Clients rely on us to plan and execute their wishes for the next generation.
Our Trusts and Estates practice focuses on all areas of personal succession, business succession, insurance, and asset protection planning to develop fully informed estate plans that meet the specific needs and wishes of individuals, families, and business owners. Strong, long-lasting lawyer-client relationships allow us to respond effectively to our clients’ evolving estate planning and estate administration objectives.
We regularly advise high-net-worth individuals and business owners on estate planning strategies—ranging from generation-skipping transfers and business succession planning to charitable giving and insurance planning—that maximize wealth preservation and minimize taxes on transfers to family members, charities, and other recipients. Since the complexities of estate planning can involve many areas of the law, we arrange for clients whose complex estate plans are impacted by tax, corporate, and pension planning issues to consult with firm colleagues in these areas in order to develop fully informed plans. Working closely with our clients and their advisors, including trust officers, accountants, and financial officers, our experienced team of trusted counselors takes a holistic approach to estate and trust administration. Clients depend on our familiarity with all aspects of the estate planning and administration process, as well as with the latest planning tools and techniques, to help them achieve their goals.
Our firm’s presence in multiple states—from Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina to Minnesota, South Carolina, and many others—dramatically increases our ability to meet our clients’ estate planning and estate administration needs. We regularly help clients with two or more residences determine the state of domicile that best suits their estate planning needs. To maintain our broad-based practice, we keep up to date on all the latest estate planning tools and techniques and present estate planning seminars to our clients.
Our Clients
- Business owners
- Physicians, lawyers, and other professionals
- Entrepreneurs and corporate executives
- Private nonprofit foundations formed for estate planning and charitable giving
- Retirees
Our Services
- Estate planning
- Tax planning
- Business succession planning
- Asset protection planning through family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and other vehicles
- Charitable giving planning, including advice on achieving tax efficiencies and savings while fulfilling clients’ charitable intentions
- Estate and trust administration, including advising trust fiduciaries of their duties and preparing trust income tax returns
- Resolution of estate administration controversies and disputes
- Insurance planning and structuring of life insurance coverage
- Private placement adoptions, including interstate and international proceedings
- Guardianships
- Assistance with audits by IRS agents and state taxing authorities
- Litigation of tax issues
- Presentation of estate planning seminars