Protecting Families. Preserving Legacies.
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
— Warren Buffett
Law Office of Joshua J. Goldstein, P.C.
New York trusts and estates counsel. Estate planning, probate and estate administration, and trust and estate litigation.
A Practice Built Around the Whole Estate
Most trusts and estates work is handled by lawyers who see one end of it. Planners draft documents they will never have to administer. Litigators arrive after the damage is done. This firm works across the entire life cycle, from the first planning conversation through the final distribution, and that vantage point changes the advice.
It means a plan is drafted by someone who has watched plans fail in Surrogate’s Court, and knows which provisions cause the fights. It means an administration is handled by someone who can see a contest forming and act before it starts. And it means that when litigation cannot be avoided, the firm already understands the instruments at the center of it.
How We Can Help
Estate Planning
Wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney and health care directives, built to hold up when they are needed and structured for the family that will actually use them.
Probate and Estate Administration
Guidance for executors and administrators through Surrogate’s Court from petition through final accounting, including the marshaling, tax and distribution work that follows.
Trust and Estate Litigation
Will contests, contested accountings, discovery and turnover proceedings, and fiduciary removal, for fiduciaries and beneficiaries alike.
Counsel for Difficult Moments
Estate matters arrive at hard times. A death in the family, a diagnosis, a dispute among people who used to be close. The legal questions are real, but they are rarely the only thing in the room.
The firm serves individuals and families throughout the New York City metropolitan area, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, along with Long Island, Westchester and Rockland Counties. Our planning work focuses on preserving family harmony, transferring wealth deliberately, and keeping families out of court. When court is unavoidable, we are already familiar with the terrain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a trust?
Not everyone does. A will directs how your assets pass after your death and takes effect only then. A trust holds assets during your lifetime and after, and depending on how it is structured it can avoid probate, provide for someone who cannot manage money themselves, or protect assets from claims. Which tool fits depends on what you own, how it is titled, and who you are providing for. That analysis is the point of the first meeting.
What happens if I die without a will?
New York’s intestacy statute decides who inherits, in fixed shares that take no account of your intentions, your relationships, or anyone’s circumstances. The court also appoints the person who administers your estate. Both outcomes are frequently not what the family expected, and neither can be corrected afterward.
Who should serve as my executor or trustee?
The right person is organized, financially literate, and able to stay steady under pressure from people they care about. Familiarity with your family and your wishes matters as much as competence, because much of the job is judgment rather than paperwork. We work through the choice with you, including whether the role should be split, shared, or given to a professional.
When should I revisit my estate plan?
After any significant change in your family or your finances, and otherwise every few years. Marriage, divorce, a birth, a death, a move to another state, a sale of a business, or a substantial change in the value of what you own are all reasons to look again. Plans that are never revisited tend to fail on details nobody thought about at signing.
Start the Conversation
Whether you are putting a plan in place for the first time, administering an estate after a death, or facing a dispute over one, the firm is available to help.