Cheryl L. Katz is a partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP. A member of the firm’s Tax, Trusts & Estates practice group, Ms. Katz’s practice includes trusts and estates litigation, estate and asset protection planning, and probate and estate administration.

As a trusts and estates litigator, Ms. Katz handles contested probate proceedings, removal proceedings, fiduciary accounting proceedings, discovery proceedings, and other litigation related to trusts and estates. As an estate planner and administration attorney, Ms. Katz handles the preparation of estate planning documents, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies and living wills. She is responsible for the preparation and filing of Surrogate’s Court petitions and applications, including petitions for probate or administration. Ms. Katz also assists clients with the day-to-day administration of estates, including the collection of assets, the preparation of estate tax returns, distribution of assets and the preparation of accountings, both informal and judicial.

In 2024, Ms. Katz was appointed by the Hon. Joseph A. Zayas to be a member of the prestigious statewide Surrogate’s Court Advisory Committee. The Committee was established by the Chief Administrator of the Courts to assist in the execution of the functions of the office. The Committee annually recommends to the Chief Administrator proposals related to the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law, the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act and legal issues involving the practice and procedure of the Surrogate’s Courts. These recommendations are based on the Committee’s own studies, examination of decisional law and suggestions received from the bench and bar. In addition to recommending its own annual legislative program, the Committee reviews and comments on other pending legislative measures concerning estates, trusts and other matters (e.g., adoptions, guardianships) that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Surrogate’s Courts.

Ms. Katz is certified to serve on the New York State Part 36 fiduciary list as a court-appointed guardian ad litem to represent individuals who cannot appear in the Surrogate’s Court to protect their own rights and interests.

Ms. Katz graduated from Hofstra Law School where she was the Vice President of Hofstra’s Elder Law Society; Hofstra Trial Advocacy Association Member (Mock Trial); and a Member of the Dispute Resolution Society. She earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Stony Brook University where she made the Dean’s List, a member of the Golden Key Honour Society and Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society.

Ms. Katz is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.