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Christopher C. Schwabacher

In Memoriam

NEWSROOM

Experience

1941-2026

Christopher C. Schwabacher counseled clients on a broad range of issues including:

  • estate planning and related tax work,
  • estate and trust administration,
  • tax and succession planning for family businesses and charitable giving.

In addition, he represented clients in litigation matters involving estates and trusts.

Mr. Schwabacher worked closely with a variety of clients to help them identify their objectives and provide creative and pragmatic solutions designed to meet their specific goals, including:

  • entrepreneurs,
  • corporate executives,
  • investment bankers,
  • real estate developers,
  • artists and
  • collectors.

Prior to joining Windels Marx, Mr. Schwabacher was a partner at Brauner Baron Rosenzweig & Klein, LLP and the head of its Private Client Services Group.

Business Succession Planning

Mr. Schwabacher specialized in succession planning for closely-held businesses and was skilled in accommodating the interests of different generations in a closely-held business and in balancing the requirements of members of the family who were active in a closely-held business with the needs of members of the family who are not, but who depend on the success of the family business for their financial well-being. Mr. Schwabacher focused on tax planning and multigenerational structures for family businesses to encourage harmony in the family and to sustain the continuity of the business. He worked with closely-held businesses in a number of sectors, including real estate and investment banking.

Complex Financial and Estate Planning

Mr. Schwabacher focused on financial and estate planning for individuals of substantial net worth who have interests in properties that are difficult to manage or value, such as closely held business interests, real estate, and art. He also had broad experience in the administration of complex estates and trusts.

Planning When Art is an Asset

Mr. Schwabacher represented a number of artists and collectors and accumulated considerable experience in tax and related financial planning for persons owning art of substantial value. He was familiar with the legal issues facing artists, collectors, and their estates.

Community Service and Recognition

Mr. Schwabacher served as a director or trustee for a number of philanthropies, including:

  • Artists' Space,
  • the Fine Arts Work Center,
  • the Betty Parsons Foundation,
  • the Jewish Guild for the Blind, and
  • the Herman Goldman Foundation.

He also served on the advisory board of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center and the planned giving advisory committee of the Museum of Modern Art.

From 2009 to 2026, Mr. Schwabacher was been designated as a top trusts and estates lawyer in the Metro New York edition of SuperLawyers and also appeared in The New York Times Magazine. He was rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.

Speaking Engagements

  • Panelist, Union College on the topic of "Artist's Legacies, Trusts and Related Considerations"
  • Guest Speaker, Ora Lerman Trust and Soaring Gardens on the topic of "Estate Planning for Artists"

Authored

  • Chapter Five "The Next Generation" in Artists' Estates: Reputations in Trust, pp 161-171, (Magda Salvesen & Diane Cousineau, eds., Rutgers University Press, 2005)

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Education

  • B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard University
  • LL.B., Harvard Law School
  • LL.M., New York University School of Law

Admissions

  • New York