Stephanie M. Alberts is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Trusts & Estates practice group at Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP.   She counsels individuals and families from generation to generation, designing and implementing estate plans, administering estates and trusts and resolving contested Surrogate’s Court proceedings.

At the heart of Ms. Alberts’ practice is a commitment to individualized planning.  She works closely with each client to craft an estate plan tailored to that client’s particular circumstances and objectives, routinely preparing Wills, trusts, and related instruments.  Ms. Alberts has extensive knowledge of estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax as well as income tax issues related to estate planning.

Ms. Alberts also guides clients through every stage of estate administration, from probate through the final distribution of assets.  She partners with fiduciaries to ensure the orderly marshaling of assets, careful evaluation of tax exposure, and distribution to beneficiaries.  Ms. Alberts regularly prepares estate and gift tax returns and collaborates with accountants on the fiduciary income tax returns for estates and trusts.

In contested matters, Ms. Alberts represents both fiduciaries and beneficiaries in Surrogate’s Court, including probate contests, judicial accountings, discovery proceedings, and a range of miscellaneous proceedings.  She is also frequently appointed as Guardian ad Litem, representing individuals who are unable to protect their own interests.

Ms. Alberts also assists clients with guardianship matters in both Surrogate’s Court and in Article 81 guardianship proceedings in the Supreme Court.  In this context, she represents clients at guardianship hearings and continues to advise guardians once appointed, assisting them in discharging their fiduciary duties, preparing annual guardian accountings and addressing issues that arise over the course of a guardianship.

Ms. Alberts is a frequent author on trusts and estates topics and she has co-authored articles published in the New York Law Journal, including “Substituted Judgment: Looking Out for an Elderly Person Who Becomes Incapacitated” and “Draft Once, Proofread Twice: Take Extreme Care in Formulating Personal Property Bequests.”

Ms. Alberts has been named a Metro New York Super Lawyer each year since 2023 and was named to the New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2013 – 2021. She was also named to the Best Lawyers in America list for 2026 and 2027. In 2016, she received the “Leadership in Law” Associate Award from Long Island Business News and was honored with Hofstra University’s “Outstanding Women in the Law” Award.