Estate Planning

We know that estate planning is important to our individual, family, and business clients, and we’re committed to help each one meet their goals and protect their heirs. To that end, we have developed a robust, ongoing planning process to help our clients create clear objectives and implement step-by-step action plans. We strive to develop deep and long-lasting relationships with our clients centered around sincerity and transparency. When legal questions arise, we are always there to answer the call.

We work with our clients to create estate plans that meet their goals and minimize the need for future probate proceedings. This planning process is not an event; we build relationships with our clients, providing ongoing updates and answering questions for them and their families as needs change and tax laws evolve. We help clients with:

• Last will and testaments
• Revocable living trusts
• Powers of attorney for property
• Powers of attorney for health care
• HIPAA releases

We work closely with advisors and accountants to create a cohesive strategy for complex, sophisticated estate planning for high-net-worth clients. Together, we work to protect our clients’ wealth, minimize tax, and seamlessly distribute their wealth to their heirs while helping them find the best way to support charities and causes that reflect their values. Resources we create include:

• Lifetime and generation-skipping gift strategies
• Irrevocable gift trusts
• Dynasty trusts
• Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs)
• Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs)
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs)
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs)
• Qualified Domestic Trusts (QDOTs)
• Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) and Charitable Lead Trusts (CLTs)
• Non-Judicial Settlement Agreements (NJSAs)
• Decanting of irrevocable trusts

When business owners are ready to pass their life’s work to the next generation—whether ensuring the business stays within the family, is passed on to key employees, or is prepared for a sale—we work with them to develop the right exit strategy. We have the resources necessary to tackle the unique challenges that business owners face. Working with experienced professionals across practice areas, we help clients sync their estate planning strategy with their business succession plan to maximize outcomes and minimize tax consequences Representative strategies include:

• Merger and acquisitions strategy
• New business formation and structure
• Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs) and LLCs
• Intrafamily loans and installment sales
• Use of non-voting and voting share structures
• Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPS)

Many of our clients have poured their heart and soul into building their wealth or have received their wealth from a loved one. But in today’s world, there are countless parties that may seek to separate a family or individual from what they’ve earned or inherited. This can occur through taxes, divorces, creditors, lawsuits, a spendthrift beneficiary, or by some other claim. We help our clients analyze their risk and strategically protect their assets so that they can be passed down to future generations. Our proactive strategy utilizes a wide variety of tools to help protect assets long-term. Some of the strategies we utilize include:

• Prenuptial/premarital and postnuptial/postmarital agreements
• Dynasty trusts
• Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs)
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs)
• Qualified Domestic Trusts (QDOTs)
• Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) and other limited liability structures
• Planning for special assets (art and collectibles, cryptocurrency)

Our estate planning process puts clients first. We approach each plan as an ongoing relationship that begins with the discovery process. Steps include:

• Initial appointment – When we engage with clients on the estate planning process, our first step is to get to know them, their families, their financial picture, and their goals and objectives. At the first meeting, an attorney will go over the process, answer questions, and create objectives for their estate. Then, the attorney will recommend the documents needed for the plan and the cost associated with them.
• Document review and approval – After the estate plan documents are drafted, the attorney meets with the client and reviews the documents with them, to ensure they accomplish the objectives.
• Signing appointment – Once the documents are finalized, clients come into our office to sign the documents in person.