Estate Planning Attorney Manhattan, NY

Making your first estate plan can feel like a milestone you are not quite ready for. You just signed a lease in Murray Hill, welcomed your first child, or finally paid off the loans. Planning for what happens if you are gone seems like a problem for later. For young families in Manhattan, later arrives faster than you think, and the law does not wait for you to feel ready. Our practice focuses on people writing their very first will, naming a guardian for a new baby, and protecting a young household under New York law.

Why First-Time Planners in Manhattan Need a Plan Now

If you die without a valid will in New York, the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL) decides who inherits, not you. Under EPTL 4-1.1, a surviving spouse and children share your estate by a fixed formula, and if you have no spouse or descendants, assets pass to parents, siblings, and more distant relatives. For an unmarried partner, that means your partner may receive nothing. For a married couple with young children, it means a court, rather than you, shapes how money reaches your kids. A first will lets you name the people you trust instead of leaving it to a statute.

Naming a Guardian Is the Real Reason Parents Call Us

For most young families, the single most important document is the will provision naming a guardian for minor children. Without it, if both parents are gone, the Surrogate’s Court must appoint a guardian under the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA), often after a contested process among relatives. Your will lets you nominate who raises your children and who manages money left to them. We help new parents think through guardians, backups, and how to hold a child’s inheritance in trust until they are mature enough to handle it.

The Documents Every Young Household Should Have

A complete first plan in New York usually includes a will, a New York statutory durable power of attorney under General Obligations Law (GOL) 5-1501 so someone can manage finances if you are incapacitated, and a health care proxy so a trusted person can make medical decisions when you cannot. Many young families also benefit from a revocable living trust to keep assets out of probate and provide privacy. We explain each document in plain English so you understand what you are signing and why.

Built Around Your Life Stage

Estate planning at 32 with a toddler is different from planning at 70. Young families care about naming guardians, coordinating life insurance and retirement beneficiaries, and keeping documents simple enough to update after the next baby or the next move. We design plans that grow with you and we revisit them after major life events like marriage, a new child, buying a co-op, or a change in income.

Serving Manhattan and the Surrounding Boroughs

We work with clients across Manhattan, from the Financial District to Washington Heights, and handle matters in New York County Surrogate’s Court. Whether you rent in the East Village or own a condo on the Upper West Side, your plan should reflect New York law and your real family.

Talk to a New York Attorney

This page is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. New York estate law has specific requirements and your situation is unique. Please consult a licensed New York attorney before making decisions about your estate plan.