May 17, 2022

New York

Stroock, an AmLaw firm with nearly 300 attorneys nationwide, has an immediate opening for a Fiduciary Accountant/Paralegal in its Personal Client Services department. The Fiduciary Accountant is responsible for handling all aspects of trust and estate administration and tax preparations and filings.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Preparing and filing in court of all documents required to probate Wills, including marshaling assets and arranging for valuation; maintain checkbook and banking records, paying bills, and computing and disbursing beneficiary distributions.
• Reading and interpreting Wills and trust instruments; preparing and filing all documents required to probate Wills; preparing receipt and release agreements, disclaimers, affidavits, accounting petitions; handle issuance and revocation of letters and other miscellaneous proceedings.
• Prepare income, estate, gift and, eventually, generation-skipping transfer tax returns at the federal and state level.
• Prepare fiduciary accountings and returns for trusts, estates and guardianships.
• Complete work assignments promptly and keep the Estate Administration process on track by meeting internal benchmark deadlines as the Estate moves toward final resolution.
• Work with PCS Administrative Partner to develop a list of gift tax returns and income tax returns prepared and reviewed by Stroock.
• Monitor the Tax Return Lists / PCS Work Calendar / Estate Works to make sure interim and final tax filing deadlines are being met; follow up with PCS paralegals and attorneys regarding deadlines, highlighting any issues that may have arisen.
• Participate in development and on-going implementation of Estate Works, the estate administration calendaring software.

Education, Skills and Experience:

The job of Fiduciary Accountant requires a four year college degree and a minimum of 5 years’ experience working in a complex trust and estate practice at a law firm, CPA firm or bank.  A concentration or advance degree in accounting is generally required (although law school coursework can serve to satisfy this as well) and a CPA license is beneficial.  The job requires in-depth experience in all aspects of Estate administration, Estate accountings and tax filings; plus strong communication skills.  The Fiduciary Accountant must be able to successfully interface with Firm clients, partners and associates as well as attorneys and professionals from other law firms, companies, foundations, etc.  In addition, the role requires advanced knowledge of Excel and other software applications used in Estate planning and tax preparation.  Because work is frequently done with tight deadlines, the PCS Fiduciary Accountant must consistently produce an accurate work product while managing simultaneous projects and working independently to prioritize and complete tasks on-time.

COVID-19:

Must present proof of being fully vaccinated, including a booster shot against COVID-19. Accommodation for non-vaccination is subject to a bona fide medical reason or a sincerely held religious belief. Furthermore, the accommodation cannot cause Stroock an undue hardship or pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others in the workplace and the candidate who requested the accommodation.