Schlesinger Lazetera & Auchincloss LLP

Schlesinger Lazetera & Auchincloss LLP is a law firm based in New York City that is principally dedicated to serving a high-net worth private clientele, their trusts, estates and associated charities at the highest level of competence.

Brief History

The Firm was founded in 2004 by Sanford ("Sandy") J. Schlesinger, Lianne Lazetera, Thomas P. Gannon and Martin R. Goodman. Currently, the Firm has 5 Partners, 1 Special Counsel, 3 Counsel, 2 Associates, 1 Fiduciary Administrator and 5 support staff. The Firm continues to grow.

The Practice

The Firm has been highly successful from its inception, attracting a diverse clientele that includes prominent New York real estate developers, nationally and internationally prominent entrepreneurs, established families with inherited wealth, important artists, a Nobel laureate, former and current high-ranking government officials, several billionaires and innovative philanthropic organizations. The Firm invests in excellence in the core legal areas most relevant to the high-net worth client, including traditional estate and trust planning, U.S. federal and state income, gift and estate tax planning, multigenerational trust and tax planning, retirement planning, life insurance, real estate, the administration of decedent’s estates, and philanthropy. Because of its location in New York City, the Firm has a concentration of clients in the real estate and financial industries, including hedge funds. The Firm also represents a number of artists and art collectors. The Firm has extensive experience and expertise in trust and probate litigation. With the addition of Andrew Auchincloss in 2016, the Firm substantially expanded its international practices with expertise in U.S. federal income, gift and estate tax laws applicable to a wide range of “inbound” and “outbound” issues relevant to international families, including expatriation. Currently our lawyers are licensed to practice within the United States in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida.

The Lawyers

The Firm’s founding lawyers are prominent in New York City. Partner Sandy Schlesinger has recently been awarded “Senior Statesperson” in Chambers HNW. Partner Lianne Lazetera has again, for 2024, been named by "Best Lawyers" as "Lawyer of the Year" for her work in nonprofit/charities law in New York City. Partner Andrew Auchincloss is an ACTEC Fellow, former Chair of the Trust, Estates and Surrogate’s Court Committee at the New York City Bar and is listed in Chambers HNW. Counsel Ross Katz is our trusts and estates trial lawyer who serves on the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and is building on an exemplary reputation in this field. All lawyers in the Firm have been chosen for a combination of technical excellence and ability to communicate effectively with our clients.

The Tradition

Aside from the quality of its lawyers, the Firm’s most valuable asset lies in its carefully nurtured tradition of working collaboratively to help clients. Our clients face an increasingly complicated legal, tax and financial world and so our commitment to teamwork must include internal and external components. Internally, the Firm operates at the highest level by spreading the necessary expertise among different lawyers who are brought together by effective teamwork to advise clients. Externally, the Firm believes that we must often reach out beyond our walls and seek active coordination with our clients’ other key advisors, including financial and accounting teams.