William Putnam Davies, Probate Attorney in Syracuse, New York

William P. Davies is a partner at the Davies Law Firm, and has been employed with the firm since he was 14 years old. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the College of Saint Rose in 2013, a law degree (Juris Doctor), magna cum laude, from Albany Law School in 2016, and a Heckerling L.L.M. (Master’s Degree in Law) in Estate Planning from the University of Miami Law School in 2017. Mr. Davies is admitted to practice law in all the state courts of New York and Florida.

Mr. Davies received a full academic scholarship to attend Albany Law School. During his second year of law school he was a member of the Albany Law Review, where he edited legal research papers selected for publication. During his second semester, Mr. Davies served as a full time student intern for the Honorable Mae A. D’Agostino, Federal District Court Judge for the Northern District of New York. He was also awarded a “Sponsler Fellowship” for placing in the top 10% of his class. As a Sponsler Fellow, he held small group lectures with new students on best study and work practices for law students in their first semester of law school. Mr. Davies also served as a peer mentor for first year law students.

In his third year, Mr. Davies was elected an executive editor of Notes & Comments for the Albany Law Review. His article on New York’s Statutory Power of Attorney was published in Volume 78 of the Albany Law Review, and cited in McKinney’s Commentary on the New York Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act §5-1510.

After finishing his law degree at Albany Law School and taking the New York Bar Exam, Mr. Davies attended the University of Miami Law School to gain specialized knowledge and training in estate and tax planning, earning an LLM (Master’s Degree in Law). Following graduation, he took the Florida bar exam.

Mr. Davies has spoken at the Adult Abuse Training Institute in Albany New York, on New York’s Power of Attorney, and for the National Business Institute on the New York State Probate Process. He has published articles in the Albany Law Review and the Syracuse Law Review, and provided written materials on adult capacity and Power of Attorney issues for presentation at legal conferences. Mr. Davies also serves on the Board of Directors for the Estate Planning Counsel of Central New York.

He is a member of the American Bar Association (Wills and Estates Section), the New York State Bar Association (Trusts & Estates and Elder Law Sections), the Onondaga County Bar Association, and the Estate Planning Council of Central New York.