Event Overview
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
8:30 AM – 12:00 PM – CLE Program
12:00 PM – 2:15 PM – Reception & Luncheon
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Off-Site Reception
Keeping in Tune: Trusts & Estates in the Digital Age
It’s time to face the music—the digital age is transforming the legal landscape, and trusts and estates is no exception. Is your practice keeping pace? We will move beyond theory to reveal AI’s real-world impact in the estate planning world with its ethical demands of human oversight to protect client confidentiality. Learn how to leverage AI tools while avoiding their pitfalls, ensuring your practice remains indispensable to clients. This program will also demystify an attorney’s evolving obligations to preserve electronic stored information and provide actionable strategies to manage a client’s growing digital footprint. Plus, gain insights from the Surrogates, who will share front-line insights on the technological challenges and opportunities that matter most to practitioners today. Don’t let your practice become obsolete—secure your clients’ legacies and your firm’s future.
Highlights and Objectives:
- Estate planners and litigators will learn how to integrate AI ethically and effectively into their practice, striving to make AI a powerful tool that enhances one’s practice, not one that compromises.
- Practitioners will walk away with a solid understanding on how to properly preserve electronic records and ensure that clients’ digital estates are fully accounted for.
Trusts & Estates Law Section Chair:
Angelo M. Grasso, Esq., Greenfield Stein & Senior, LLP; New York, NY
Program Chairs:
Aileen A. Almonte, Esq., Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, LLP; Albany, NY
Lindsay S. Feuer, Esq., McGuireWoods, LLP; New York, NY
General Registration Fee
Required for all Annual Meeting attendees.
| Early bird through December 12, 2025 | After December 12, 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| NYSBA Members | $150 | $250 |
| Non-members | $395 | $395 |
+plus…
$195 Program Registration Fee
$50 Offsite Evening Reception Fee
Trusts and Estates Law Section Annual Meeting Program
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
New York Hilton Midtown
Grand Ballroom East | Third Floor
Section Committee Meetings | 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Murray Hill West | Second Floor
Business Meeting | 8:50 a.m.
CLE Program | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Reception | 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Luncheon | 12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Executive Committee Meeting | 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Rendezvous Trianon | Third Floor
All attendees must be registered in advance or will not be admitted.
3.0 MCLE Credits
(1.0 Law Practice Management; 1.0 Credit in Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection-Ethics; 1.0 Areas of Professional Practice)
This program is transitional and is suitable for all attorneys including those newly admitted.
9:00 a.m. – 9:05 a.m.
Opening Remarks
9:05 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.
Preservation Obligations in Anticipation of and in Response to E-Discovery
This presentation tackles the fundamental strategies attorneys should implement when it comes to preserving ESI (Electronically Stored Information). Today, designing an estate plan often involves various electronic documents, including but not limited to emails and attachments, cloud-based documents, data from smartphones, tablets, and computers, or financial data from online banking platforms. So, what constitutes the modern practitioner’s “client file”? Attorneys will learn how to proactively comply with their duty to preserve ESI, not only when a lawsuit is filed, but whenever litigation can be reasonably anticipated.
Speaker
Hillary A. Frommer, Esq. | Elman Freiberg PLLC; New York, NY
Caitlin E. Cline, Esq. | Farrell Fritz, P.C.; New York, NY
1.0 Credit in Areas in Law Practice Management9:55 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.
Break
10:05 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.
Artificial Intelligence
This panel will move beyond the hype of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and provide practical strategies for how New York estate planning and administration attorneys can ethically and effectively integrate AI into their practice. While AI has the potential to assist in tasks like drafting and research, attorneys should understand its critical limitations and the need for human oversight and professional judgement.
Speaker
Eva-Marie Cusack, Esq. | Surrogate's Court; Richmond County Staten Island, NY
Avigail Goldglancz, Esq. | Pillsbury Winthorp Shaw Pittman LLP; New York, NY
Seth LeMaster, Esq. | Greenfield Stein & Senior, LLP; New York, NY
1.0 Credit in Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection-Ethics10:55 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.
Break
11:05 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
Surrogate’s Court Panel
Speaker
Hon. Louis P. Gigliotti | Oneida County Surrogate's Court; Utica, NY
Hon. Bernard J. Graham | Kings County Surrogate's Court; Brooklyn, NY
Hon. Deborah S. Kearns | Albany County Surrogate's Court; Albany, NY
Hon. Rita M. Mella | New York County Surrogate's Court; New York, NY
Moderator
Lois Bladykas, Esq. | Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C.; Uniondale, NY
1.0 Credit in Areas in Professional Practice12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Reception
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Luncheon
Speaker
Prof. Samuel Brunson | Loyola College of Law
No CLE Credit for this session2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Executive Committee Meeting (Invitation Only)
For individual ticket purchases, purchase online or reach out to our Member Resource Center at mrc@nysba.org or at 800-582-2452/518-463-3724
For table reservations, fill out the form linked below and email Kate France at kfrance@nysba.org or fax to 518-487-5580
Please note the following:
- Each table seats 10 guests. (Individual names are not required.)
- Tickets will not be mailed. Guests should check in under their firm name. Table numbers will be posted on site by firm name.
- Cancellation Notice: Notice of cancellation must be received by Friday, January 2, 2026, to obtain a refund of fees.
- Kosher meal requests must be made at least 2 weeks before the luncheon.
You are cordially invited to the Trusts & Estates Law Section’s Cocktail Reception.
The event will take place on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, from 6-8 PM at the New York Athletic Club.
There is a $50 registration fee, please be sure to register as space is limited.
Thank You to our Hosting Sponsors!
For sponsorship opportunities and questions, contact Kate France at kfrance@nysba.org or at 518.487.5580.