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At a Glance
| Founded | 1946, as a firm built around international law, tax, and trusts & estates for globally mobile clients (per the firm) |
| Focus | Domestic and international tax planning, trusts and estates, business succession planning, and estate and trust administration for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families |
| Office | 675 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 |
| Signature results | Chambers USA Spotlight-recognized for Trusts & Estates, with a longstanding reputation in New York for advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families in domestic and international tax planning (per Chambers) |
| Distinctive edge | Nearly 80 years of continuous practice with attorneys licensed across New York, Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, and Washington, D.C., built specifically around clients whose lives and assets cross state and national lines |
| Fee model | Not published; prospective clients should confirm directly |
| Known for | International trusts and estates, business succession planning, and estate and trust administration for family offices (per the firm) |
Grant, Herrmann, Schwartz & Klinger LLP, known within the industry by the initials GHSK, was established in 1946 — nearly eight decades of continuous practice built specifically around clients whose financial lives cross state and national borders. That longevity, combined with a footprint of attorneys licensed in six different jurisdictions, is unusual for a firm that has remained a boutique rather than merging into a larger institution.
Origin and Background
The firm’s roots trace to 1946, and it has since grown into what Chambers and Partners describes as a firm with “a longstanding reputation in New York City for advising ultra high-net worth individuals and families in domestic and international tax planning.” Partner Richard L. Herrmann, a Yale University graduate admitted to the bar in 1965 and still practicing after 58 years, exemplifies the firm’s institutional continuity — a career spent almost entirely at one boutique rather than moving between larger firms, a pattern more common among trust-and-estates specialists than in most other practice areas.
What Makes This Firm Structurally Different
GHSK is a multi-office firm whose attorneys are licensed not just in New York but in Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, and the District of Columbia, with a Miami office alongside its Manhattan headquarters. That multi-jurisdictional bench allows the firm to handle business succession planning, accounting, and estate and trust administration for families whose assets and heirs are scattered across several states or countries without bringing in outside local counsel for every jurisdiction, a structural advantage the firm’s own materials describe as central to its practice.
Practice Areas
- International and domestic tax planning
- Trusts and estates planning and administration
- Business succession planning
- Estate and trust litigation
- Accounting services for trusts and estates
- Real estate for private clients
Track Record
Chambers and Partners’ Spotlight guide credits GHSK with a “longstanding reputation in New York City for advising ultra high-net worth individuals and families in domestic and international tax planning,” and separately notes the firm’s business succession planning and estate and trust administration work. Three of the firm’s attorneys have been named to the Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists. These are third-party recognitions rather than firm-reported dollar figures; the firm’s own marketing materials do not publish specific settlement or estate values, consistent with the more discreet, relationship-based marketing common among boutique private wealth firms. Past results in any matter do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.
Client Voice
GHSK does not publish individually attributed client testimonials on its own site, consistent with the confidentiality that high-net-worth private wealth clients typically expect. Independent attorney reviews on Martindale-Hubbell for firm partners are limited in volume but positive where present. Awesome Attorneys notes this absence of a large public review base rather than substituting generic or unverifiable praise; it is common, not unusual, among boutique firms serving ultra-high-net-worth clients who prioritize discretion.
Beyond the Courtroom
Richard L. Herrmann has been a longtime member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and the Maritime Law Association of the United States, and formerly served as Vice President of the American Foreign Law Association, reflecting the firm’s historical emphasis on international private client work alongside domestic trusts and estates practice.
Recognition
Grant, Herrmann, Schwartz & Klinger LLP holds a Chambers USA Spotlight ranking in Trusts & Estates for New York, a recognition reserved for firms Chambers considers strong regional practices even if not large enough for its main tier rankings. Three firm attorneys are Super Lawyers or Rising Stars selectees. New York does not maintain a formal board-certification system for trusts and estates law comparable to Texas’s TBLS, so Awesome Attorneys does not apply “specialist” language to any attorney at this firm on that basis; the credentials above are peer-review recognitions, not government-conferred certifications.
New York Legal Backdrop
Estate planning and administration in New York are governed primarily by the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL) and the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA). New York’s basic estate tax exclusion for 2026 is $7,350,000, and estates exceeding 105% of that threshold lose the exemption entirely and are taxed from the first dollar at rates up to 16%. For clients with international assets or beneficiaries, U.S. estate and gift tax treaties, foreign trust reporting requirements (including IRS Forms 3520 and 3520-A), and state-specific situs rules can materially affect exposure and are best evaluated together rather than piecemeal. None of this is legal advice; a specific estate plan should be evaluated by a licensed New York attorney based on the actual facts involved.
Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Grant, Herrmann, Schwartz & Klinger’s clearest differentiator is nearly eighty years of continuous, multi-jurisdictional practice built specifically for clients whose assets and families cross state and national lines, evidenced by attorneys who have spent entire careers at the same boutique rather than moving between larger institutions. The honest trade-off is that a firm this specialized in international and multi-jurisdictional planning, and this discreet in its public marketing, offers less visibility into specific case outcomes than a firm that publishes detailed results; a client wanting extensive public proof points before engaging may need to rely more heavily on the Chambers ranking and direct references than on published case studies. For a family or individual with financial ties to more than one state or country, GHSK’s specific institutional experience in that exact situation makes it a reasonable firm to have on a shortlist.
Methodology and Sourcing
This profile was researched from Grant, Herrmann, Schwartz & Klinger’s own website (ghsklaw.com), including its firm profile and practice area pages, cross-referenced against Chambers and Partners’ Spotlight profile of the firm, Super Lawyers’ firm listing, and Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com attorney profiles.
Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice
Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Grant, Herrmann, Schwartz & Klinger LLP prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any profiled firm, and inclusion in this directory is not a paid placement. “Awesome Attorneys” is a brand name only and does not constitute a rating or ranking claim. Facts stated are current only as of this profile’s research date.