Senior Staff Attorney - Private Clients - Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Cleary Gottlieb is a pioneer in globalizing the legal profession. We have 16 offices in major financial centers around the world, but we operate as a single, integrated global partnership and not a U.S. firm with a network of overseas locations. The firm employs approximately 1,100 lawyers from more than 50 countries.

Since 1946 our lawyers and staff have worked across practices, industries, jurisdictions and continents to provide clients with simple, actionable approaches to their most complex legal and business challenges, whether domestic or international. We support every client relationship with intellectual agility, commercial acumen and a human touch.

Cleary Gottlieb’s private clients practice helps clients protect and administer family wealth, and plan for the transmission of wealth to family members and charities, with sophisticated but practical tax advice integrated into confidential estate plans that reflect clients’ family, charitable and business objectives.

Staff Attorneys provide support to the U.S. private clients lawyers in all aspects of estate administration, including:

• Estate and tax planning
• Administration of trusts and estates
• Family businesses
• Premarital and marital agreements
• Family law – separation and divorce
• Family disputes
• Planning for retirement and disability
• Private investments
• Transactions involving residential real estate, art, boats and aircraft
• Family charities and charitable giving

Responsibilities will comprise estate and trust administration and basic estate planning, including the:

• Preparation of probate and administration proceeding papers
• Management of the collection and valuation of assets, payment of debts and bequests
• Preparation and filing of federal and state estate tax returns
• Preparation of informal estate and trust accountings
• Administration of ongoing trusts, including distribution requests and income tax payments
• Review of Form 1041s prepared by outside accountants
• Preparation of receipt and release agreements, fiduciary appointments and tax planning
• Preparation of basic estate planning documents such as wills and trusts
• Liaise with attorneys, paralegals and clients and various government agencies and services

• 5+ years of experience in trusts and estates required
• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school and be admitted to the New York Bar. Additional admissions to NJ, CT and/or FL bar is preferrable but not required.
• Estate administration experience, including work on large estates with complicated tax plans; preparation of Federal and State estate tax returns, probate documents and Surrogate’s Court related filings
• Knowledge of estate and trust income taxation
• Knowledge of fiduciary accounting preferred
• Experience with One Source Estate Tax Program (formerly FPS), NYSBA Surrogate’s Court program and Excel
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously while working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Ability to effectively communicate and work directly with clients
• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality of sensitive information
• Flexibility to work outside regular business hours, including early mornings, evenings and weekends as needed

*The estimated base salary range for this position is $150,000 to $160,000 at the time of posting. The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of job-related factors, including skills, education, training, credentials, experience, scope and complexity of role responsibilities, geographic location, and performance. This role is exempt meaning it is not overtime pay eligible.

At Cleary Gottlieb, all members of our community deserve respect as individuals and appreciation for the contributions they make to our community.  We champion diversity, equity, and inclusion, and creating equal opportunities to develop and succeed.