Trusts & Estates Attorney

Job Description

Job Description

We are seeking a personable, detail-oriented Trusts & Estates Attorney to build and manage a growing private-client practice. The attorney will advise individuals, families, fiduciaries, and business owners on estate-planning strategies; prepare core planning documents; and guide clients through New Jersey probate and trust/estate administration. The scope reflects common North Jersey needs, including wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, health-care directives, probate, fiduciary matters, and tax-sensitive or business-succession planning.lindabury+2

Core Responsibilities

• Meet with prospective and existing clients, identify planning goals, and deliver clear, compassionate legal advice.
• Draft and review wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, health-care proxies, beneficiary designations, and related estate-planning documents.
• Handle probate and estate administration matters, including preparation of Surrogate’s Court filings, asset collection, creditor issues, distributions, fiduciary communications, and estate closings.
• Advise executors, administrators, trustees, beneficiaries, and families on fiduciary duties and trust/estate-administration issues.
• Handle or support matters involving guardianships, contested probate, will or trust disputes, fiduciary accountings, and settlement negotiations, as experience permits.
• Identify issues requiring estate, gift, income-tax, Medicaid-planning, asset-protection, or business-succession analysis; coordinate with CPAs, financial advisors, insurance professionals, and outside tax counsel when appropriate.
• Maintain accurate matter files, deadlines, billing records, and client communications.
• Participate in business development through referral relationships, community networking, professional presentations, and client follow-up.

Required Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active admission in good standing to the New Jersey Bar.
• 3+ years of substantive trusts-and-estates, estate-planning, probate, or estate-administration experience; exceptional junior candidates with direct practice exposure may be considered.
• Demonstrated ability to independently draft sophisticated, customized estate-planning documents.
• Working knowledge of New Jersey probate practice, Surrogate’s Court procedures, fiduciary responsibilities, and estate-administration workflow.
• Strong legal writing, client-counseling, organization, and deadline-management skills.
• Comfortable working directly with clients and taking ownership of matters in a lean, entrepreneurial firm environment.
• Professional judgment, discretion, empathy, and a service-oriented approach with clients during sensitive family transitions.