Estate Planning Conference

Patricia M. Annino is a partner in Rimon’s Trust and Estates Group. A nationally recognized authority on estate planning and taxation, Ms. Annino has more than 30 years of experience serving the diverse needs of families, individuals, and owners of closely held businesses. Ms. Annino joins from Prince Lobel, where she served as Chair for the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate Group. Ms. Annino’s practice includes all aspects of private client work, including estate planning; will and trust planning; incapacity planning; prenuptial and postnuptial agreements; estate litigation; advising executors, trustees and beneficiaries and administration of estates and trusts. Ms. Annino particularly focuses on planning for family business owners, including coordinating their estate planning, corporate and succession needs. In addition, she represents non-profit entities and private family foundations. Ms. Annino testifies as an expert witness in high-stakes divorce cases where trusts and other inherited assets are at risk. Her testimony has been favorably reviewed by the Massachusetts Probate Courts. A leading voice on estate planning matters, Ms. Annino has been quoted extensively in a wide variety of local and national publications including the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, MarketWatch, Investors.com, and Women’s Business Journal. She has acted as the estate planning consultant to the independent investment research provider, Morningstar, and has been interviewed on Bloomberg Television. A frequent public speaker, Ms. Annino has presented nationally to high-level donors and trustees of hospitals, museums, and other nonprofits, as well as private banking clients, owners of closely held businesses, and alumni organizations. She has spoken to various groups about her book, Women and Money: A Practical Guide to Estate Planning, and was interviewed by Family Business Wiki Newsletter in May, 2013. Patricia also writes a monthly column for CPA Insider, a newsletter sent to more than 160,000 CPAs and other wealth managers and advisors.

Robert S. Barnett, CPA, Esq., is a founding partner of Capell Barnett Matalon & Schoenfeld LLP, Attorneys at Law. His practice is highly concentrated in the areas of taxation, trusts, estates, corporate and partnership law and charitable planning. His experience includes Surrogate’s Court practice, tax dispute resolution, and Tax Court representation. Mr. Barnett frequently assists clients in structuring financial transactions and charitable gifts. Mr. Barnett applies creative and practical solutions to estate and business planning. He has served on many committees and is a frequent lecturer on numerous aspects of tax and business law. He is an active participant and serves on many professional and charitable boards. Mr. Barnett is a frequent lecturer and writer. His articles and lectures encompass a wide variety of topics, including business succession, estate planning, charitable planning, generation-skipping, stock options, effective strategies for removing tax liens, business taxation, utilization of the marital deduction and partnership elections. Mr. Barnett received his juris doctor in 1986 from Fordham University, where he graduated cum laude and was a member of the Fordham Law Review. He graduated magna cum laude from Hofstra University, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in accounting. Mr. Barnett holds a Master’s degree in taxation as the recipient of the highest dean’s award. Mr. Barnett is admitted to practice law in New York, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Member: • Board of Directors of the Long Island Community Foundation.
• Board of Directors of Nassau Academy of Law
• Professional Advisors Committee of the Long Island Community Foundation
• Professional Advisors Committee of the American Heart Association
• Past Education Committee Chairman NCCPAP
• Past President of the NCCPAP Educational Foundation
• Past President of Nassau Chapter NYSSCPA
• Member of Nassau Academy of Law Advisory Board
• CPA Journal Editorial Review Board, May 2017-2020 Awards:
• 2013 Max Block Distinguished Article Award for Technical Analysis
• November 2016 – Samuel A. Dyckman, Excellence in Education Award
• November 2016 – Leadership in Law Award – Long Island Business News
• May 2017 – Distinguished Service Award – NYSSCPAS – Nassau Chapter
• Dean’s Award in Taxation – Long Island University CW Post
• Fordham Law Review
• Fordham University American Jurisprudence Award – Trusts and Estates

Jonathan Blattmachr, JD, Principal, Estate Planning Advisory Group, Pioneer Wealth Partners, is a Principal in Pioneer’s estate planning advisory group. He brings over 35 years of experience in trusts and estates law. He is a retired member of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy and the Alaska, California and New York bars. He writes and lectures extensively on estate and trust taxation and charitable giving, and has authored or co-authored six books and over 500 articles on estate planning topics. He has served as a lecturer in law of the Columbia University School of Law and as an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University Law School in its Masters in Tax Program (LL.M.). He is a former chairperson of the Trusts & Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and of several committees of the American Bar Association. He is a Fellow and a former Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and past chair of its Estate and Gift Tax Committee.

Austin Bramwell, Esq., Partner, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy is a partner in the New York office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy and a member of the firm's Trusts & Estates Group. His practice focuses on advising individuals and families in their domestic and international estate and charitable planning. He also advises nonprofit organizations, including private foundations and public charities, on tax, compliance, organization and strategic matters. He represents corporate and individual fiduciaries in trust and estate administration matters, including in litigations. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University School of Law and a frequent lecturer on estate planning topics. He currently serves as a member at large on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Tax Section.

