Wills, Trusts & Estates

Currently I am interested in taking on clients whose matters are related to wills, probate and planning, administration of estates, and domestic and/or business related conflict resolution (mediation and partnering in parties' management of resolved disputes). I have over fifteen years of training and experience in these two areas.

Conflict Resolution and Management

Nolo Document Review

• Charitable Giving
• Charitable Trusts
• Drafting Trusts
• Drafting Wills
• Estate Administration
• Estate Planning
• Living Wills
• Probate
• Special Needs Trust
• Supplemental Needs Trust
• Revocable Trust & Irrevocable Trust

NY, Feb 1986
Bar Number: 2044477

DC, Jul 1988

U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

New York State Bar, New York City Bar, National Lawyers Guild, District of Columbia Bar, Rockland County Bar, Association for Conflict Resolution, International Ombudsman Association, New York State Dispute Resolution Association, and New York State Divorce Mediation Council.

I attend continuing legal education seminars and practicums on the topics of probate and the administration of estates, estate planning for the middle class client, mediation and negotiation of separation agreements and family related issues and disputes, and practicing law and mediation with people who come from backgrounds other than my own.

I recently settled two Surrogate's Court disputes involving feuding family members.

One case involved a large family (9 siblings) where the attorney/spouse of one of the siblings opposed the admission of the father's will to probate by attacking the integrity of his brother-in-law executor. By establishing relationships with all of the other siblings and bolstering their confidence in their executor brother and using my Surrogate's Court skills and experience, I was able to overcome the psychological and legal obstacles created by the spurned attorney son-in-law who feared that his wife would leave him, after she received her portion of the father's estate.

The second case dealt with the filing of a fraudulent Last Will and Testament by family members and associates who were interested in getting control of the decedent's valuable Manhattan townhouse. The defrauded decedents retained me to File for Letters of Administration and oppose the probate of the Will. We succeeded in getting the fraudulent Will thrown out, reaching a settlement between the feuding factions of the family, and permanently excluding the non-family associates of who had financed the fraud. I am now working with representatives of both sides to renovate the townhouse into condominium units.

1

New York and District of Columbia.

The Firm of Richard Sussman Attorney/Mediator focuses on wills, estate planning and estate administration, as well as the mediation and management of civil, family, real estate, and business disputes. We also provide counseling and services in the areas of real estate transactions, real estate and landlord-tenant disputes, and efforts to obtain publicly provided services and responses from government agencies.

The firm was created in 2001 when the firm of Levine & Sussman decided that a separate entity should be created to reflect Howard R. Levine's declining health and capacity to develop new business. The firms continued to collaborate until Mr. Levine's death in 2004. Prior to his death, Mr. Levine was a highly regarded, long-time member of the New York City Trusts and Estate Planning Bar.

Following my admission to the New York Bar in 1986, I was Court Attorney for the late Honorable Judge Roger Bryant Hunting of the New York County Civil and State Supreme Courts for two and a half years. Upon leaving the Court system, I became an associate with the firm of Alkalay, Handler, Robbins & Herman - a "spin-off" of the firm of Shea & Gould. After leaving Alkalay, Handler, Robbins & Herman, I practiced both civil and criminal defense law in the offices of Frederick K. Brewington.

In 1994, I handled and completed my first complex New York County Surrogate's Court matter. In 1995, I became associated with Howard R. Levine, where I focused on wills and estate administration, real estate, landlord and tenant, and matrimonial matters. After we established the partnership of Levine & Sussman in 2000, I became of counsel to the firm of Del Valle & Gordon in 2001. At Del Valle, I continued my wills and estates and real estate practices and added family and general civil legal practice as a member of the UNITE-HERE union Legal Services plan. I remained part of that plan until I left the Del Valle firm in 2007.

Prior to attending law school, I was a Principal Aide to the Honorable Henry J. Stern, then a member of the New York City Council, and a Litigation Legal Assistant at the New York and international law firm of Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

I am a New York State Office of Court Administration "Fiduciary" under Article 81 of the State Mental Health Law and Rule 36 of the Rules of the Chief Judge of the State of New York serving New York, Rockland, and Westchester Counties. To qualify for this status, I was trained to represent incapacitated people and their interests in court and to work with their families and mental health counselors in designing programs to best serve their health and welfare. This status also qualifies me to serve as a Court appointed Referee in foreclosure cases and to mediate disputes among creditors and between creditors and debtors.

Additionally, in 1995, I became certified as a Mediator of Civil Disputes by the Institute for Mediation and Conflict Resolution. Subsequent trainings, particularly those connected with my qualification as a Family and Divorce Mediator by the New York State Council for Divorce Mediation, have enhanced my ability to listen to the needs and desires of clients. This has been particularly useful in listening to clients who want to make sure that their wills and estate plans genuinely reflect those needs and desires.

Currently, I am a Pro Bono mediator at the new Rockland County Community Dispute Resolution Center in Nyack. I have also accepted Pro Bono assignments from the Rockland County Surrogate's Court to represent the interests of incapacitated and indigent persons who have matters pending before the Surrogate.

(212) 756-8603

Monday through Friday
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Yes

Spanish and Portuguese.

New York, NY
RSussmanMediator@aol.com
122 East 42nd Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10168
(212) 756-8602

My fee for a basic Last Will & Testament is $500. This includes all meetings and review of a questionnaire I provide. More complex wills or trust instruments cost more. Of course, I would consider offering a discount or other incentive if new clients mention NOLO.

My basic rate is $250 per hour, however, I have negotiated other rates higher or lower. If the Will or Trust appoints me as Attorney for the Estate, then these fees are merged with a fee of 5% of the gross estate plus 1% of the sale price for any real property that is sold by the estate for preparing the paper work required for the closing transaction and participating in the marketing and negotiating of the sale price of the property.

Yes. The free initial consultation is generally 30 minutes to an hour.

$1,500 to $5,000, but it depends on the client's resources and the nature of the matter. If the client appoints me as Attorney for the Estate, the retainer is returned from funds deposited in the estate account as soon as they are available.