The Cicero Law Firm LLP
attorneys at law
Attorneys
Jill M. Cicero, Esq.
Managing Partner
Ms. Cicero is a 1984 graduate of Cornell Law School whose practice since March 1985 has been concentrated in the areas of estate planning and administration, preparation of Wills and trust agreements, and estate and gift tax planning. Ms. Cicero’s extensive technical expertise is used to assist primarily, but not exclusively, high net worth individuals with sophisticated planning and tax strategies. She also has significant experience in identifying complex family and emotional issues that affect her clients’ planning, and recommending planning strategies to address those issues. Ms. Cicero has been selected by her peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the area of trusts and estates for the years 2001 through 2023, and has been named Best Lawyers’ 2019, 2017, and 2013 Rochester, New York Trusts and Estates “Lawyer of the Year.” She has been selected for inclusion in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2007 through 2022, including designation as one of the Top 25 Women Upstate New York Super Lawyers for multiple years, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. She is committed to providing personal, high quality, and timely service to the firm’s clients.
Ms. Cicero has served as Chair of the Monroe County Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section and as President of the Estate Planning Council of Rochester; she has also served on the boards of several other professional and community organizations. She is a Past President of the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar, a Past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and a Past President of the Monroe County Bar Association. She has authored several articles and has lectured on the topics of estate planning and planning for incapacity for both New York and local bar associations, and for community organizations and private seminars. Ms. Cicero is a 2017 Excellence in Law honoree, recognized by the Daily Record as a Top Woman in Law for making notable contributions to the legal profession while inspiring positive change in the community. She is also the recipient of the New York State Bar Association’s 2009 Attorney Professionalism Award, which recognizes one member of the Association who displays the highest standards of professionalism in service to clients, outstanding ethical conduct, commitment to promoting respect for the legal system in the pursuit of justice and the public good, competence, good judgment, integrity, and civility. She practiced with the firm now known as Nixon Peabody LLP from 1984 to 1990.
(Email: jcicero@thecicerolawfirm.com)
Amanda C. Agins, Esq.
Partner
Ms. Agins focuses her practice on estate planning and estate administration, which includes preparing Wills, trust agreements, and related estate planning documents, providing counsel regarding estate and gift tax issues, and assisting clients to maximize the benefits of charitable giving. An empathetic counselor, Ms. Agins is able to translate complex legalese into accessible language for clients of all ages and experiences. She is frequently called upon to present seminars to professional advisors and bar associations, and has lectured on digital assets, the SECURE Act, and planning for second marriages and blended families, among other topics.
Ms. Agins currently serves on the Rochester Area Community Foundation’s Professional Advisors Liaison Committee, and has previously served on the University of Rochester Planned Giving Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Estate Planning Council of Rochester, and the New York and Monroe County Bar Associations.
Prior to joining The Cicero Law Firm LLP, Ms. Agins was a partner at Harris Beach PLLC, where she practiced in the firm’s Wills, Trusts & Estates group. Ms. Agins is a magna cum laude graduate of SUNY at Buffalo Law School and a magna cum laude graduate of Colgate University. For 2023, she was recognized by her peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America for her high caliber work in trusts and estates, and for the years 2018 through 2022, she has been recognized by Super Lawyers as an Upstate New York Rising Star.
(Email: aagins@thecicerolawfirm.com)