About

Legal Experience & Background

Lorese Phillips is an accomplished attorney with over 25 years experience in all aspects of Estate Planning and Elder Law. Her practice includes both simple and sophisticated trust and estate planning, Last Wills, planning strategies for the long-term care needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities, advanced directives, and guardianship proceedings and Court appointments.  Prior to starting her own firm, Ms. Phillips worked as a Special Counsel to AV rated top-tier New York Trust and Estates firm, and also worked “Of Counsel” to a prestigious boutique Elder Law practice in midtown Manhattan. Earlier in her career, she was a Senior Associate in the New York City Personal Planning Department of Epstein, Becker & Green, P.C., a large, nationally prominent law firm.

Today, Lorese Phillips focuses her practice on all aspects of Estate Planning, Elder Law and Special Needs Planning.  With regard to Estate Planning, she represents and advises clients on simple and/or complex estate planning matters, including Wills and trusts, sophisticated estate planning techniques, testamentary and inter vivos transfers, planning with retirement benefits, the importance of advanced planning via well drafted advanced-care directives, making charitable dispositions, and all related tax issues.  Ms. Phillips represents and counsels Executors and Administrators in probate and estate administration matters, and counsels them on estate and capital gains tax liability, as well as estate accounting matters.  She also represents Trustees regarding trust administration and trust taxation matters.

Lorese Phillips is also passionate about representing clients with regard to Elder Law and Special Needs matters, including long-term and short-term health care financing for the elderly and/or disabled.  She advises clients on Medicaid planning; asset preservation and asset protection strategies, including supplemental needs trusts and Medicaid asset protection trusts; special needs planning, including special needs trusts;  planning for incapacity; selecting and using not-for-profit community trusts and pooled income trusts; executing and using advanced-care directives; Medicaid eligibility and applications; Medicare; guardianship appointments and proceedings; and Social Security Disability Income and Supplemental Security Income eligibility issues.  

In addition to the above, Ms. Phillips has over 25 years experience in representing clients in real estate and other residential transfers as part of her practice, and enjoys working with her clients on these transactions.

Ms. Phillips has lectured before the NYSBA on drafting statutory Power of Attorney documents, and as a member of the New York City Bar Association, has lectured in the community on Supplemental Needs Trusts, Last Wills, Health Care Proxies and Living Wills.   Furthermore, she has lectured at the Practicing Law Institute and the Dickinson School of Law at Penn State University.