacent areas — see the related-practice-area grid below for direct links. Choosing the right lawyer often means picking the one whose primary focus matches the heart of your problem, even if multiple labels could technically apply. When you are unsure, list your situation in your own words to two lawyers from neighbouring areas and ask which one of them is the better fit; honest lawyers will tell you.
Find estate litigation attorneys by state
Each state link below opens the estate litigation roster for that jurisdiction, with the local statute of limitations, court-system overview, and verified attorneys.
Estate Litigation Law Firms
Main Law Firm
Winter Park
Walton Law Firm
San Marcos
Bruner Law Firm
Fort Walton Beach
J&Y Law Firm
Los Angeles
West Law Firm
Charleston
John T. Floyd Law Firm
Houston
Estate Litigation by State
All states →Find estate litigation attorneys in every US state. Each state link opens a hub with verified attorneys, the state filing deadline, and a free attorney match.