James Kosakow focuses his practice on estate planning and trust and estate administration. He is admitted to practice in New York, Connecticut, and Florida, as well as before the U.S. Tax Court.
Mr. Kosakow received his B.A. from Connecticut College and his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Before joining McLaughlin & Stern in 2005, he was a founding partner of Kove & Kosakow, LLC, with offices in New York City and Westport, Connecticut.
He is co-author, with Professor Kevin Yamamoto, of the two-volume Handling Federal Estate and Gift Taxes (6th ed.), and co-author, with Professor Gerry Beyer, of the one-volume Irrevocable Trusts (3d ed.) and the two-volume Revocable Trusts (5th ed.), all published by Thomson Reuters. He also contributed to Strategies for Trusts and Estates in New York (2015 Edition).
Mr. Kosakow has written more than twenty professional articles and served as assistant editor of Insights and Strategies, a nationally distributed financial and estate planning newsletter. His work has appeared in Estate Planning, Retirement Planning for Individuals, Elder Law Advisory, and other leading publications.
A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Mr. Kosakow has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Estate Planning at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
He has been recognized by Worth magazine as one of the nation’s “Top 100 Attorneys” for private clients, named a “New York Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics, and listed among The Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates by U.S. News – Best Lawyers. He holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest standard for legal ability and professional ethics.
Mr. Kosakow serves on the Planned Giving Advisory Councils of the American Cancer Society, The New-York Historical Society, and the Hospital for Special Surgery.
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Share ThisJames M. Kosakow co-authors a two-volume text entitled, Irrevocable Trusts, 3d, and the four-volume text entitled Revocable Trusts, 5th, both published by Thomson Reuters 2015:…
Share ThisPublications & Honors
- Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel – The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, ACTEC, is an international organization of approximately 2,600 lawyers elected to membership by demonstrating the highest level of integrity, commitment to the profession, competence, and experience as trust and estate counselors.
- Worth Magazine’s Top 100 Attorneys in the Nation
- Contributing author – Strategies for Trusts and Estates in New York, 2015 Edition: Leading Lawyers on Analyzing Recent Developments and Navigating the Estate Planning Process in New York (Inside the Minds).
- Assistant editor of “Insights & Strategies”, a nationally-recognized financial and estate planning monthly newsletter for professionals.
- “Year-end Trusts, Estate and Gift Tax Planning Strategies,” Publisher-Estate Planning, November 2004, Vol. 31, No. 11.
- “Benefits of Cash Value Life Insurance,” Publisher – Elder Law Advisory, Number 145, March 2003; India Weekly-USA, January 12, 2003, January 19, 2003; Forerunner, New York Chapter Society of Financial Service Professionals, Summer 2003, Vol. 61, No. 5.
- “IRS Issues Final Regs. On Treating Revocable Trust as Part of Estate,” Publisher – Estate Planning, May 2003, Vol. 30, No. 5.
- “Benefits of Life Insurance for Minors,” Publisher – India Weekly-USA, January 5, 2003; India Weekly-USA, March 2, 2003, Vol. 2, No. 22, Page 14.
- “Asset Protection Planning and the Family Limited Partnership,” Publisher – Planning Matters, May 1998, Vol. 3, No. 5; The National Alliance of Trust & Estate Professionals, October 28, 2002, Vol. 6, Issue 3; India Weekly – USA, February 23, 2003, Vol. 2, No. 21, Page 29.
- “Revocable Living Trust Planning Benefits – Part One and Two,” Publisher – Elder Law Advisory, West Group, Number 93, December 1998, Number 94, January 1999; India Weekly-USA, January 26, 2003, February 2, 2003.
- “Charitable Gifts of Life Insurance Have Many Benefits,” Publisher – New York State Bar Association, Trusts and Estates Law Section Newsletter, Vol. No. 31, No. 2, Summer 1998; The National Alliance of Trust & Estate Professionals, December 16, 2002, Vol. 6, Issue 10.
- “Estate Planning Benefits of Deferred Like-Kind Exchanges of Real Estate,” Publisher – Estate Planning, August 2001, Vol. 28, No. 8.
- “Beware Tax Trap When Transferring IRA to Spouse Pursuant to Divorce Decree,” Publisher – New York State Bar Association, Trusts and Estates Law Section Newsletter, Summer 2001, Vol. 34, No. 1.
- “New Tax Law Eliminates Estate Tax in 2010,” June 2001.
- “Proposed Regulations Clarify Treating Revocable Trust as Part of Estate,” Publisher – Estate Planning, April 2001, Vol. 28, No. 4.
- “New Proposed Regulations Challenge Accelerated Charitable Remainder Trusts,” Publisher – Estate Planning, February 2000, Vol. 27, No. 2; New York State Bar Association, Trusts and Estates Law Section Newsletter, Vol. 33, No. 2, Summer 2000.
- “The Importance of Cash Value Life Insurance in Financial, Retirement and Estate Planning, ” Publisher – Elder Law Advisory, West Group, Number 105, December 1999.
- “Techniques That Maximize the Advantages of Lifetime Giving,” Publisher- Estate Planning, December 1998, Vol. 25, No.10; The New York City Association of Life Underwriters, The Bulletin, July/August 1999
- “Problems Created by New Prop. Regs. on Revaluation of Gifts,” Publisher – Estate Planning, May 1999, Vol. 26, No.4; “Gift and Estate Tax Revaluation Proposed Regulations – Guidance and Traps,” Publisher – New York State Bar Association, Trusts and Estates Law Section Newsletter, Fall 1999, Vol. 32, No. 3.
- “The Defective Grantor Trust as an Estate Planning Strategy,” Publisher – Elder Law Advisory, West Group, Number 87, July 1998.
- “Layered GRATS – Big Gift and Estate Tax Benefits,” Publisher – Elder Law Advisory, West Group, Number 86, June 1998.
- “Gifts of Family Limited Partnership Interests Did Not Qualify for Annual Exclusion, Rules IRS,” Publisher – Estate Planning, May 1998, Vol. 25, No. 4.
- “New Regulations Provide Flexibility for Using Trust Beneficiaries as IRA Measuring Lives,” Publisher – Retirement Planning for Individuals, March/April 1998, Vol. 2, No. 5.
Education
- Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 1984)
- Connecticut College (1976)
Birthplace
- New London, CT
Bar Admissions
- Florida, 1991
- Connecticut, 1985
- New York, 1985
Memberships
- Connecticut Bar Association, New York Bar Association, Florida Bar Association