Kelly A. Zerillo

Member

Kelly provides sophisticated estate planning and estate administration services to ultra high net worth individuals, families, and business owners throughout New York City and beyond. With over a decade of experience in the trusts and estates field, she has earned a reputation for delivering personalized, strategic, and tax-efficient solutions tailored to the unique needs of each client.

Advising families with complex financial and personal situations, Kelly assists clients in designing comprehensive estate plans that protect their wealth, minimize estate taxes, and ensure the seamless transfer of assets across generations. Her knowledge spans the creation of sophisticated trust structures, charitable giving strategies, family governance, business succession planning, and the intricacies of tax law impacting high net worth individuals.

In addition to estate planning, Kelly has extensive experience in estate and trust administration, guiding executors and trustees through the often complex processes of probate, asset distribution, and tax reporting. She works closely with clients and their families to navigate the administration of estates and trusts in a manner that is both efficient and respectful of family dynamics.

Kelly also frequently works with clients on issues related to cross-border estates, including coordinating multi-jurisdictional tax planning and estate administration. She has deep knowledge of the federal and state estate and gift tax codes and is adept at finding solutions that mitigate tax burdens, protecting clients’ legacies for future generations.

A thought leader in the field, Kelly regularly contributes to industry publications and speaks at seminars on estate planning, wealth preservation, and tax law.

News

Super Lawyers Recognizes 35 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys in New York

October 24, 2024

Fourteen attorneys were recognized as Super Lawyers, and 21 were named “Rising Stars,” a list that recognizes attorneys under the age of 40.

Super Lawyers Recognizes 27 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys in New York

September 22, 2023

Thirteen attorneys were recognized as Super Lawyers and 14 were named “Rising Stars.”

21 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Recognized as New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

October 03, 2022

Super Lawyers has named 21 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2022 New York Metro Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Cozen O'Connor Promotes 28 Attorneys to Member

March 25, 2022

Cozen O'Connor promoted 28 attorneys to member in March.

Super Lawyers Recognizes 17 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys in New York

October 04, 2021

Super Lawyers has named 17 Cozen O’Connor attorneys to its 2021 New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list.

Super Lawyers Recognizes 21 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys in New York

September 29, 2020

Super Lawyers has named 21 Cozen O’Connor attorneys to its 2020 New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list.

Education

  • Hofstra University School of Law, J.D., 2014
  • Wake Forest University, B.A., 2011

Awards & Honors

New York Metro Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2020-2024
*This award is conferred by Super Lawyers. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

  • New York
  • New Jersey

Vice Chair, Non-Tax Issues Affecting the Planning and Administration of Estates for the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, American Bar Association

New York City Bar Association

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)