Jason W. Stern, Esq.

brings over three decades of expertise to estate litigation and planning. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (B.A.) and Hofstra University School of Law (J.D.), he began his career at the Yankowitz Law Firm before founding Jason W. Stern & Associates in 2002. Today, he leads the firm’s Trusts and Estates Department, renowned for its unparalleled success in complex estate matters.

Stern has built his practice on drafting and probating wills for New Yorkers while establishing himself as a leading will contest lawyer. He holds a distinguished record for overturning fraudulently drafted wills—outpacing peers in recovering estate assets for defrauded beneficiaries. His firm has secured tens of millions of dollars for clients, including non-marital children in groundbreaking paternity cases. Notably, Stern and his partner Matt Hunter are currently litigating one of the largest paternity estate battles in U.S. history, valued at over $200 million.

A pioneer in kinship cases—also known as "cousins cases"—Stern excels in proving lineage for claimants when loved ones pass without wills or close relatives. With six decades of combined experience, he and Hunter have mastered reconstructing intricate family trees, ensuring rightful heirs recover funds that might otherwise be lost to New York’s Department of Finance. The firm also leads in adoptees’ inheritance rights, helping clients claim estate assets they might not have known were theirs.

Beyond the courtroom, Stern has lectured extensively on estate planning and medical malpractice, authored numerous articles, and served as Chair of the Queens County Bar Association Judiciary Committee. His peers have honored him with an "EX" rating—the highest for legal ability and ethics—and the Super Lawyers New York Metro Rising Stars Award (2013-2017) for his exceptional success in contesting attorney-drafted wills.

Admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, Stern is a member of the Queens County and New York State Bar Associations. His career is marked by recovering tens of millions in misappropriated estate funds, including emotionally charged Holocaust survivor cases, solidifying his status as one of New York’s preeminent estate litigators.

Bar Admissions:

 

New York State Bar Association
New Jersey State Bar Association

Education:

 

Hofstra University School of Law, Hempstead, New York J.D. - 2001
University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, Ma. B.A. - 1998

Professional Associations and Memberships:

New York State Bar Association
Queens County Bar Association
Queens County Chamber of Commerce

Honors and Awards:

Chair of the Civil Court Judiciary Committee

Nominated to Super Lawyers 2013 Metro Rising Stars list

Nominatied to Super Lawyers 2014 Metro Rising Stars list

Nominated to Super Lawyers 2015 Metro Rising Stars list

Nominated to Super Lawyers 2016 Metro Rising Stars list

Nominated to Super Lawyers 2017 Metro Rising Stars list

Matthew D. Hunter, Esq.,

is a graduate (B.A.) of the City University of New York with majors in Political Science and Economics (1976), and a graduate (J.D.) of Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu California (1979). Matt Hunter was admitted to practice law in the States of California in 1980 and New York in 1983. In 1996 Matt Hunter was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Matt Hunter is one of a select few estate attorneys in New York who have been successfully handling complex kinship cases for more than 30 years. Matt Hunter has represented countless families of decedents who died without wills in the recovery of tens of millions of dollars. Many of these kinship cases also invloved family of people who perished in the holocaust. Matt Hunter is also a highly experienced real estate attorney and has represented numerous Forest Hills Co-ops in often complex real estate transactions.

Matt Hunter is an experienced attorney engaged in the private practice of law for more than 30 years. Mr. Hunter has been active in local politics as a candidate for the New York State Assembly in 1998 and in other community organizations including the West Side Tennis Club, Men's Club of Forest Hills, Friends of Station Square, Queens County Bar Association, and Queens County Women's Bar Association.

Bar Admissions:

California 1980

New York 1983

U.S. Supreme Court 1996

Education:

Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California J.D.

City University of New York, Queens, N.Y. B.A.

Professional Associations and Memberships:

Queens County Bar Association

Queens County Women's Bar Association