Three generations of our family have used the firm. Every time, the partner I started with is still the partner I finish with. That kind of continuity is rare in this profession.
Boutique counsel · est. 1998
Hartwell Carrigan & Co.
A small New Jersey firm with a long memory — for the families, founders, and estates we represent across generations.
Recognized in
CHAMBERS USA
Super Lawyers
BEST LAWYERS
NJ Law Journal
MARTINDALE-HUBBELL AV
U.S. News & World Report
CHAMBERS USA
Super Lawyers
BEST LAWYERS
NJ Law Journal
MARTINDALE-HUBBELL AV
U.S. News & World Report
Years in practice
0
Founded 1998. Same standard. Same name on the door.
Client families
0+
Many represented across multiple generations.
Partners & counsel
0
Senior bench, no associate-led work.
Confidential by default
0%
Engagements never disclosed without client consent.
About the firm
Counsel that doesn't rotate when the case gets interesting.
Hartwell Carrigan & Co. has practiced law from the same New Jersey block since 1998. Our partners take the matters that come in. Our associates support, never substitute. If you call about your trust on Wednesday afternoon, the same lawyer you met on Tuesday morning is the one who picks up.
The firm is intentionally small. We turn down more matters than we accept — not from arrogance, but because every engagement gets senior time. That math only works at scale we choose.
27yr
Open
9
Partners
3
Generations
Practice areas
Six areas. One bench of senior lawyers across all of them.
We work where lives intersect with the law — quietly, methodically, and in plain English when we can manage it.
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01 / Estate
Trusts & Estate Planning
Family trusts, generational planning, executor counsel, and probate — handled with the discretion families expect.
- Revocable & irrevocable trusts
- Generational wealth transfer
- Probate & estate administration
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02 / Tax
Tax Planning & Controversy
Federal and state planning, transactional structuring, and IRS/state controversy representation.
- Tax-efficient gift & transfer
- IRS audit & appeals
- Cross-border structuring
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03 / Business
Business & Corporate
Formation, equity work, M&A on the lower end of the mid-market, and routine governance for closely held companies.
- Formation & structuring
- M&A under $50M
- Operating & shareholder agreements
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04 / Real Estate
Real Estate & Land Use
Residential & commercial transactions, family transfers, land-use variances, and 1031 exchanges.
- Closings (commercial & high-end residential)
- 1031 like-kind exchanges
- Zoning & variance representation
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05 / Litigation
Civil & Commercial Litigation
Selective representation in contract disputes, fiduciary litigation, and inter-family matters. We try to settle first; we try cases when we can't.
- Trust & estate litigation
- Commercial contract disputes
- Fiduciary claims
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06 / Family
Family Office & Private Wealth
Coordinated counsel for multi-entity families: trusts, business, real estate, tax, and the boring administrative work that holds it all together.
- Single-family office formation
- Multi-jurisdictional coordination
- Generational governance
Recent representation
A multi-generational family trust, restructured without litigation.
Assets under planning$180M
Jurisdictions3 states
OutcomeSettled · no court
A six-month engagement representing the eldest sibling in a multi-state family trust restructuring. Our team led negotiations across three counsel teams, redrafted the trust into a series of pass-through vehicles, and brought the matter to a sibling-signed agreement without ever filing in court. Details remain confidential. The result speaks for what's possible when discretion and patience are part of the strategy.
Recent engagements
A selection of matters. Names redacted out of respect.
We don't market by case. These descriptions are intentionally general — enough to demonstrate the kind of work we take, never enough to identify a client.
01
Counsel to a family on the sale of a 78-year-old NJ-based manufacturing business.
02
Restructured a $42M family limited partnership across three generations for tax efficiency.
03
Represented an executor through a contested probate, settled without trial.
04
Lead counsel on the formation of a multi-state single-family office for a tech founder.
05
Advised on a 1031 like-kind exchange involving two NJ commercial buildings.
06
Negotiated and drafted founder agreements for a $14M Series A in life sciences.
The engagement
How working with the firm actually feels.
01
Introduction
A 30-minute call. We listen, ask, and tell you whether we're the right firm for the matter — even when the answer is no.
02
Conflict review
Same-day internal review of any potential conflicts. We confirm or decline in writing, never by phone.
03
Engagement letter
Clear scope, clear fee structure, no surprises. Hourly when it suits the matter, fixed-fee when it doesn't.
04
The work
Partner-led, associate-supported. You hear from the lawyer doing the work, not a relationship manager.
05
The close
Final memorandum, signed documents, and a debrief. We remain on call for years after — most relationships outlast the matter.
From clients
The kind of counsel you call back, decades later.
They told me on day one they weren't sure we needed to litigate. Six months later, we hadn't. They saved me two years of my life and a lot of money I'd never have seen back.
I've worked with three other firms on this transaction. None of them returned a call the same day. Carrigan's office did, every time, for nine months.
A small firm with the bench of a much bigger one — and the manners of a firm that's been on the same block for thirty years.
The bench
Four of our partners. Senior counsel across every matter.
Founding Partner
Margaret Hartwell
Estate planning, generational wealth transfer, and complex probate. Admitted NJ & NY, 1996.
Founding Partner
James Carrigan
Business law, M&A under $50M, and founder representation. JD Yale, 1995.
Partner · Tax
Dr. Renée Vargas
Federal & state tax, IRS controversy, cross-border. PhD & JD, NYU Law.
Partner · Litigation
Daniel Park
Trust & commercial litigation, family business disputes. Tried 41 matters to verdict.
Resources & publications
Notes from the practice — written by the partners themselves.
White paper · 24 pages
The Quiet Costs of an Outdated Trust: A 2026 Field Guide.
A walkthrough of the most common trust documents that look fine but have aged into liability over the last decade. Written for executors and beneficiaries.
Article · NJ Law Journal
Section 1031 in 2026 — What the New Treasury Guidance Actually Changed.
A practitioner's read on the 2025 Treasury guidance, with examples from recent NJ commercial closings.
Briefing · 8 pages
Founder Sales Under $25M: The Five Negotiating Points That Always Slip.
A field-tested checklist from forty-plus closings, organized in order of how often we see them disputed.
Article · Best Lawyers Quarterly
When Trust Litigation Is the Wrong Answer — and How to Tell.
Mediation, restructuring, and quiet settlement: a partner's view on why most trust disputes belong nowhere near a courtroom.
A first call
Quietly, thoroughly, ready to begin.
Tell us about the matter — only as much as you'd like in this first note. A partner will personally respond within one business day, in confidence. There is no fee for the initial conversation.