Pryor Cashman today announced that leading trusts and estates attorneys Daniel L. Kesten and Lauren Cutson Janian have joined the firm's New York office as Partners. Kesten will also serve as co-head of the firm's Trusts + Estates practice. Both were previously partners at Davis & Gilbert LLP, where Kesten co-chaired the Private Client Group. This is Pryor Cashman's latest addition to its growing Trusts + Estates practice, which welcomed Partner Susan Witkin from Blank Rome LLP last year.

Kesten has more than 20 years of experience helping high net worth individuals preserve their wealth and financial security by mitigating income, estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. A particular focus of his practice is advising hedge fund principals. He provides strategic counseling on estate plans, wills and trusts, and the structuring and implementation of lifetime wealth transfers and "estate freeze" transactions, among other complex estate issues.

Janian represents high net worth individuals from the finance, alternative investment and art sectors, among others, on lifetime estate planning, including wills and revocable and irrevocable trusts, and post-death estate planning and estate administration. She brings extensive experience advising on estate taxes, gift taxes and generation-skipping transfer taxes.

Ronald Shechtman, Pryor Cashman's Managing Partner, said of the new partners, "We've seen increased demand from clients seeking specialized counsel on multifaceted trusts and estates issues. Dan and Lauren are two of New York's preeminent attorneys in this area, with expertise and experience that will enhance our firm's existing T+E capabilities and complement many of our other practices, particularly in the investment management sector."

"We are thrilled to be joining such an esteemed group of attorneys, whose collective expertise will serve our clients enormously," said Kesten. "I look forward to co-leading the trusts and estates practice and introducing my clients to everything Pryor Cashman has to offer."

"Our clients require sophisticated legal advice, and we immediately recognized that our new partners at Pryor Cashman provide that every day. The firm's full-service platform, including investment management, matrimonial, art and real estate expertise, will benefit our clients tremendously," Janian said.

Kesten received his L.L.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law and his J.D. from University of Kentucky College of Law. He earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Janian graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and received her B.A., with distinction, from Washington University. She holds an Advanced Professional Certificate in Estate Planning from New York University School of Law.

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