Ettinger Law Firm

What Ettinger Law Firm does

Ettinger Law Firm is a privately held New York elder law and estate planning law firm founded in 1991 by Michael Ettinger. The firm serves individuals and families seeking to protect assets, plan for disability or death, reduce estate taxes, avoid probate, and qualify for Medicaid benefits. Practice areas encompass wills, living trusts, special needs trusts, Medicaid asset protection and applications, estate tax savings, probate and trust administration, business succession planning, and wealth preservation strategies. The firm's core service methodology is its trademarked 'Lifetime Estate Planning Process,' which combines disability and death planning and includes complimentary consultations, educational videos and guides, a free second consultation with a written fee proposal, and free three-year plan reviews.

The firm operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model without intermediaries, reaching clients through a twelve-office footprint spanning Albany, Long Island, Mid-Hudson Valley, Staten Island, Westchester, and Rockland County, supplemented by virtual consultations. Demand generation is centered on educational seminars (Lunch & Learn and evening sessions), webinars, a weekly newsletter, and a content library including books, guides, and videos. The firm employs nine attorneys and seventeen paralegals and support staff, for a stated headcount of twenty-six. There is no parent company, external investor, or capital structure disclosed; the firm operates as an independent, founder-led practice.

The firm reports having served over 35,000 clients since 1991 and maintains a 4.7-star rating across 549 BirdEye reviews. Pricing for legal services is not publicly disclosed; the entry point is a no-cost consultation with no fees due until the estate plan is completed and the client is satisfied, with no charges for phone calls or emails. The underlying technology stack is a standard legal practice management platform with web-based client engagement tools; the firm has no disclosed AI capabilities, APIs, SDKs, or proprietary software product.

Name

Ettinger Law Firm

Legal name

Ettinger Law Firm

Website

https://trustlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ettinger Law Firm is a privately held New York elder law and estate planning firm founded in 1991, serving individuals and families across twelve state locations with wills, trusts, Medicaid asset protection, estate tax planning, and probate services via a trademarked Lifetime Estate Planning Process.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Elder Law Estate Planning: Professional legal services billed for elder law estate planning, including wills, trusts, Medicaid asset protection, estate tax savings, and probate administration. No fees due until plan is completed and client is satisfied.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ettinger Law Firm is a New York elder law and estate planning law firm that provides legal services to individuals and families, including wills, living trusts, special needs trusts, Medicaid asset protection, estate tax savings, probate and trust administration, and business succession planning. Services are delivered through the firm's trademarked "Lifetime Estate Planning Process," which includes no-cost initial consultations, educational guides and videos, a written fee proposal, and no fees due until the plan is completed and the client is satisfied.

Product overview

Ettinger Law Firm is a New York elder law and estate planning law firm offering legal services rather than a technology product. The firm's core offering is its 'Lifetime Estate Planning Process,' a trademarked service methodology. The firm's practice areas include Elder Law Estate Planning (encompassing wills, trusts, special needs trusts, and wealth preservation), Medicaid Asset Protection, Medicaid Strategies & Applications, Estate Tax Savings, Probate & Trust Administration, and Business Succession Planning. The firm supplements its legal services with educational resources including books, guides, and videos. The firm operates across 12 New York locations and has served over 35,000 clients since 1991.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elder Law Estate Planning Services Comprehensive legal services combining disability and death planning to help clients protect assets, support loved ones, reduce estate taxes, and avoid probate court proceedings.
• Medicaid Asset Protection Legal strategies to protect life savings and ensure intended beneficiaries receive the wealth clients have worked hard to earn.
• Medicaid Strategies & Applications Expert assistance with Medicaid applications and navigating asset transfer rules for home care or nursing home benefits.
• Estate Tax Savings Practical and established estate planning strategies that minimize the burden of estate and capital gains taxes.
• Probate & Trust Administration Experienced guidance for executors and families through probate and estate administration processes.
• Wills Legal documents establishing how assets should be distributed upon death.
• Living Trusts Trust structures that allow assets to pass to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings.
• Special Needs Trusts Trust arrangements designed to protect and provide for disabled children and grandchildren.
• Business Succession Planning Planning services to ensure smooth transition of business ownership and management.
• Wealth Preservation Strategies Strategies to keep assets in the bloodline for grandchildren and reduce estate taxes.

Quantifiable outcome

• No fees until plan is completed and client is satisfied
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Nolo: Long-standing publisher and provider of do-it-yourself legal information, forms, and attorney directory services. Competes for consumer estate planning attention through self-help content and modest-cost document preparation.
• LegalZoom: Large online legal services platform offering wills, trusts, business formation, and other legal documents. Operates at much greater scale than Ettinger in the same end-customer category but with lower-touch, lower-priced delivery.
• Rocket Lawyer: Online legal services subscription platform offering document preparation and on-demand attorney access. Overlaps with Ettinger in basic estate planning documents and competes for the same SMB and consumer segments with a hybrid tech-plus-attorney model.
• Fidelity Estate Planning Services: Estate and legacy planning services offered by Fidelity Investments as part of its broader wealth management platform. Targets the same affluent retirees and families that Ettinger serves, leveraging Fidelity's brand and customer base.
• Northwestern Mutual Estate Planning Services: Large financial services company offering estate planning as part of an integrated life insurance and wealth management offering. Competes for high-net-worth estate planning engagements by bundling planning with insurance and investment products.

Direct peers

• Trust & Will: Online estate planning platform offering wills, living trusts, and related documents directly to consumers. Competes with Ettinger for the same middle-market consumer planning engagements, albeit at lower price points and via self-service rather than attorney-led delivery.
• FreeWill: Online will and estate planning platform serving both consumers and nonprofits. Directly overlaps with Ettinger's basic will and trust drafting services and represents the tech-enabled, lower-cost alternative to traditional estate planning counsel.

Emerging players

• Wealth.com: Estate planning technology platform serving financial advisors and RIAs. Adjacent competitor for estate plan generation, threatening Ettinger indirectly as more advisors internalize plan drafting rather than referring clients to outside counsel.
• LawDepot: Online legal document preparation service offering wills, powers of attorney, and trust templates. Competes with Ettinger on basic planning documents at lower price points, primarily targeting cost-conscious consumers and SMBs.
• USLegal Wills: Online will and estate planning document service based in Canada with US customer base. Overlaps with Ettinger's self-serve planning products for consumers seeking lower-cost alternatives to attorney-led estate plans.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NYElderLawEstatePlanning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ettinger-law-firm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ettinger Law Firm