Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to welcome Rebecca M.M. Kniffen to the firm’s New York office as an associate in the Tax, Trusts, & Estates Practice Group.
Becca helps individuals and families navigate estate and tax planning, estate administration, and significant life transitions with both practical guidance and compassion. She advises clients ranging from young professionals just starting out to those navigating more sophisticated tax planning matters, including foundational wills and trusts, shelter trusts, multigenerational wealth transfer strategies, and family business succession plans.
When focusing on major life and financial transitions, including divorce and widowhood, Becca offers personal support and ensures estate plans are accessible while also reflecting clients’ ultimate goals and protecting their assets. She works closely with financial advisors to develop practical planning strategies and guides executors and beneficiaries through estate administration, helping families resolve complex issues with clarity during difficult times.
Becca also offers incapacity and health care planning and advises on cemetery and disposition matters as part of broader family planning.
“We are excited to welcome Becca, an exceptional client advocate with an appetite to harness the many broad and niche components of tax, trust, and estate planning,” said Jeffrey Berger, co-office managing partner for Spencer Fane in New York. “Becca’s proven ability to forge and maintain close client relationships will be a valuable addition to our team, and we look forward to helping her continue to develop and hone her practice.”
“We look forward to working alongside Becca as the newest member of our talented and expanding New York office, but also to welcoming her to a broader legal platform,” added Steven Hochberg, co-office managing partner for Spencer Fane in New York.
In addition to involvements with the New York State and Westchester County Bar Associations, Becca regularly provides pro bono estate planning services through the City Bar Justice Center, an initiative she is passionate about.
After obtaining her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, Becca earned her Juris Doctor from Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law.