Edward V. Wilcenski, Esq.

Ed Wilcenski practices in the areas of special needs planning, litigation settlement consulting, trust and estate administration, and elder law and long-term care planning.

Ed has been in practice for 25 years and cites growing up with his brother as the personal draw into these areas of the law.

“Like many siblings of individuals with disabilities, I have always been interested in working with the disability community in some manner. Special needs planning requires a background in traditional planning and administration, elder law, and disability issues, so it’s an intellectually challenging and vibrant area of the law.

“In helping clients wrestle with the difficult issues that accompany cognitive and physical disability, I frequently work with families who look just like mine. Most clients understand that there is no substitute for first-hand experience in living with the challenges of disability. I also get to use my legal knowledge to help my own family, which is very rewarding.”

Ed holds the highest rating for both expertise and ethics awarded by Martindale-Hubbel, the independent rating service of legal professionals, and has been named a New York Super Lawyer since 2010 as a result of his professional achievement and peer recognition within the legal community. In 2009 and again in 2013, he received the Marie Ivancich Award from the Brain Injury Association of New York State for his professional advocacy. In 2019, Ed was recognized by the New York State Bar Association Elder and Special Needs Law Section for his involvement in litigation which advanced the rights of individuals with disabilities.

In 2021, Ed was named a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a national professional association of trust and estate attorneys nominated by their peers based on having made substantial contributions to their fields through lecturing, writing, teaching and Bar Association participation.

A committed member of the advocacy community in New York, Ed serves as a trustee of the NYSARC Pooled Trust and the Wildwood Programs Third Party Pooled Supplemental Needs Trust.  He is the past vice chair of the Medicaid Committee of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Elder Law Section, a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and a member of the NYSBA Elder and Special Needs Law and Trust and Estate Sections.

Ed is a current member and past President of the Special Needs Alliance, an invitation-only, national network of leading special needs planning attorneys. He is a contributing author to various publications, a public speaker, and a respected lecturer. He earned a bachelor of science in Economics magna cum laude from Siena College in Loudonville, New York, and graduated from Albany Law School in 1996.

When not spending time with his family, he enjoys hiking in the Adirondack Mountains and fishing on Lake George.