LANSING PALMER has represented clients for over 35 years in complex commercial and business litigation and litigation matters involving contested trusts and estates.  Mr. Palmer has appeared in state and federal courts in multiple jurisdictions, including a 5-4 win in the United States Supreme Court in the case that established the present test for “excusable neglect” in late filings in bankruptcy and, by extension, other types of proceedings.  He has also represented major creditors in bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters and litigated successfully to subordinate the secured claims of insiders, including former CIA Director William J. Casey, under the “Deep Rock” doctrine of equitable subordination.  In addition, Mr. Palmer represented Patti Hansen, wife of the Rolling Stones’ guitarist, Keith Richards, in a right of privacy suit.  He has handled a significant amount of oil and gas litigation throughout his career and has extensive experience in securities litigation.

Mr. Palmer has represented clients in numerous high-profile estate and trust litigation matters, from the estate of the renowned composer Igor Stravinsky to the estate of hip hop American rapper Russell Jones (“Ol Dirty Bastard”).  He was involved in the extensive litigation involving members of the Shubert family, owners of the famous Shubert Theaters, and the Shubert Foundation.  He has litigated numerous cases involving both the estate tax valuation of art works as well as the disputed provenance of paintings and other art works.  He has litigated successfully to uphold the valuation of minority interests in corporations and partnerships held by estates as well as discounts attributable to a decedent’s fractional ownership of assets held in trusts.  His experience includes litigation risk analysis and alternative dispute resolution.  Mr. Palmer was retained by the Sackler estate as an expert consultant and testified as an expert witness in a jury trial involving this $160 million estate on issues of professional responsibility and the valuation of legal services.

Mr. Palmer received his law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1971, where he authored the Note, The Regulation of Commuter Railroads:  A Study of the New York Metropolitan Area, 50 B.U.L. Rev. 552 (1970), and his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1968.  AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell, Mr. Palmer began his career at the firm of Shearman & Sterling, where he practiced in the individual clients’ and litigation departments for more than six years.  He served as certified Trial/Defense Counsel as a JAG officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, retiring as a Lt. Comdr.

Mr. Palmer is a member of the American Bar Association, Litigation (Committee on Litigation Involving Decedent’s Estates 1977-1979) and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections, and the New York State Bar Association, Commercial and Federal Litigation (Committee on Federal Procedure 1989-1999) and Trusts and Estates Law Sections (Committee on Surrogate’s Courts 1977-1979 and Committee on Estate Litigation 1986-1994, 2000 to present), the New York City Bar, and the Federal Bar Council.  He is admitted to practice in the New York State Courts and in the Federal Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the U.S. Supreme Court.  Mr. Palmer is an Associate Fellow of Timothy Dwight College, Yale University (1980 to present), and is former president of The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York (1997-1999).