As the definition,
scope, and complexity of “family” has changed
over the years, we’ve expanded our services to
encompass a wide range of needs and issues. We prepare
wills and trusts including durable powers of attorney
and health care powers including living wills. Our specialists
understand the sensitive issues that arise in family
estate planning for second marriage couples who have
children from prior marriages. We represent clients in
guardianship and conservatorship proceedings including
contested proceedings, and our on-staff certified adoption
specialist provides counsel and representation to clients
who’ve made this important, and increasingly frequent,
choice.
Estate tax reduction strategies have led us to implement qualified personal
residence trusts (QPRTS), and various types of QTIP arrangements including
contingent QTIPS, Clayton QTIPS, conventional QTIPS, and lifetime QTIPS. We
often utilize life insurance to ensure the liquidity of estate trusts; depending
on the circumstances, we may employ irrevocable life insurance trusts, including
Dynasty trusts in various states.
In addition to estate and tax planning services, we provide consultation regarding
needs specific to seniors and their families, including Medicare, Medicaid,
insurance, and retirement issues.
We advise clients relative to traditional methods of giving, including gift
annuities and charitable trusts, as well as specialized means to achieve
specific philanthropic goals, including establishing and administering family
foundations.
In representing fiduciaries, our job quite simply is to be above reproach.
To that end, we don’t provide trust services or investment advice;
we neither sell nor promote investment products of any kind. We do not sell
tangentially-related products or services, nor do we have relationships with
financial product providers. We have built a strong reputation relative to
the preparation of federal estate and gift tax returns, particularly with
respect to high value estates; as needed, we represent clients in disputes
with the Internal Revenue Service.
We work with members of our litigation practice to defend and contest trusts,
wills, deeds, and other conveyances for improprieties due to undue influence,
lack of mental capacity, and other issues that could call the validity of
the instrument or conveyance into question.
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