Estate Planning and Probate

Estate Planning

Our estate planning attorneys advise and assist individual clients with their estate planning and business succession needs. We utilize a variety of techniques and legal devices, including traditional wills, trusts, and business organizations—such as partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies—to achieve our clients’ comprehensive estate planning goals.

We specialize in solving complex inter-generational succession, management, ownership, and contingency planning problems which commonly arise in family or other closely-held businesses. Our planning often encompasses the resolution of unique income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping tax concerns. As an integral part of our practice in this area, we represent estates and executors in contested estate, gift, and generation-skipping tax matters at the IRS audit or appeals level, and where necessary, in the court system. Additionally, we assist clients in fulfilling their charitable estate planning goals, including the establishment and administration of charitable lead trusts, charitable remainder trusts, private foundations, public charities, and other planned giving strategies.

Our practice in this area also includes representation of officers, directors, and principal shareholders of publicly-held companies in the arrangement of their estates to minimize the impact of estate, gift, and generation-skipping taxes.

Foundations and Exempt Organizations

We represent individuals and organizations in the creation of charitable and other non-profit corporations and trusts. We assist clients in navigating the maze of rules and regulations concerning the qualification of these entities with the IRS and state taxing authorities. We also represent private foundations, from the preliminary strategic planning stage to the termination of such entities. We are experienced in assisting clients in the maximization of their philanthropic goals and the ancillary tax savings associated with charitable planning.

Family Business Entities

We assist entrepreneurs in organizing, reorganizing, and enhancing the long-term viability of their family-owned business ventures. Beginning with initial planning and choice of entity decisions, we provide advice to our clients on federal income tax, state tax, liability exposure, entity flexibility, life insurance, and retirement planning.

Probate and Estate Administration

We provide a full array of probate services, including the representation of executors in the administration and settlement of estates. However complex our clients’ objectives, our attorneys offer skilled representation directed toward the prompt preparation and filing of federal estate and state inheritance tax returns, the resolution of all claims against the probate estate, and a timely distribution of probate estate assets to the beneficiaries.