Susan K. Dromsky-Reed, Member

Co-Chair, Trusts and Estates

Susan Dromsky-Reed helps families and individuals create plans which can simply and easily transfer assets to their heirs, while taking into consideration necessary income, estate, and inheritance tax planning. Her goal is to provide peace of mind and to promote family harmony, during the planning process and during estate administration. As part of her practice, she provides individuals and families with planning and tax advice regarding spousal, intergenerational, and business succession; charitable planning; life insurance planning; and preparation of prenuptial agreements. She assists individuals in creating wills, irrevocable trusts, and living revocable trusts. She also helps clients draft and understand financial powers of attorney, living wills, and health care agent designations.

Susan works with her clients to implement sophisticated trust structures and gifting techniques, and provides fiduciary advice for ongoing trust management. She routinely assists clients with complex estate administration. She also counsels business owners on the best method and structure to transition a business to the next generation. In addition, Susan’s practice also includes providing advice to nonprofit entities, including formation and management of charitable trusts and private foundations, and ensuring that her clients understand the complex nonprofit rules and regulations.

Susan was admitted as a Fellow to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel in late 2015. The College represents a group of only a little over 2,600 trust and estate lawyers and law professors elected by their peers in the country. To qualify for membership, a lawyer must have no less than 10 years’ experience in the active practice of probate and trust law or estate planning. Lawyers and law professors are elected to be Fellows based on their outstanding reputation, exceptional skill, and substantial contributions to the field.

Susan is also the recipient of several honors and awards.  In 2020, she was included in the NJBIZ* “Best 50 Women in Business” list and was also included in the “Top Woman in the Law” list by the New Jersey Law Journal*.  She has been chosen by her peers for inclusion in the “New Jersey Super Lawyers” list by Super Lawyers®* from 2017-2023 and the “The Best Lawyers in America©” list by Best Lawyers®* from 2019 – 2022.

Additionally, Susan is a Trustee of the Essex County Estate Planning Council and a Board Member and Secretary of  Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ). EWNJ’s mission is to ensure that women have equal opportunity and representation in senior corporate leadership.  She also served as Chair of EWNJ’s Scholarship Committee for several years.

Susan was elected in 2018 to the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Real Property Trust & Estate Law Section Board of Consultors.  Susan currently serves as assistant Secretary for trusts and estates legislation. The Board of Consultors is responsible for reviewing potential legislation and making recommendations for legislation and regulations to the New Jersey Supreme Court and the Bar Association.  Each year, since 2006, Susan authors a chapter on the New Jersey inheritance and estate tax for the New Jersey Tax Handbook, published by American Lawyer Media.

In 2019, Susan was elected to the Executive Committee of Brach Eichler, the first woman in the firm’s history to assume this role.

Earlier in her career, Susan was a law clerk for the Honorable Robert J. Passero (Ret.), Superior Court of New Jersey, Passaic County, Family Part.