Our Estate Planning Attorneys in New Jersey

TL;DR: Simon Law Group’s NJ estate planning practice is led by Britt J. Simon, Esq., who serves as responsible attorney for estate-planning clients across all 21 New Jersey counties.

Simon Law Group’s New Jersey estate planning practice is attorney-led. Britt J. Simon, Esq. is identified in this content set as the responsible attorney for estate-planning pages. The practice helps New Jersey clients plan for incapacity, death, probate, fiduciary authority, trust administration, business succession, and tax-sensitive transfers. The goal is not to sell every client the same trust package. A will-based plan, revocable trust, irrevocable trust, power of attorney, advance directive, beneficiary-designation review, or probate filing should match the client’s family, assets, fiduciaries, and risk profile.

The firm serves New Jersey clients through its Somerville office, by-appointment Morristown and Flemington offices, and remote meetings when the matter, documents, and attorney availability make that format appropriate.

Attorney-led planning, not document vending

Estate planning documents create legal authority. A will names an executor and distributes probate property. A trust can hold or manage assets. A power of attorney authorizes financial decisions during life. An advance directive identifies health care decision-makers and treatment preferences. Each document has to work under New Jersey law and with the client’s actual assets.

That is why the responsible attorney matters. Legal advice, document approval, tax-sensitive planning judgment, fiduciary recommendations, and final work product remain attorney functions. Staff may help collect information, coordinate workflow, and prepare meetings, but staff do not replace attorney review.

Who does what

Britt J. Simon is the responsible attorney identified for this estate-planning content. Estate-planning work may include wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, probate, trust administration, business succession, charitable planning, and special needs planning.

Christopher T. Tappan, J.D. (Client Services Director, Estate Planning) may assist with intake coordination and editorial review of estate-planning content for clarity. He is not admitted to the New Jersey Bar. Legal advice, client representation, document approval, and all attorney-client legal judgment remain with licensed attorneys at the firm; Britt J. Simon, Esq. serves as the Responsible Attorney for estate-planning content reviewed in this capacity.

Tax-sensitive matters should be coordinated with the client’s CPA, financial advisor, or tax counsel when federal estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer, income-tax, charitable, or business-valuation issues require that review.

The New Jersey framework we plan around

New Jersey estate planning must account for both document execution and later administration. Core reference points include:

• New Jersey will execution rules, including the two-witness requirement under N.J.S.A. 3B:3-2. See NJ Legislature - Official Statutes Downloads.
• The New Jersey Uniform Trust Code, which governs many trust creation, administration, modification, beneficiary-notice, and trustee-duty issues.
• Durable power of attorney practice, where financial institutions often scrutinize authority, durability language, gifting powers, and banking powers.
• New Jersey advance directive practice. The Department of Health recognizes proxy directives, which appoint a health care representative, and instruction directives, which state treatment preferences.
• New Jersey inheritance tax and estate tax rules. The Division of Taxation states that New Jersey estate tax is no longer imposed for individuals dying on or after January 1, 2018, while inheritance tax may still apply based on beneficiary class.
• County Surrogate procedure. Routine uncontested probate generally starts with the Surrogate in the county where the decedent was domiciled.

Those rules are practical, not academic. A power of attorney that a bank will not honor, a trust that was never funded, or a will with avoidable execution questions can leave a family with delays at the worst possible time.

How estate planning overlaps with other legal matters

Estate planning often appears while another legal issue is active. The firm coordinates internally when the overlap is real:

• A personal injury recovery may require settlement protection, fiduciary appointment, minor-settlement planning, or special needs trust analysis.
• Divorce, remarriage, or a property settlement agreement may require new fiduciary choices, beneficiary-designation review, and coordination with support or life-insurance obligations.
• A real estate transfer may require deed review, trust funding, title-company coordination, and attention to mortgage or tax consequences.
• A closely held business may require a buy-sell agreement, LLC operating-agreement amendment, valuation procedure, or succession plan tied to the owner’s will or trust.

Not every issue belongs inside one engagement. Specialized tax, benefits, securities, bankruptcy, or out-of-state issues may require separate counsel or advisor coordination.

What a sound engagement should produce

For many New Jersey clients, signed documents are only part of the work. A complete plan may include a fiduciary map, asset-titling instructions, beneficiary-designation review, deed or trust-funding tasks, and a reminder to revisit the plan after major life events. Documents that are executed but never funded, or that name fiduciaries who are no longer willing or able to serve, leave families in a difficult position at the worst possible time.

The firm approaches each engagement by identifying the client’s actual assets, family structure, and risk profile — then recommending only the documents and structures that serve that specific situation. A single person with modest assets may need only a will, durable power of attorney, and advance directive. A business owner with a blended family and significant real estate may need a revocable trust, irrevocable sub-trusts, a buy-sell agreement, and beneficiary-designation coordination across multiple accounts.

Simon Law Group does not promise tax savings, probate timing, Medicaid eligibility, creditor protection, or litigation results. The goal is disciplined: make the legal authority clear, reduce avoidable administration friction, and give fiduciaries a usable plan if incapacity or death occurs.

Contact and confidentiality

For estate planning in New Jersey, call (800) 709-1131 or use the contact page. Submitting a form or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship; please do not send confidential information until the firm confirms it can discuss your matter.

Related practice areas

• Estate Planning
• Business Succession
• Trust Administration
• Britt J. Simon
• Somerville Office
• Family Law
• Real Estate
• Contact Us

Source references

• Simon Law Group - Meet Our NJ Area Attorneys
• New Jersey Legislature - Uniform Trust Code, P.L. 2015, c.276
• New Jersey Legislature - N.J.S.A. 3B:3-2 will execution search
• New Jersey Legislature - Official Statutes Downloads
• New Jersey Department of Health - Advance Directive Forms and FAQs
• New Jersey Division of Taxation - Inheritance and Estate Tax
• Passaic County Surrogate - Will / Probate
• New Jersey Courts - Rules of Professional Conduct

Frequently asked questions

Sources & authorities

• New Jersey Legislature - Official Statutes Downloads
• New Jersey Uniform Trust Code, P.L. 2015 c.276
• New Jersey Revised Durable Power of Attorney Act, P.L. 2000 c.109
• New Jersey Department of Health - Advance Directive Forms and FAQs
• New Jersey Division of Taxation - Inheritance and Estate Tax
• IRS - Estate Tax