Our People

At GFGR, we strive to provide our clients the highest quality legal services while creating a work environment that honors, respects, and values our clients, colleagues, and community. We were founded by a select group of lawyers and experts who have practiced together for more than 20 years. The underpinning of our successful practice is a superb team of administrative professionals who enable us to provide a broad range of legal and non-legal advisory services. GFGR offers clients an appealing value proposition — a comprehensive array of client benefits at the highest level of quality, but reasonably priced and timely delivered. Our firm is AV-rated 4.9 (out of 5.0) by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized in U.S. News and World Report’s and Woodward/White, Inc.’s Best Lawyers® for our work in Business Organizations, Trusts & Estates Law, and Tax Law.

Attorneys

Leslie C. Giordani
Partner

Leslie primarily represents high net worth individuals and family offices in a wide variety of legal matters. Her particular focus is domestic and international trust, investment, and life insurance structures.

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Michael H. Ripp, Jr.
Partner

Michael represents high net worth individuals and family offices in the design, implementation, and administration of domestic and international trust, investment, and life insurance structures.

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Cindy L. Grossman
Partner

Cindy has a breadth of experience in corporate and partnership formation and operation, entity conversion and reorganization, business planning, business succession, and asset protection planning.

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Lauren Fitte

Lauren M. Fitte
Partner

Lauren focuses on the design, implementation and administration of domestic and international estate and business plans for GFGR’s clients.

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Practice Professionals

Robert W. Chesner, Jr.
Finance & Insurance

Bob assists high net worth individuals and family offices in the design and implementation of domestic and offshore life insurance and annuity structures.

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J. Ross Buchholtz
Tax & Accounting

Ross draws upon his extensive experience as a senior certified public accountant to advise clients on a variety of income and transfer tax matters.

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Coordinators

Bruce S. Kentros
Trusts

Bruce's efforts are focused on complex structure administration and international estate and wealth protection planning.

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Christina L. Pedersen
Tax Matters

Christina primarily focuses on domestic and international tax compliance and planning for individuals, entities, and trusts.

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Amy D. Quiñones
International Matters

Amy supports the design, implementation and administration of offshore and domestic life insurance structures.

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Carol S. Kohler
Corporate Matters

Carol supports the firm’s income and estate tax attorneys in the design and implementation of domestic and international entity structures.

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Executive & Legal Assistants

Shannon L. Clifton
Executive Assistant

Shannon's primary responsibilities are to support Leslie Giordani, Bob Chesner, and Amy Quiñones; she also manages online presence.

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Heather J. Denham
Legal Assistant

Heather primarily supports Michael Ripp, Cindy Grossman, Steven Baker, Lauren Fitte, Bruce Kentros and Carol Kohler, as well as firm training and other firm administration duties.

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Paula Echols

Paula L. Echols
Legal Assistant

Paula primarily supports Ross Buchholtz and Christina Pedersen, as well as firm accounting and other firm administration duties.

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Administration

Robert W. Chesner, Jr.
Chief Operating Officer

Bob oversees all of the operational, administrative, and financial functions of the firm.

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David Giordani
Firm Administrator

David oversees all matters related to personnel, logistics, billing and bookkeeping, and financial planning.

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Alyssa N. Gault
Accounting Administrator

Alyssa administers accounts payable and receivable, maintains the firm's ledgers and provides client support.

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Sandra Painter
Bookkeeper

Sandra oversees most bookkeeping and primarily supports Ross Buchholtz and Christina Pedersen. She also supports Amy Quiñones in several insurance related matters.

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Stephanie Cook
Receptionist

Stephanie is the primary point of contact for clients and other visitors and provides general administrative support.

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GBGR Alumni

Peggy A. Ugent
Tax & Accounting

Ms. Ugent retired as the firm’s Director of Tax and Accounting in April 2018, but she continues to share her extensive experience on an as-needed basis with the firm.

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