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Matthew G. Kiernan

Matthew G. Kiernan


Estate and Probate Lawyer
Burner Prudenti Law, P.C.
Setauket- East Setauket, NY
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About Matthew G. Kiernan

Attorney Biography

Matthew G. Kiernan’s distinguished legal career includes time in private practice, public service, the court system, and academia. He is the former Public Administrator for the County of Suffolk, appointed by order of the Surrogate of Suffolk County. He held that position on two separate occasions, from 1998-2002, and again from 2018-2023, where he served as the fiduciary in a total of 140 estates and 45 guardianships, marshaling estate assets, paying creditors, searching for heirs, and making distributions to beneficiaries, and coordinating estate administration and litigation with outside counsel.

From 2016-2018 he held several different positions at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. He served as the Associate Dean of Academic Operations, where his responsibilities included fundraising; the development of new programs and interdisciplinary efforts, including the medical-legal partnership; approval of the academic calendar; appointment of adjunct faculty; and supervision of the faculty assistant staff.

While at Hofstra Law, he also served as the Faculty Administrative Editor of the Family Court Review, published in conjunction with the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and as an adjunct professor, teaching the Family Court Review Seminar and the Guardianship 17A Practicum.

Matt also served as Hofstra Law’s Director of Policy and Planning for the Center for Children, Families, and the Law, and as a member of its Executive Board assisting the Center’s Executive Director in all phases of the operation, structure, and development of the Center, including the launching of its two demonstration projects: Guardianship for Indigent and Developmentally Delayed Youth and a mediation project for separating and divorcing parents.

From 2016-2017 he served as Special Counsel to the Executive Director for the New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children. He was Special Counsel to the Chief Administrative Judge of the State of New York from 2011-2016, advising the Chief Administrative Judge issues involved with the administration and operation of a court system with 3,500 Judges, over 15,000 personnel and a budget in excess of two billion dollars. He assisted the Chief Administrative Judge in working collaboratively with the executive and legislative branches of government to enhance the administration of justice.

Prior to that, served as Deputy Clerk of the Court and Director of Professional Services, and then Clerk of the Court for the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department. As Director of Professional Services, he was responsible for the oversight of fiduciary appointments, the designation of Court Examiners, the supervision of the Assigned Counsel Advisory Committee and the Civil Appeals Management Program (CAMP), and coordinating the in-house continuing legal education program for court attorneys.

As Clerk of the Court, he was the highest ranking non-judicial employee in one of the busiest appellate courts in the United States, processing over 4,000 appeals and 14,000 motions/applications annually. Appointed unanimously as Clerk of the Court by the 21 Associate Justices of the court, upon the recommendation of the Presiding Justice, I assisted the Presiding Justice in all aspects of the day-to- day operation of the court and the management of its caseload and personnel.

Matt also served as the Director of the Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission, he implemented the procedures employed by the Commission and developed the forms used in evaluating the qualifications of candidates for judicial office.

Prior to serving the Commission, Matt was Principal Law Clerk to the Surrogate of Suffolk County, supervising the discovery phase of contested proceedings and the preparation of those proceedings for trial, as well as supervising the Probate Department and drafting decisions on uncontested applications and post-trial and post-hearing matters.

For four years, he served concurrently as an Assistant Town Attorney for the Town of Southold and as Special Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County. As Town Attorney he provided legal counsel to all departments within the town, attended and participated in public meetings, drafting local ordinances, preparing, and reviewing contracts and defending the Town in civil litigation. He also prosecuted violations of the Southold Town Code in the Southold Town Justice Court.

Prior to his career in public service, Matt practiced law as an associate at two different law firms handling cases involving civil negligence, municipality defense, and professional malpractice litigation.

He has been a frequent lecturer at both the New York State Bar Association and the Suffolk County Bar Association on a variety of subjects, as well as to prospective guardians ad litem in the Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court and prospective Court Examiners in the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department.

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Practice Areas

 
Estate and Probate Law (100%)

Résumé - Matthew G. Kiernan

Bar Licenses

New York State Bar
Member in Good Standing
1988

Work Experience

Burner Prudenti Law, P.C.
Burner Prudenti Law, P.C.
Associate Attorney
2023Present

Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
Associate Dean of Academic Operations
20172018

The Center for Children, Families and The Law, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
Director of Policy and Planning
20162017

New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children, NYS Unified Court System Office of Court Administration
Special Counsel to the Executive Director,
20162017

Office of Court Administration
Special Counsel to the Chief Administrative Judge
20112016

Supreme Court of The State Of New York Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department
Clerk of the Court
20102011

Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission
Director
2007Present

Supreme Court of The State Of New York Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department
Director of Professional Services and Associate Deputy Clerk of the Court
20022010

Surrogate’s Court, Suffolk County
Principal Law Clerk
19941998

Town of Southold
Assistant Town Attorney
19891993

Suffolk County
Special Assistant District Attorney
19891993

Newman Schlau Fitch & Burns P.C.
Associate
19881989

Connor and Weber P.C.
Associate
19861987

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Education

Associations

New York State Bar Association
Member
New York State Bar Association

Co-Chair of Suffolk County Bar Association Surroga
Surrogates Court Committee of the Suffolk County Bar Association
2024

Co-Chair Surrogate’s Court Committee
Suffolk County Bar Association
20102011

Member
Huntington Lawyers Club

Appellate Court Committee
Suffolk County Bar Association

Member
New York State Bar Association Committee on Fiduciary Appointments

Co-Chair
Second Judicial Department’s Guardianship Task Force

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Contact Matthew G. Kiernan

Matthew G. Kiernan
Burner Prudenti Law, P.C.
12 Research Way
Setauket- East Setauket, NY 11733
www.burnerlaw.com
Office: 631-941-3434
: 631-941-3443

More Information

Statewide Practice Areas

Estate and Probate Law in New York - The Lawyer Legion Estate and Probate Law Info Center of New York provides valuable resources for people in need of help with a trust, will, or probate case. Browse and compare lawyers, law firms, board-certified specialists and recognized leaders in the fields of estate, trust and probate law. Find valuable resources such as legal associations, courts, and government resources in the state of New York.

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