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At a Glance
| Founded by | Established in 1898 (per the firm) |
| Focus | Over 100-attorney full-service firm with a large private wealth and trusts and estates group (per the firm) |
| Office | 260 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 (Manhattan) |
| Signature results | No published itemized verdict or case-value table identified for the trusts and estates group |
| Distinctive edge | Chambers High Net Worth guide ranks the firm’s Private Wealth Law practice, with lawyers individually ranked; the firm occupies the top eight floors of its Madison Avenue building |
| Fee model | Not published on the firm’s site |
| Known for | Estate planning and probate, estate and trust litigation, and family office and private wealth advisory work (per the firm) |
Origin and Background
McLaughlin & Stern traces its founding to 1898, and describes itself today as one of New York’s oldest continuously operating law firms, now numbering over 100 attorneys with offices beyond New York in Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California. Its headquarters sit at 260 Madison Avenue, a Sapir Organization office tower; the firm’s own announcements describe expanding its footprint there to 100,000 square feet across the top eight floors of the building. That kind of long-term real estate commitment in a single Midtown tower is a specific, checkable marker of institutional scale that a newer or smaller boutique typically cannot match.
What Makes This Firm Structurally Different
McLaughlin & Stern’s Trusts and Estates group sits inside a firm with genuinely broad practice depth rather than as a standalone boutique: corporate and securities, litigation, real estate, entertainment and sports, and a dedicated Family Office & Private Wealth Advisory practice all operate under the same roof. The firm markets a specific version of that breadth for high-net-worth families: coordinated estate planning, business succession, and wealth transfer advice delivered alongside the corporate, tax, and litigation resources a family office or closely held business might separately need, rather than requiring a client to coordinate across multiple outside firms.
Practice Areas
- Trusts and estates
- Fiduciary litigation
- Family office and private wealth advisory
- Elder law
- Philanthropy and private client practice
- Taxation
Track Record
Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published, itemized table of verdicts, settlements, or case outcomes specific to the firm’s trusts and estates or fiduciary litigation practice. Past results in any matter do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.
Client Voice
Awesome Attorneys did not identify a set of independently attributed, publicly posted client reviews specific to the firm’s trusts and estates practice as of the research date.
Beyond the Courtroom
Awesome Attorneys did not identify specific published community or pro bono activity tied to the firm’s trusts and estates practice as of the research date.
Recognition
Chambers High Net Worth 2026 lists McLaughlin & Stern’s Private Wealth Law practice with individually ranked lawyers, including a Private Wealth Law: Mid-Market recognition, an independent, research-based ranking distinct from purchased marketing placements. New York does not maintain a board-certification system for trusts and estates comparable to Texas’s TBLS, so Awesome Attorneys does not apply “specialist” language to any attorney at this firm on that basis.
New York Legal Backdrop
Business succession planning of the kind McLaughlin & Stern’s private wealth practice describes typically has to reconcile New York’s Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (governing wills, trusts, and the surviving spouse’s right of election under EPTL § 5-1.1-A) with the separate corporate or partnership documents that actually control a closely held business, since an estate plan that conflicts with a shareholder or operating agreement can be contested in Surrogate’s Court. None of this is legal advice; a specific estate or succession plan should be evaluated by a licensed New York attorney based on the actual facts involved.
Awesome Attorneys Assessment
McLaughlin & Stern’s clearest differentiator is institutional scale paired with an independently ranked private wealth practice: a firm founded in 1898, occupying eight floors of its own Madison Avenue building, with Chambers-ranked trusts and estates lawyers sitting alongside corporate, tax, and litigation groups a family office or business-owning family might also need. The honest trade-off is that a firm this size, with more than 100 attorneys and offices in five states, will not offer the same single-point-of-contact intimacy as a two- or three-lawyer estate planning boutique, and Awesome Attorneys could not locate a published outcomes record or attributed client reviews specific to the estates group to weigh against its Chambers ranking. For a high-net-worth family or business owner who wants estate planning coordinated with corporate, tax, and litigation resources at one firm, that scale is a genuine advantage; someone who wants the smallest possible firm handling a simple will is likely better served elsewhere.
Methodology and Sourcing
This profile was researched from McLaughlin & Stern’s own website, including its About, Trusts and Estates practice page, and a firm press release describing its Madison Avenue office expansion, and from Chambers’ public High Net Worth rankings listing for the firm.
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 McLaughlin & Stern, 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.