Elizabeth Forspan is a Partner with Forspan Klear LLP, a New York law firm. Elizabeth’s areas of practice include Elder Law, Trusts & Estates and Taxation. Elizabeth speaks throughout the United States on various aspects of Elder Care Planning, Tax Law and Estate Planning. She was the recipient of the prestigious Max Block Award for Outstanding Article in the Category of Technical Analysis, awarded by the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants’ CPA Journal for her article “Casualty Losses for Property Damaged by Hurricane Sandy”. Elizabeth has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in the areas of Estate Planning and Probate and Elder Law for every year from 2016 through 2023. Elizabeth has been featured in New York Magazine, MarketWatch, and she has been quoted in the New York Times. Elizabeth’s articles and contributions have been featured in the New York Law Journal. Prior to co-founding Forspan Klear LLP, Elizabeth was a Tax Manager with Ernst & Young LLP, where she focused on Mergers and Acquisitions and Executive Compensation. Elizabeth earned her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law and her B.A. from Queens College of the City University of New York, where she graduated summa cum laude and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Michael I. Frankel’s practice encompasses all aspects of estate planning and estate administration. He specializes in sophisticated planning for entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals, both U.S. residents and non-residents. He has significant experience in international estate planning. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers®; he has been recognized as one of the “Top 100 New York Super Lawyers®.” He has chaired the Estate and Gift Taxation Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, where he serves on the Business Planning and International Estate Planning Committees and is a member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). He has been an editor and a contributor to Practical Drafting®, published by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, for over 25 years.

Steven B. Gorin, Esq., CPA, CGMA, Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP is a nationally recognized practitioner in the areas of estate planning and the structuring of privately held businesses. Over the course of his 30-year career, Steve has amassed a deep knowledge of nearly every aspect of tax strategy for privately held businesses and freely shares that knowledge with others in the field. In his work for businesses, he helps owners plan for the eventual sale (to co-owners, employees, or third parties) or transfer (to family members), and provides a legal framework for an orderly transition while strategically saving income, transfer, and FICA taxes. His quarterly newsletter, "Business Succession Solutions," is considered essential reading for hundreds of CPAs and attorneys, who describe it as "a fantastic contribution to the field." He also maintains a blog, Business Succession Solutions, intended to help business owners — and those who advise or support them — consider smart tax strategies.

Alan D. Kahn, CPA, MBA, CLU, ChFC, President, The AJK Financial Group which specializes in working with high-net-worth individuals, CPAs, attorneys and their clients in the areas of retirement and estate planning, insurance and corporate benefits. He has written articles for The CPA Journal and is quoted regularly in daily newspapers and magazines including Forbes and Fortune. He was also featured on the cover of Financial Planning Magazine, a nationally recognized publication for financial professionals. He was included as a top financial planner in the book “Run It Like a Business,” by Richard Koreto. He is a member of the AICPA, and has previously served consecutive two-year terms as Chairman for the NYSSCPA’s Public Relations Committee, Estate Planning Committee, and Tax Division Oversight Committee. In 2006, he was appointed as a Trustee for the Foundation of Accounting Education (FAE), and has previously received the FAE’s Outstanding Service Award.

As President of Family Wealth, Eastern U.S. Region, for Wilmington Trust, N.A., Sharon is responsible for overseeing the delivery of all Wealth Management services by teams of professionals, including planning, trust, investment management, family governance and education, family office, and private banking services. Sharon also heads Wilmington Trust’s National Matrimonial/Divorce Advisory Practice. Sharon has over 25 years of experience in the wealth advisory arena and is a nationally recognized speaker and author. Global media company Forbes features Sharon as a Top Advisor in multiple categories since 2020. Every year since 2022 she was chosen as one of the Top Women Wealth Advisors in America and in New York, and in 2025 she was named the #1 Woman Wealth Advisor in New York City for High-Net-Worth. Leading business publication Crain’s named Sharon to its 2020 inaugural list of the Most Notable Women in Financial Advice. In 2023 and 2024, Sharon was chosen as a Leading High Net Worth Wealth Manager by Chambers, an internationally renowned independent ranking company. In 2018, she was honored by the UJA-Federation of New York Lawyers Division for her contributions to the trusts & estates community and the community at large. Sharon is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a highly selective professional organization of preeminent estate planning attorneys in the U.S. and internationally. Sharon was inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame in 2021. This award is considered the pinnacle of accomplishment in this field. Only 125 people across the U.S. have received this award since its inception in 2004. Sharon is a member of The Rockefeller University Committee on Trust and Estate Gift Plans, the New York Bankers Association Trust & Investment Division Executive Committee, the Estates, Gifts and Trusts Advisory Board for The Bureau of National Affairs and the Thomson Reuters Trusts & Estates Advisory Board. She chairs the Domestic Relations Committee of Trusts & Estates magazine, where she sits on the Board, and is on the Advisory Board of Family Lawyer Magazine. Sharon is a past chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Trusts, Estates and Surrogate’s Court Committee, and a past chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Trusts and Estates Law Section Taxation Committee. She served on the Board of the American Brain Foundation and was a member of its Finance Committee. Prior to joining Wilmington Trust, Sharon was Managing Director at Lazard, the internationally renowned global investment banking and management company. As Head of Wealth Advisory of Lazard Wealth Management, she led the delivery of all wealth advisory services. Before that, she headed the Estate department at Fiduciary Trust Company International. Sharon began her career as a trusts & estates attorney at Rosenman & Colin (now Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP). Sharon, who holds U.S., British, and Australian citizenships, earned a master of laws from the University of California, Berkeley Law School, received a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of laws from the University of New South Wales, Australia and is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst.

