In addition to the NYC schoolsbusinesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs we represent, we help meet the needs of individuals in connection with their life-cycle events.  Whether negotiating a pre-nuptial agreement, buying a first or second house or apartment, drafting a will, living will, health care proxy or power of attorney, representing a client in connection with a separation, divorce, or family court matter, or working through the probate or estate administration process after a death, the Firm’s attorneys are available to provide the representation that families and individuals need.   Our NYC lawyers, professionals, and support staff provide also provide ongoing counsel and support to high net worth individuals, families, and their professional advisors, representatives, and staff members on a range of matters related to their investment, acquisition, operation, management, and disposition of businesses and real estate. 

The services the Firm provides to business and not-for-profit NYC clients are also available to individuals as they pursue investments in business and real estate, serve boards and engage in philanthropy.

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Our Clients 

Individuals, couples, families, executors of estates, trustees.

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What We Do

Wills, Trusts and Estates

Estate Planning

Our NYC probate lawyers have counseled and advised hundreds of local families and persons of all ages concerning the planning of their estates.  They provide basic, affordable services to manage and preserve the assets of middle income families, as well as more extensive estate planning to persons of greater wealth utilizing multiple strategies to transfer assets with minimal financial impact.

In addition to wills and estate planning instruments, our experience has shown that the utilization of basic documents such as living wills, health care proxies and powers of probate attorney can minimize the difficulties many families face.

Our services include:

  • Wills
  • Living Wills
  • Health Care Proxies
  • Asset Transfers to Preserve Wealth
  • Guardianship concerning disabled/incompetent adults
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Estate Planning/Asset Preservation

Probate/Administration

Following the sadness and tragedy of the loss of a loved one, multiple legal issues and questions arise. Our NYC will lawyers at Cohen Schneider LLP have assisted and represented thousands of families over more than 30 years in addressing these issues.

Our probate law attorneys routinely handle both simple and complex estate matters, contested and without opposition, in the Surrogates Courts of the five counties of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland.

We have also frequently represented individuals from the United States and abroad concerning New York estate issue and have also provided counsel and representation regarding estates in other jurisdictions that have property or financial interests in New York.

Our services include:

  • Probate of Wills/Administration Proceedings (absence of will)
  • Family Tree Investigations
  • Location of Missing Heirs Asset Transfers without Probate Post-mortem tax matters
  • Asset investigation and location Contested Estates Disposition
  • Spouses’ Division of Property
  • Children’s Rights Concerning Decedents’ Estates

Family and Matrimonial

Our NYC family law attorneys provide guidance, counseling, and representation in the negotiation of all marital agreements, including the creation of prenuptial agreements for individuals of all ages and financial status to establish financial rights in the event of divorce of the death of a spouse.

When the termination of a marriage is at hand, our family lawyers can provide both cost effective processing of uncontested divorces as well as competent, aggressive representation in contested matters. Our family lawyers have years of combined experience in representing individuals in all family court proceedings; including, petitions for support, enforcement of support obligations, increases and reductions of support obligations, adoptions, prosecution and defense of orders of protection matters and charges of abuse and neglect.

Our services include:

  • Pre-nuptial Agreements
  • Post-nuptial Marital Agreements
  • Legal Separation Agreements
  • Review of Mediation Agreements
  • Divorce Actions (contested and uncontested)
  • Custody Disputes and Enforcement (including relocation problems)
  • Spousal and Child Support Disputes and Enforcement
  • Orders of Protection/Domestic Violence
  • Family Court Neglect and Abuse Matters
  • Adoptions
  • Guardianship concerning disabled/incompetent adults
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Estate Planning/Asset Preservation
  • Family Tree Investigations
  • Location of Missing Heirs Asset Transfers without Probate Post-mortem tax matters
  • Division of Property Spouses
  • Children’s Rights Concerning Decedents’ Estates

Residential Real Estate

Buying, selling, or refinancing a home in New York City and surrounding counties in New York and New Jersey is a huge endeavor—complete with excitement, anxiety…and as a buyer, signing sizable, gut-wrenching checks.  No two transactions are exactly the same and they require time, attention and patience from experience residential real estate lawyers who take the time to walk you through each step of the transaction, conduct the proper level of due diligence and provide you with the peace of mind needed to feel confident in your decisions; the last thing you need is a residential real estate lawyer to whom your transaction is “yet another deal” and who just shows up at your closing and tells you where to sign.

Prior to your signing anything, we ensure that your residential real estate transaction receives the high level of attention that it deserves and that you need.

As New York City residential real estate lawyers for over 40 years, we have conducted thousands of residential real estate closings—in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the surrounding boroughs and counties. We’ve dealt with condos and coops, single-family and multi-family homes, townhouses, vacation homes and acres of land in New York State, and assist our NYC clients with transactions (using local counsel, when required) and throughout the country.

Our experience is unparalleled. And we pair it with an even more powerful tool: patience.