Bernard Vishnick is the former Senior Partner and current Of Counsel at Vishnick McGovern Milizio LLP’s Trust and Estate Litigation Practice. A seasoned litigator with over 50 years of experience in various areas of litigation, his specific focus is Trusts and Estates.
Mr. Vishnick is also a member of VMM’s Wills, Trusts, and Estates, Elder Law, Guardianships, and Surrogacy, Adoption, and Assisted Reproduction Practices.
Mr. Vishnick’s litigation background includes Will contests, both for and against the probate of the Last Will and Testament; accounting proceedings; defense or removal of fiduciary and other fiduciary-related proceedings; discovery and turnover proceedings of estate property; defense and removal of trustees; rights of various parties to assets of, or formally belonging to, the decedent; and a variety of other trusts and estates and Supreme Court-related matters. He also acts as executor and trustee of significant estates and trusts.
Well known in the professional and judiciary community, Mr. Vishnick acts as counsel to judges and fellow attorneys, both for the protection of their individual interests and for the representation of their clients in complex litigation involving trusts and estates. He has represented attorneys and litigants in various other states, having been admitted to the court of each state by special application.
Mr. Vishnick has lectured before the New York State Bar Association, Queens County Bar Association, numerous committees and sub-committees of the Nassau County Bar Association, including its Trusts and Estates Committee, the International Association of Financial Planners, the New York Attorneys Association, bank institutions, and various major brokerage firms in the US and abroad.
Areas of Practice
Bar Admissions
- All courts of the State of New York, 1966
- Supreme Court of the United States, 2009
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
- United States Tax Court
- Various other state courts by special application
Education
- LL.B., New York Law School, 1965
- B.A., New York University, 1962
Memberships & Associations
- New York State Bar Association
- Queens County Bar Association; Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair of Grievance Committee, Chair of Unlawful Practice Committee
- Nassau County Bar Association; Surrogate’s Court Estates and Trust Committee
- New York State 11th Judicial District Qualification Commission for the Judiciary
- New York Attorneys Association
- Flushing Lawyers Association
- Great Neck Lawyers Association
- Vice President, Brandeis Lawyers Association
- Former longtime member, Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Judicial Districts, Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division: Second Judicial Department
Awards & Recognitions
- The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, 2025
- The Best Lawyers in America, Trusts and Estates, 2024 – 2025
- U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms in America," 2022 (firmwide)
- Chambers USA Regional Spotlight NY: Trusts & Estates, 2024 (practice)
- New York Law Journal “New York’s Top Rated Trusts and Estates Lawyers,” 2020 (practice)
- Global Law Experts 2020 “Trusts and Estates Litigation Law firm of the Year in New York, US” (practice)
- Avvo, 5-star reviewed member
- Brandeis Lawyers Association “2008 Barry Tivin Community Service Award”
- Jewish Theological Seminary “2007 Judge Simon H. Rifkind Award”
- Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC), 2011 Annual Tribute Dinner honoree
- Board of Directors, Executive Board Secretary, Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC)
- Dix Hills Jewish Center, Youth Involvement Committee