The Firm: Traditionally strong in New York and Florida, this firm's trusts and estates practice continues to broaden its national reach, with a new team in Los Angeles. The group assists with the full range of wealth management matters and has a number of experienced litigators. Recently, it represented Lehman Brothers Trust Company, in the organization's capacity as a personal representative of a large estate, in litigation involving certain testamentary instruments. The group has also made a name for itself representing high-profile entertainers, along with the estates of Keith Haring, George Balanchine and Leonard Bernstein.

Sources Say:"The firm is becoming a real leader in the area of estate planning. The attorneys are knowledgeable, creative, attentive, and very much focused on doing the best for their clients."

Key Individuals: David Pratt is based in Boca Raton and concentrates his practice on the areas of trusts and estates, gift and generation-skipping transfer, and fiduciary and individual income taxation. He is also sought out for his expertise in post-mortem tax planning and asset protection. Jay Waxenberg operates out of New York and is chair of the personal planning department. A highly regarded practitioner, he has substantial experience of life insurance planning and is an esteemed member of the firm's fiduciary litigation group. Interviewees describe him as "approachable and easy to get along with. He's cool, calm, and never rushed. He really empathizes with his clients and he's able to set them at ease." Albert Gortz works out of the Boca Raton office and focuses on gift, estate and generation-skipping tax planning. He is praised as "innovative, smart and keenly attuned to his client's needs."