We recognize that no one really wants to think about what will happen after passing on — and there is no debate that the rapidly shifting laws surrounding estates and trusts have made planning for succession, retirement and wealth and asset protection more complex. With ongoing flux in already complex regulations and laws regarding transfers of assets, family-owned businesses and estates, it is critical to have experienced, proficient counsel in preparing for the future.

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Our team has the sophistication you need to minimize taxation and maximize the transfer of wealth to your children and survivors. Our goal is to ensure that your wishes are your reality — creating courses of care for medical needs, preparing wills, developing and administrating trusts, and other services. Preparing a will is perhaps the most important part of estate planning, as it generally avoids much of the probate process that an intestate estate — that is, what is left behind when someone passes away without a will — would go through, as well as allowing you to take advantage of whatever federal or state estate tax exemptions may apply in a given year.
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• Designing outright and “in-trust” gifts

• Establishing family limited partnerships and family limited liability companies

• Intra-family loan agreements

• Charitable giving techniques

• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRAT), where the grantor retains the right to a payment from a trust for a certain term

• Real estate planning for large landowners

• Life insurance trusts
   

There are additional types of specialized trusts that we can assist with, including Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRT) and Grantor Retained Unitrusts (GRUT).

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Probate

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Unfortunately, not everyone has the time to plan ahead. We represent clients in probate court where no enforceable will exists. Turning to our team will mitigate the hardship of a drawn-out probate administration.

In addition, we offer a strong estate litigation presence, drawing on our Estate Planning and Litigation attorneys in a wide variety of claims, such as:

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• Will contests

• Inheritance and trust disputes

• Fiduciary claims against administrators and others in similar roles

• Collecting on bonds held by the estate