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2024

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Best Estate Planning Lawyers in Pittsburgh, PA

Our Recommended Top 12

We did the research for you!

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Our goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored Pittsburgh Estate Planning Lawyers on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.

87Reviewed

57Curated

12Top Picks

Learn about our selection process.

Providers

featured provider = Featured Provider

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

FindLaw
1.0 (3)

Why choose this provider?

Frank, Gale, Bails, Murcko & Pocrass, P.C. has been serving the people of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the surrounding communities for 20 years. The firm is focused on the areas of business litigation, divorce and family law, corporate counseling and government relations, estate planning and probate as well as media law. The firm is a trusted choice for legal services in Pittsburgh and its other service areas.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Frederick Frank - Founding Partner & ShareholderActive54 yrs

Pittsburgh, PA 15238

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (1)
Avvo
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Eisner Law provides quality legal assistance at affordable costs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The firm specializes in offering services to their clients in four particular areas of law including estate planning, business law, health care law, and alternative dispute resolution. The firm shares the common goals of fairness, integrity, and excellent two-way communication that goes with their exemplary service to their clients.

4372 Old William Penn Hwy, Monroeville, PA 15146

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
4.2 (21)

Why choose this provider?

Family Legal Center, LLC is a community based law firm handling the Estate Planning and Estate Administration. For over 25 years, Attorney Laura Cohen has worked with families like yours. In addition to working with peoples estate planning needs, Attorney Cohen Cohen also handles Special Needs Trusts for the disabled and sh is a certified mediator and collaborative law professional. We are a full-service firm. We help executors open bank accounts, facilitate the accounting, distribute assets to beneficiaries and manage and guide the filing of appropriate state and federal tax forms and returns. We also understand that there can be confusion and misunderstandings after a loved one has passed. We will protect your rights and find resolution to your case. We are a comprehensive probate firm where no issue is too small and no case is too large.

Murrysville, PA 15668

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Creenan & Baczkowski, P.C. is a law firm of real estate, estate plan, litigation and business attorneys located in the city of Murrysville, Pennsylvania and serving its outlying counties as well. Their practice areas include real estate and construction, estate planning and elder law, civil litigation and business law. The team of highly qualified and knowledgeable professionals at have been able to assist a diverse clientele in order to provide the most appropriate legal solutions to their concerns.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
James Creenan - PartnerActive27 yrs

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
5.0 (2)
Facebook
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Sikov & Love, P.A. is comprised of elder law attorneys with excellent experience located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their areas of practice include elder law, estate planning, estate administration, orphan's court litigation and special needs planning. The firm provides comprehensive and efficient legal services that enable their clients to arrive at the most practical solutions to their concerns.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Carol Gross - PartnerActive40 yrs

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (3)

Why choose this provider?

Giltinan Law, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based firm, is dedicated to providing peace of mind for their clients through the different transitions of life. The firm offers legal counsel in the areas of estate planning, elder law, business succession and planning and probate and estate administration. The attorneys at the firm share the same values of integrity and commitment along with their high standards of qualification.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
John Giltinan - Founder & PrincipalActive50 yrs

Mckeesport, PA 15132

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
4.9 (4)

Why choose this provider?

Zacharia Brown Elder Law Attorneys is an elder law and estate planning law firm serving McKeesport, Pennsylvania. They specialize in providing legal services in the practice areas of estate planning and administration, asset preservation planning and Medicaid and veterans benefits eligibility, care management, and advocacy. The expert and highly qualified interdisciplinary team of Zacharia Brown Elder Law Attorneys has the experience and knowledge to assist their clients to be able to secure a better future and retirement for themselves and their families.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Carl Zacharia - PartnerActive30 yrs

Pittsburgh, PA 15228

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Sykes Elder Law, LLC is a certified elder law attorney serving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and its neighboring cities. Their various areas of practice include estate administration, estate planning, Medicaid planning, will contests, and veterans benefits, among others. They consistently aim to provide exceptional and highly efficient services and the firm has been certified by the National Elder Law Foundation and by the authority of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Andrew Sykes - Founder and Managing AttorneyActive35 yrs

Pleasant Hills, PA 15236

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (3)

Why choose this provider?

Hanchak and Pratt, LLC serves the people of Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania. They specialize family law, estate law, and personal injury. People who are looking for the best legal representation to be able to protect their rights can count on their attorneys for detail-oriented and efficient service.

