Kelly A. Zampino is HDRB&B’s Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Litigation Department. As COO, Kelly plays a pivotal role on the firm’s leadership team, working together with the Managing Partner and CFO to oversee the firm’s day-to-day operations. In her role as Chair of the Trusts & Estates Litigation Department, Kelly oversees the firm’s extensive litigation docket in the New Jersey and New York Surrogate’s Courts, which includes every type of trusts and estates litigations, including will contests, accounting actions, removal of fiduciaries, lack of capacity, challenges to non-probate assets, undue influence cases, and disputes relating to powers of attorney. Kelly also handles guardianship litigation.
Kelly also represents individual and corporate clients in complex commercial litigations in New York and New Jersey state and federal courts. She has extensive experience handling a wide variety of business-related litigations, including shareholder disputes, contract disputes, and breach of fiduciary duty actions.
Kelly is known for her balanced approach—offering clients compassionate support and ensuring they feel heard, while maintaining aggressive representation in the courtroom. She excels at crafting compelling narratives around case facts that position clients favorably in trusts and estates matters, where outcomes often can hinge on effective presentation of family dynamics.
Kelly has been listed in “Best Lawyers in America®” for Commercial Litigation and named to “New Jersey Super Lawyers® Rising Stars” for Estate & Trust Litigation for five consecutive years. Additionally, Bergen Magazine has repeatedly recognized Kelly among its “Top Lawyers” in Commercial Litigation, and 201 Magazine has featured her in its “Top Lawyers” list for Trusts & Estates, Wills & Probate.
Kelly received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, and her B.A., cum laude, from Ohio Wesleyan University. Before joining HDRB&B, Kelly clerked for the Honorable Robert C. Wilson on the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County. She is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, and a graduate of the Justice Morris Pashman American Inn of Court.