News

March 11, 2019

Cioffi Slezak Wildgrube, P.C. Names Partners

Two attorneys, Nicole L. Clouthier and Lauren E. Sharkey, have recently been named partners at Cioffi • Slezak • Wildgrube P.C., a Schenectady-based law firm.

Nicole L. Clouthier has practiced exclusively in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, elder law, and guardianship matters since her graduation from St. John’s School of Law in 2007. A large part of Nicole’s practice is dedicated to advising high net worth individuals on wealth transfer, estate and generation skipping transfer tax planning, and charitable giving.
Nicole is a frequent lecturer on Estate Planning and related topics for the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), and has been selected as a Rising Star in the areas of Estate Planning and Probate by SuperLawyers for 2017 and 2018. She is actively involved with NYSBA and currently sits on the Executive Committee for the Trusts and Estates Law Section. Nicole is also a member of the Schenectady County Bar Association and the Capital District Women’s Bar Association.

In addition to her professional commitments, Nicole is a member of the Development Committee for Schenectady ARC, and a member of the Steering Committee for Leadership Tech Valley, an initiative of the Capital Region Chamber to develop young leaders in the community. She lives in Clifton Park with her husband, Brett, and their children: Lucas and Lauren.

Lauren E. Sharkey practices in the areas of estate planning and administration, special needs planning and guardianships, Medicaid planning, business law and real estate. She is experienced in representing fiduciaries and beneficiaries in all aspects of estate and trust administration. Lauren also handles residential and commercial real estate transactions for both purchasers and sellers, and counsels small business owners through various transactions. In addition, Lauren provides estate planning, special needs planning, and long-term care planning analysis to clients in all stages of life.

Lauren joined Cioffi • Slezak • Wildgrube P.C. as an associate attorney after graduating from Albany Law School in 2011. Prior to joining the firm, Lauren interned at the New York State Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Frauds Bureau in Brooklyn, as well as at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), a non-profit organization in Manhattan, where she clerked in the Legal Health Unit. Lauren graduated cum laude from Pace University, earning a B.B.A. in Business Management.

Lauren is an active member of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) and serves as the Chair-Elect of the Young Lawyers Section. Lauren also serves on the NYSBA Elder Law and Special Needs Law Section’s Executive Committee and founded their Young Lawyers sub-Committee. Locally, Lauren is the Co-Chair of the Trusts, Estates, and Elder Law Committee of the Schenectady County Bar Association, where she leads meetings and helps develop strong continuing legal education programs for attorneys. She is also a member of the Capital District Women’s Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Lauren serves on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Ellis Medicine. She resides in Niskayuna, where she grew up, with her spouse, Patrick, and their children: Margot and Miles.

Deborah A. Slezak, partner at CSW stated “We are proud to add both Nicole and Lauren as partners. They are talented attorneys with a broad knowledge base, tremendous interpersonal skills and the drive to take our firm into the next generation. Nicole’s concentration in estate tax planning is a skill set that we greatly value; while Lauren’s ability to provide counsel to those in need of estate administration and guardianship is a huge benefit to the firm and our clients.”