This site is published by Morgan Legal Group, a New York estate planning and probate practice led by attorney Russel Morgan. The firm focuses on New York’s EPTL and SCPA and on the realities of Manhattan estates — co-ops, condos, the estate-tax cliff, and the New York County Surrogate’s Court at 31 Chambers Street. Everything here is written to be accurate, statute-grounded, and genuinely useful to New York County residents and families.
Attorney Russel Morgan
Russel Morgan is a New York-licensed attorney and the founder of Morgan Legal Group. His practice concentrates on estate planning, trusts, probate, and estate administration under New York law. Because the firm works daily with the New York County Surrogate’s Court and the substantive rules of the EPTL, the guidance on this site reflects how New York estate matters actually unfold — not generic, out-of-state information. (Bar admission details and credentials should be verified on the firm’s primary site and the official attorney directory.)
Our approach to New York estates
Manhattan estates are unlike estates anywhere else in the country. Most wealth is held in co-op shares and condos rather than houses, New York has no transfer-on-death deeds, and the state’s estate-tax cliff catches families who never considered themselves wealthy. Our approach is to map each client’s assets to the right tools — a properly executed will, a funded trust, the 2021 statutory power of attorney and health care proxy, and estate-tax planning — so that, when the time comes, the family faces 31 Chambers Street with as little friction as possible.
Why trust this information
- New York-only focus. We don’t dilute the content with other states’ rules; everything is EPTL and SCPA.
- Statute-grounded. Pages cite the governing provisions — EPTL 3-2.1, EPTL 4-1.1, SCPA 1402, SCPA 2307, SCPA 2402 — with plain-English explanations.
- Court-specific. The guidance reflects the actual procedures and realities of the New York County Surrogate’s Court.
- Honest about uncertainty. Where figures change annually (estate-tax exemptions, filing fees), we say “verify the current figure” rather than risk a stale number.
Editorial standard
Content on this site is prepared and reviewed under the supervision of a New York-licensed attorney. It is educational and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Year-dependent figures — exemptions, fees, and lookback periods — should be confirmed against current sources before you act on them.
Entity and network
Morgan Legal Group maintains a consistent professional identity across New York. For the firm’s primary presence and verified contact information, see morganlegalny.com and the firm’s Google Business profile. We keep our name, attorney, and contact data consistent so readers — and search engines — can reliably identify the source behind this resource.
Service area
We serve clients with estate matters in New York County (Manhattan) and the New York County Surrogate’s Court at 31 Chambers Street, as well as throughout greater New York where the EPTL and SCPA apply. Venue for any given estate follows the decedent’s county of domicile under SCPA 205-206.
Start a conversation
The fastest way to get oriented is a short, no-obligation call. Book a 30-minute consultation with Russel Morgan, or visit the contact page for more ways to reach the firm.
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