Paul S. Lee is a Senior Regional Wealth Advisor with The Northern Trust Company. Prior to joining Northern Trust, he was at Bernstein Global Wealth Management as National Managing Director, and a partner in the Atlanta-based law firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP. Mr. Lee received a BA, cum laude, in English and a BA in chemistry from Cornell University, and a JD, with honors, from Emory University School of Law, where he was notes and comments editor of the Emory Law Journal; he also received an L.LM. in taxation from Emory University. Mr. Lee was the recipient of the Georgia Federal Tax Conference Award for Outstanding Tax Student and the Ernst & Young Award for Tax and Accounting. In 2014, Mr. Lee was inducted into the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame®, and designated an Accredited Estate Planner® (Distinguished). A frequent lecturer and panelist on investment planning and tax and estate planning, Mr. Lee has spoken at the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, ACTEC National Meeting, Southern Federal Tax Institute, USC Institute on Federal Taxation, Southern California Tax & Estate Planning Forum, Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute, AICPA National Tax Conference, and the AICPA Advanced Estate Planning Conference.

Kevin Matz, Esq., CPA, LLM (taxation), is a partner in the Private Clients, Trusts and Estates Department at the national law firm of ArentFox Schiff LLP, based in its New York City office, where he co-chairs its Family Office Group.  Kevin’s practice is principally devoted to domestic and international estate and tax planning, family office services, estate administration and related litigation. Kevin earned his BS in Accounting from Lehman College (CUNY), his JD from Fordham University School of Law (where he was a Notes & Articles Editor of the Fordham Law Review) and his LLM in Taxation from New York University School of Law. Kevin is currently President of the NYCPA, and is a former chair of both its Estate Planning Committee and its Trust and Estate Administration Committee, the current chair of both the FAE Curriculum Committee and of the NYCPA Professional Liability Insurance Committee, and a past President of the FAE Board of Trustees.  In addition, Kevin is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (“ACTEC”), in which connection he is a past Chair of ACTEC’s Business Planning Committee, the current Vice-Chair of its Washington Affairs Committee and a member of ACTEC’s Board of Regents. Kevin is also currently the Treasurer of the Trusts and Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, and the past Chair of the UJA-Federation of New York’s Trusts and Estates Group (for which he was its Honoree at its 2023 Annual Event). Kevin may be contacted at 914-380-2140 or kevin.matz@afslaw.com.

Anita S. Rosenbloom is a Partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. She is the chair of the Personal Client Services group and a member of the Diversity Committee. Ms. Rosenbloom concentrates in the areas of estate planning, business succession planning and estate and trust administration and litigation. She has particular expertise concerning estate, gift, generation-skipping and fiduciary income taxes and the use of life insurance and other trust vehicles in estate plans to reduce tax liability. Since joining Stroock in 1980, Ms. Rosenbloom has represented individuals, corporations, closely held businesses and other entities in transactions involving the acquisition and disposition of interests by decedents’ estates and trusts. She also assists individual clients with matters of family law, such as premarital and separation agreements, as well as with the creation and administration of charitable gift programs and foundations. Ms. Rosenbloom is a co-author of Manning on Estate Planning (Practising Law Institute, 7th ed., 2013 updated annually). Her articles appear in publications such as the New York Law Journal, the New York University Institute on Federal Taxation, New York State Bar Association N.Y. Real Property Law Journal and the New York State Bar Association Trusts and Estates Law Section Newsletter, and the Practising Law Institute’s Tax Law and Estate Planning Series. She is a member of the Trusts & Estates Tax Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Ms. Rosenbloom has annually been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2005. She has also been featured in New York Super Lawyers since 2006 and was listed as one of the "Top Women in the New York Metro Area." Ms. Rosenbloom was also selected by Worth Magazine as one of the top 100 attorneys in the United States.