Pryor Cashman Welcomes Two New Partners, Expanding Its Trusts + Estates Practice

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pryor Cashman is pleased to announce that Paul E. Van Horn and Erica Howard-Potter have joined the firm as partners in the Trusts + Estates Practice and Private Client Group. Paul and Erica will bring their significant experience and client base to the firm. Both were formerly partners at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis.

• Paul advises high net worth individuals on estate planning, helping them to establish plans that implement their unique wishes and minimize income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, all while avoiding unnecessary complexity. His work includes not only the preparation of wills and revocable trust agreements to govern a client’s estate at death, but also lifetime planning in order to provide for special circumstances, minimize the eventual transfer tax burden, or provide current benefits to descendants or other beneficiaries in a tax-efficient manner. Paul prepares a wide range of trust agreements, federal and New York estate tax returns, and federal gift tax returns, along with other related services to clients. He is also an adjunct professor at NYU Law School, where he teaches “Estate Planning” in the graduate tax program.
  
• Erica counsels individuals and families on all aspects of estate, gift and succession planning, estate and trust administration, and charitable and tax planning. She works with clients to develop, structure, draft, and implement estate plans, and prepare documents including wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills, insurance trusts, and grantor trusts. Erica is proficient in all aspects of the gift planning process, including forming entities, drafting trusts, obtaining and reviewing appraisals, coordinating discount valuations, and preparing and filing gift tax returns. Erica is also experienced in the administration of complex estates and trusts. This includes not only legal experience, such as petitioning the court for probate, appraisals, sales of estate assets, distributions of estate and trust funds, and post-mortem tax planning, but even more importantly, compassion, patience, and responsiveness.

“The opportunity to bring Paul and Erica to Pryor Cashman was extraordinary, as they join and enhance our important private client practice,” said Ronald Shechtman, Managing Partner of Pryor Cashman. “They bring an active practice and competencies that will complement and grow our current practice in their field.”

“We are incredibly excited to expand our group, and we could not have found two more talented attorneys than Paul and Erica,” said Daniel Kesten, co-chair of the Trusts + Estates Practice. “On a personal note, I have considered Paul a colleague for over 15 years, given our close working relationship in the trusts and estates community, and I’m looking forward to working with Erica. This is a real boon for our firm.”

Paul and Erica are based in Pryor Cashman’s New York office.

“I’m excited to work with the exceptional lawyers at Pryor Cashman and help my clients maximize their opportunities,” said Paul. “Having a platform like this enhances my ability to navigate complex client issues. Erica and I can’t wait to get to work with our new colleagues.”

“Pryor Cashman is the perfect place to build on my practice,” said Erica. “The firm’s reputation and established Trusts + Estates group provides a solid bedrock for serving clients, and I’ll be able to both enhance my offerings and expand the firm’s client base.”

About Pryor Cashman

Pryor Cashman is a premier, midsized law firm headquartered at 7 Times Square in New York with offices in Los Angeles and Miami. With broad and sophisticated transactional and litigation practices, Pryor Cashman provides a full range of services to meet the complex legal needs of institutions, mid-market businesses, bold emerging entities, entrepreneurs, and individuals.