Business Profile: Fishlin & Fishlin, PLLC, Mt. Kisco
There’s a new law practice in Mount Kisco.
Todd A. Fishlin, partners with his father at Fishlin & Fishlin, PLLC in Manhattan, arrived in the village this week, opening an office at the Stark Business Solutions suite at 100 S. Bedford Rd. The move extends the family law firm’s reach into Westchester for the first time, specializing in wills, trusts and estate planning. Fishlin’s father, Lewis H. Fishlin, will continue to work out of the midtown office.
While there are thousands of attorneys in Westchester practicing all types of law, estate planning isn’t an especially crowded area, the younger Fishlin explained. He said many lawyers shy away from the specialty, in part because there’s the perception that estate planning deals with death. The reality, said Fishlin, is his job is to help surviving family members prepare for and cope with the financial and legal obligations they must meet following a loved one’s passing.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s never the same thing doing what I do. I just get a lot of satisfaction in having an expertise that not everybody has.”
Fishlin also gets plenty of satisfaction helping clients navigate their way through difficult circumstances. That could mean work as routine as drawing up wills or assisting a family by setting up trusts to protect their assets from potentially being exhausted by the cost of long-term care. An increasing amount of his time has been spent representing clients in the tumult of estate litigation, where contested wills, guardianships and various family disputes can arise after a relative’s death.
Regardless of the type of work needed for each client, Fishlin said his practice is dependent on strong relationships with individuals or families who need a lawyer’s service in what are often complicated and trying issues.
Since he works with average citizens, not corporate clients, Fishlin said a chief asset of his is to resolve disputes as efficiently as possible to keep costs from rising through the roof.
“As much I try to make a living I don’t like to do it on the backs of a person’s family conflicts, ” he said.
Fishlin, 38, has made the move to Mount Kisco in large part to work closer to home. Seven years ago he and his wife moved to the village but long hours and long commutes left little time for him to be with the couple’s two young children, ages 6 and 3.
Fishlin didn’t come out of college planning to immediately follow in the footsteps of his father, who has been a practicing attorney for 40 years, although Fishlin didn’t dismiss one day going to law school either. The native of New City, Rockland County, Fishlin went to SUNY Buffalo to major in English. Out of college, he worked in the financial services field. Partly as a result of the volatile domestic and international markets in the post 9/11 years, Fishlin decided about six years ago to go to New York Law School at night while still working in finance during the day.
He worked with his father in the city and will continue to be partners with him, but Fishlin is hopeful the move to Mount Kisco will not only increase quality family time but open him up to new clients as well.
“I’m very excited for 2013, that’s for sure,” he said.
While Fishlin explored office space throughout the county, he found a location with the shortest commute, a little more than five minutes from home. Since much of his work is meeting with clients, an office near the county courts was not a priority.
“I think I do most of my meetings in person, to counsel clients and chart a plan of action,” he said. “That’s why I need a place for the most part.”
For more information about Fishlin & Fishlin, PLLC, Todd A. Fishlin, he can be reached at 212-736-8000 or at 914-220-8346.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
