Philadelphia, September 14, 2017 – Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce Melissa Grossman has joined the firm as a member of its private client services group. Grossman, who will be based at Cozen O’Connor’s Philadelphia office, comes to the firm from Hyland Levin LLP, where she was a partner in that firm’s Succession Planning, Trusts and Estates group.
Drawing upon more than 12 years of experience in estate planning, estate and trust administration, and business succession, Grossman will advise high net worth clients and their families on a range of succession planning matters, including complex tax and administration issues related to intergenerational wealth transfers; and transitioning closely held family businesses through tailored and tax-efficient estate plans. In addition, Grossman will be expanding the firm’s capabilities in providing services to nonprofit organizations, including private foundations and public charities.
In addition to counseling executors and trustees administering complex estates and trusts, Grossman will create and implement trusts, wills and other sophisticated estate planning instruments; prepare estate, inheritance, and gift tax returns; and assist families in creating and continuing private family foundations. She will also continue to lecture and serve as a panelist at legal conferences and events, addressing topics that range from estate planning tax issues to philanthropy.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Melissa to Cozen O’Connor,” says Robert Friedman, chair of the private client services group. “Clients view our attorneys as more than just legal technicians — they see us as trusted family advisers. Grossman has often served as the bridge between generations within a family so that the stewardship of not only the family wealth but also the family’s philosophy and values is as seamless as possible.”
Cozen O’Connor’s private client services group has more experienced private client services attorneys than almost any large law firm in the country. Its composition includes members who have been practicing for more than 30 years, as well as a group of talented young lawyers. The firm also serves as litigation counsel to select clients in complex or high-value disputes, representing executors, trustees, institutional fiduciaries, and beneficiaries in estate and probate litigation, will contests, trust disputes and estate-related commercial litigation.
“I’m excited to be joining Cozen O’Connor,” Grossman says. “I was drawn to the expansive knowledge base and experience of the Private Client Services group and the opportunity to practice in a team environment with other skilled and dynamic attorneys.”
Prior to joining Hyland Levin, Grossman was an associate at Dechert LLP, where she drafted wills and trusts, and advised clients on premarital agreements, asset protection, and business succession planning. She earned her J.D. at New York University School of Law and a B.S. in economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970 and ranked among the top 100 law firms in America, Cozen O’Connor has more than 600 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor services its clients’ needs through 26 offices across two continents.
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