Pittsburgh, PA 15229

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

James M. Herb & Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are fluent in the areas of practice of DUI, criminal law, estate planning, mental health, personal injury, and guardianship. They offer efficient and expert legal services, delivering practical solutions to their clients' legal concerns.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
James Herb - PrincipalActive46 yrs

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Williams Coulson, LLC provides customized planning services to address the unique situations of individuals, families and businesses in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and its surrounding cities. They specialize in closely-held business practices, employee benefits and retirement, estate planning and trust, fiduciary litigation mediation and more. They strive to offer the most effective legal solutions to the varied concerns of their clients.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Mark Coulson - Founding Senior PartnerActive44 yrs

Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Witherel & Associates is a general law practice located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and serving its neighboring communities. The law firm specializes in various areas of practice, such as criminal law/DUI, estate planning, business law and family law with the particulars of probate and wills, business formation and incorporation as well as custody and divorce. For more than 20 years, they have offered legal services to their clients throughout the western Pennsylvania area, guaranteeing excellent and dependable service.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Michael Witherel - OwnerActive46 yrs

Compare our Top Estate Planning Lawyers

NameExpertise RatingAddressPromotionsLearn more
Frank, Gale, Bails & Pocrass, P.C.
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Eisner Law
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
Family Legal Center, LLC
4372 Old William Penn Hwy, Monroeville, PA 15146
Creenan & Baczkowski, P.C.
Murrysville, PA 15668
Sikov & Love, P.A.
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Giltinan Law
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Zacharia Brown Elder Law Attorneys
Mckeesport, PA 15132
Sykes Elder Law, LLC
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
Hanchak and Pratt, LLC
Pleasant Hills, PA 15236
James M. Herb & Associates
Pittsburgh, PA 15229
Williams Coulson, LLC
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Witherel & Associates
Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Disclaimer:  Consumers utilizing Expertise.com are free to communicate and contract with any lawyer they choose. Expertise.com is not involved in the confidential attorney-client relationship. Featured lawyers pay a reasonable advertising cost to market their legal services with Expertise.com and must meet similar selection criteria as other lawyers. All cases are different. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

FAQs

  • What does an estate planning attorney do?

    An estate consists of the total assets that form an individual’s net worth, no matter how large or small. Estate planning attorneys use their in-depth knowledge of state and federal laws to help people best manage what will happen with their estates after they die or become incapacitated. Estate planning attorneys can prepare wills, form trusts, reduce estate tax burdens, and decrease or eliminate the need for probate court.

  • What are valuable estate planning services an attorney can provide?

    With the many intricacies of assets, taxes, and state and federal laws that can affect a person’s estate, an estate planning lawyer can be a valuable professional asset, no matter how large or small a person’s estate may be. An estate planning attorney can:

    • Create a comprehensive plan to protect a client's legacy, that includes a will, power of attorney, trusts, life insurance, and advanced medical directives
    • Optimize an estate plan as tax laws, life events, assets, and goals change over time
    • Protect a client’s loved ones by preventing assets from entering probate
    • Help clients designate a person to make important health decisions for them if they become incapacitated

  • Can estate planning attorneys help create trusts/wills?

    Estate planning attorneys can create trusts and wills. Through a will, an attorney can help a client designate their estate’s beneficiaries and assign an executor to represent the will in probate court. These attorneys can also create trusts, allowing a client to assign a trustee to oversee the estate, potentially avoiding probate court and holding assets to be distributed over time.

  • Is estate planning the same as drafting a will?

    While both estate plans and wills officially document how their owners wish to allocate certain assets after their death, there are key differences. In estate planning, a will is often just one of several documents that form a comprehensive plan. In a will, people must designate a person responsible for executing their will after their death. The will can include guardians for their children when they die and beneficiaries to receive an inheritance of money, property, and other assets.

  • What are the steps involved in estate planning?

    To create a thorough and effective estate plan, individuals should follow these steps:

    • Prepare a will that designates an estate executor; indicate who will receive what assets, and assign a trust and guardians for any children. Consider using an attorney if the will is in any way complex.
    • To avoid probate, have an attorney create a revocable living trust.
    • Assign beneficiaries to other assets, such as life insurance policies, retirement plans, and securities.
    • Use an attorney to prepare a living will, name a health care proxy, and create a HIPAA release form.
    • Update the plan every five years.

  • How long does the estate planning process last?

    The length of the process can vary greatly depending on the size and complexity of the estate, the specific law office, and whether there’s an emergency or urgent need. If you’re using an attorney, you can generally expect it to take one to five weeks. You may be able to speed up the process by immediately providing your attorney with any bank statements or other documents they need.

  • What is a trust?

    A trust is an agreement between a grantor, a trustee, and a beneficiary. In this agreement, the grantor allocates funds or real property assets to the trustee to be held either until the grantor passes away or until a specific, agreed-upon date. At that point, it's the responsibility of the trustee to distribute funds or property to the beneficiary or beneficiaries. While there are similarities between a will and a trust, a will is a more comprehensive document that typically requires probate court, while a trust allows assets to pass to the beneficiary without probate.