Wills, Trusts & Estates

Estate (or Succession) Planning involves transfer of family wealth from one generation to the next in a tax efficient manner. However, proper planning involves a multi-disciplined professional approach that covers income taxes, estate taxes, estate law, fiduciary accountings for probate courts, investment management and custodial services and insurance, all of which should be led by the attorney who coordinates and oversees these matters and drafts the definitive documents memorializing a party’s wishes.

Further, an effective estate planning attorney must craft a tailored plan that takes into consideration the “personal” goals of a client’s matter. No generic estate plan fits all people as no one family is the same as any other family. In fact, if not properly addressed as part of the process, the family dynamics component can undermine what would otherwise look to be a well conceived estate plan.

In addition to the personal attention component, we offer a wide range of estate and succession planning, trust and probate services to our clients, including the following:

• Guardianships and conservatorships
• Administration of trusts and estates
• Income tax planning relating to estates and trusts
• Philanthropic planning, including trusts and private foundations
• Planning for retirement benefits; deferred compensation plans
• Business succession planning, including family office structures
• Formation of family limited partnerships (LLP) and limited liability companies (LLC)