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Trusts & Estate Law

Providing knowledge and sensitivity through the emotional and economic issues of trust and estate law

The preparation of a will, trust and other estate documents are all too often left for another day. We have the knowledge and expertise to counsel and assist individuals and families in all aspects of estate planning, wealth management and preservation, as well as lifetime and testamentary gifts and dispositions. We have the sensitivity, pragmatism and flexibility to guide our clients through every aspect of trusts and estate law, to meet our clients needs and goals.

We strive to maintain the proper balance between competing interests among generations and are quite adept at understanding and advising clients in the complex emotional and economic issues inherent in the management, preservation and transfer of wealth and business interests to younger generations. We pride ourselves in being well- trained, excellent listeners and counselors and truly care about our clients and their hopes, dreams and visions. We believe it is important to be responsive to the myriad of issues often present in family and business dynamics. We specifically tailor estate and business succession plans for each client utilizing well-established legal techniques to mitigate as much as possible any federal and state income, succession, estate and gift taxes as well as other transfer costs and expenses.

Estate planning is inherently a lifetime evolutionary process. We guide our clients through life’s journey and explain the various costs and benefits of any proposed course of action in a clear and uncomplicated manner. We are sensitive to clients’ unique family and business relationships while implementing sound income and estate tax savings tech- niques. In essence, we constantly endeavor to provide clients with peace of mind and the calm assurance that their wishes will be respected and that the fruit of their lifetime labors will be transferred to the natural objects of their bounty with minimal transfer costs and taxes.

Our Services Include:

Estate and Succession Tax Planning:

  • Wills and inter vivos revocable trusts
  • Testamentary trusts
  • Irrevocable trusts tailored for insurance as well as other assets
  • Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs)
  • Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts and Uni-trusts (GRATS
  • and GRUTS)
  • Charitable Split Interest Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts, Charitable Remainder Annuity and Uni-Trusts (CLTs, CRATS and CRUTS)
  • Sales to Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts
  • Living wills
  • Durable powers of attorney for both financial and health matters

Lifetime Gift Planning:

  • Gifts
  • Family limited liability companies and family limited partnerships
  • Asset allocation strategies
  • Charitable trusts and transfers
  • Private Foundations
  • Establishment of charitable 501(c)(3) organizations and other tax-exempt organizations

Business Succession Planning:

  • Owner “buy-sell” arrangements, entity redemption, cross- purchase and hybrid “wait and see” agreements 
  • Deferred compensation arrangements
  • Stock appreciation rights (SARs)
  • Qualified and non-qualified options
  • Split-dollar plans
  • Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs)

Estate and Probate Administration:

  • Probate and estate settlement
  • Ancillary probate administration
  • Trust administration

Elder Law Services:

  • Title XIX Planning
  • Trusts
  • Guardianships
  • Conservatorships
  • Durable powers of attorney for both financial and health matters

Marital Planning:

  • Prenuptial agreements
  • Divorce planning and negotiation

Children Services:

  • Adoption
  • Emancipation
  • Conservatorships
  • Guardianships
  • UTMA/UGMA planning
  • Section 529 Plans
  • 2503(c) Trusts

Dispute Resolution:

  • Will contests
  • Contested guardianships and conservatorship matters
  • Interpretation and reformation proceedings
  • Will and Trust construction and interpretation
  • Federal and state estate, succession and gift tax audits
  • Estate, succession and gift tax litigation and appeals in both federal and state court