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At a Glance
| Founded by | Formed in 2002 when the Connecticut firm Bergman Horowitz & Reynolds merged with UK firm Withers to create Withers Bergman LLP in the U.S. (per the firm) |
| Focus | Private wealth law for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, including estate planning, trust and inheritance disputes, and international tax |
| Office | 430 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10022 |
| Signature results | Chambers USA ranks Withers among the top firms nationally in Private Wealth Law/High Net Worth, describing the firm as “at the top of its game” in complex international tax regulations and cross-border planning (per Chambers) |
| Distinctive edge | A firm built through international merger from day one, giving it genuine offshore trust and foreign investment planning capability that most New York-only private client firms lack |
| Fee model | Not published; prospective clients should confirm directly |
| Known for | International tax and estate planning for high-net-worth clients, trust and estate litigation, art law, and family office representation (per the firm) |
Withers Bergman’s history explains its distinctive practice: the firm was created in 2002 when Bergman Horowitz & Reynolds, a Connecticut-based private client firm, merged with the UK firm Withers, giving the combined firm cross-border capability from its founding rather than as a later expansion. Its New York office at 430 Park Avenue is now one of the larger dedicated private wealth practices in the city, with 61 lawyers focused specifically on estate planning, probate, and taxation.
Origin and Background
Stanley N. Bergman, a founding partner of the original Bergman Horowitz & Reynolds, is also a Certified Public Accountant in addition to his law degree, and his practice has long combined tax law, estate planning, and trusts with pension plan design; he received a lifetime achievement award from the Connecticut Law Tribune and is recognized by Chambers USA as a Senior Statesman in its High Net Worth Guide. That merger of accounting-level tax fluency with estate planning, present at the firm’s founding, has carried through into Withers Bergman’s current practice, which routinely handles both the legal structuring and underlying tax mechanics of complex estate plans.
What Makes This Firm Structurally Different
Withers Bergman handles trust and estate planning for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients at both domestic and international levels, and its attorneys also offer offshore trust and foreign investment planning — a capability most New York-only private client firms do not maintain in-house. Chambers USA’s High Net Worth guide describes the firm as having “exceptional in-depth knowledge of complex tax regulations, statutes and case law” and as staying ahead of “regulatory insights” and “legislative changes,” language Chambers reserves for firms it considers genuinely leading in the space rather than merely competent.
Practice Areas
- Estate planning and probate
- Trust and inheritance disputes
- International and offshore trust planning
- Charitable giving and tax-exempt organizations
- Business succession planning
- Art and cultural property law
Track Record
Chambers USA’s High Net Worth guide states that “everyone at Withers is in one way or another involved in private wealth,” and quotes client feedback describing the firm as “the best in the high net worth and international space” and “extremely creative and practical in finding solutions for clients.” Partner William J. Kambas is separately recognized for international tax expertise, frequently guiding family businesses through wealth transfer structures and material investments. These are third-party client characterizations gathered by Chambers through its own research process rather than firm-published figures, and Awesome Attorneys did not independently verify them against underlying client records. Past results in any matter do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.
Client Voice
Withers Bergman carries a 4.7-star aggregate client rating across 154 reviews on Martindale-Hubbell, a strong volume of independently posted reviews for a firm of its size. Individual attorney reviews are mixed in places — the firm’s Lawyers.com listing includes both strongly positive accounts (one client called an attorney “instrumental in achieving a great estate settlement” with “excellent” communication) and at least one sharply negative review alleging billing and communication problems with a different attorney at the firm. Awesome Attorneys reports both rather than selectively citing only the favorable review, consistent with disclosing the full record.
Beyond the Courtroom
Stanley Bergman contributes regularly to tax periodicals and co-authored a book on pension and profit-sharing plan design published as part of a Bureau of National Affairs tax management service. The firm’s broader private wealth group includes attorneys recognized for art law leadership, reflecting the firm’s client base among collectors and cultural institutions alongside traditional high-net-worth families.
Recognition
Chambers USA ranks Withers among the leading firms nationally in Private Wealth Law/High Net Worth, and Best Lawyers has recognized multiple Withers Bergman attorneys individually in Trusts and Estates, including Christina Baltz since 2024. 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 rankings, 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, with a “cliff” that eliminates the exemption entirely for estates exceeding 105% of that threshold. For international and offshore trust structures, U.S. persons who are grantors or beneficiaries of foreign trusts generally face separate reporting obligations under IRC § 6048, including IRS Forms 3520 and 3520-A, with substantial penalties for noncompliance. None of this is legal advice; a specific estate plan, particularly one with international or offshore elements, should be evaluated by a licensed New York attorney based on the actual facts involved.
Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Withers Bergman’s clearest differentiator is genuine, merger-born international capability — offshore trust and foreign investment planning built into the firm’s structure since 2002 rather than added later, backed by a Chambers ranking that specifically credits the firm’s depth in complex cross-border tax regulation. The honest trade-off is that a firm this focused on high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth international planning, and this large (61 lawyers in the New York office alone), is not built around simple, low-cost estate plans for modest estates; a client with a straightforward, entirely domestic New York will and no international assets may find a smaller boutique more cost-effective. For a family with assets, beneficiaries, or business interests spanning multiple countries, Withers Bergman’s specific international private wealth capability makes it a reasonable firm to have on a shortlist.
Methodology and Sourcing
This profile was researched from Withers Bergman’s own website (withersworldwide.com), including partner biography pages, cross-referenced against Chambers and Partners’ Private Wealth Law/High Net Worth rankings, Best Lawyers’ attorney rankings, and Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com aggregated client reviews.
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 Withers Bergman 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.