New Jersey Estate & Trust Litigation

Cathleen T. Butler is a partner at the law firm of Butler & Butler in Westfield, New Jersey. She has substantial experience with counseling clients on all aspects of estate planning, estate administration, business succession planning, charitable giving and probate litigation. Ms. Butler has written numerous published articles on estate planning, estate administration and probate litigation. Upon graduating from law school, Ms. Butler served as a judicial law clerk for a Presiding Judge of the Chancery Division, General Equity and Probate Part of the New Jersey Superior Court. She was formerly associated with Gibbons P.C., where she specialized in trust and estate law for more than 11 years. Ms. Butler is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association real property, probate and trust law sections.

Michael R. Griffinger is a Retired Director of Gibbons P.C. in Newark, New Jersey, and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Griffinger was an active litigator for nearly 58 years. His practice focused primarily on sophisticated corporate and commercial disputes, securities litigation, antitrust matters, as well as estate litigation. He frequently defended both fiduciaries and beneficiaries in estate disputes. He has conducted trials and hearings in federal and state courts throughout the United States.

The idea and the greater part of the original edition of this book were the work product of Paul F. Cullum III. He received much help from his mentor, Michael R. Griffinger, and from his then colleagues at Gibbons LLC, Cathleen T. Butler and Rita M. Danylchuk, but he conceived the structure and crafted the details.

At the time of his death in 2012, Cullum was a partner in LeClairRyan’s Litigation Group, where his complex litigation practice focused on estate litigation and general commercial business litigation. He represented clients in numerous estate and intestate litigation matters concerning many of the areas cited in this book. In addition, he represented trustees and clients in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings.

About the Contributor

Rita M. Danylchuk is counsel to Gibbons, P.C., and a member of the Corporate Department and Chair of the Trusts and Estate Practice Group. She represents numerous clients in all areas of estate and trust planning, charitable giving, and estate administration. Ms. Danylchuk is a Certified Public Accountant in New Jersey (currently inactive) and a member of the Bars of the States of New York and New Jersey. She has lectured frequently on estate planning and estate administration and published numerous trusts and estates articles.