Judd A. Serotta

Member

Judd counsels high net worth individuals and families on protecting and preserving their wealth and assets. Judd has considerable experience assisting families in the preparation of wills, revocable (living) trusts, and irrevocable trusts, in addition to other documents designed to assist in the prudent transmission and preservation of our clients’ wealth. Judd’s planning strategies are often, but not always, generated with tax planning objectives in mind to further help families maintain their wealth and assets. In addition, he serves as a family adviser on a variety of issues faced by numerous large, extended families where wealth accumulation and inheritances must be paired with the promotion of shared family values. He also provides efficient administration of estates and trusts of varying size and complexity.

In advising clients, Judd draws on his deep background as a commercial litigator, having brought and defended claims in federal and state courts throughout the country, as well as numerous arbitration and mediation forums. These matters have concerned subjects as varied as accounting malpractice, trademark and licensing disputes, family disagreements, fiduciary and corporate malfeasance, white-collar criminal claims, “bet the company” business controversies, and breaches of contract. As such, Judd is uniquely positioned to assist clients in developing trust and estate plans designed to avoid and anticipate potential disputes, as well as to address and mitigate potential areas of disagreement that could lead to courtroom proceedings.

Judd has written on various legal issues in The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Executive Counsel, Legal Times (now National Law Journal), and The Legal Intelligencer. He has been quoted for legal commentary and analysis in The New York Times, National Law Journal, The [Philadelphia] Bulletin, LawyersUSA, and elsewhere and his writings have been quoted in numerous legal opinions. In addition, he has been a guest commentator on legal issues on “It's Your Call with Lynn Doyle,” a current affairs program formerly on Comcast’s cable network.

Judd serves as a certified arbitrator in the compulsory arbitration program of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where he has adjudicated a wide variety of matters. He is an avid amateur singer, and performs with Choral Arts Philadelphia, which specializes in the music of J.S. Bach and other Baroque composers; and the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale (PBC&C), which is a world-renowned youth choir comprised of socio-economically diverse boys and men from throughout the Philadelphia region. Judd is the 2023 recipient of the PBC&C’s “Man of the Year” award for his distinguished service to the Boys Choir and commitment to its mission. He serves as Secretary and as a board member of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a non-profit organization fighting anti-Semitism, and serves on the board of Choral Arts Philadelphia. Judd is a former president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, a board member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, and a board member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Harvard Law School Alumni Association. He has a particular interest in families with special needs, having a son with severe autism and three younger children who love their older brother dearly.

News

Judd A. Serotta Joins Cozen O’Connor’s Private Client Service Team in Philadelphia

May 05, 2014

Judd A. Serotta recently joined Cozen O’Connor’s Philadelphia Office, as a member of the Private Client Services Practice Area. Previously focusing his practice in commercial litigation, Serotta worked at Blank Rome, LLP, for more than10 years, and left to join Cozen O’Connor in May of 2014

Publications

New Jersey Repeals Estate Tax [Private Client Services Alert]

October 21, 2016

Judd A. Serotta discusses new legislation in New Jersey that eliminates its estate tax as of January 1, 2018. Under the new law, New Jersey will tax all assets of a decedent’s estate in excess $2 million for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2017, and the tax will be eliminated entirely for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2018.

Education

  • Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1997
  • Dartmouth College, B.A., summa cum laude, 1994
  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • Wyoming
  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court -- Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court -- New Jersey
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit