Estate Planning & Estate Administration

The firm offers sophisticated estate planning services for high-net worth individuals and small business owners.  As part of this practice, we regularly meet with our clients to assess their estate planning and wealth preservation goals.  Our representation offers more than the traditional document preparation services.  Of particular emphasis are the client's estate, gift, and income tax exposure, as well as potential concerns with probate and creditor protection.  We collaborate with other disciplines within the firm, including real estate and litigation, to maximize wealth preservation across family generations, with a focus on family land and business succession planning.  We also work closely with the client's team of professional advisors, including accountants and financial planners, to develop estate planning strategies and solutions to achieve the client's objectives.

If estate tax planning is required, we will aid our clients in developing a plan to utilize all available exceptions, exemptions, and exclusions from the estate tax.  Such planning will typically include trusts, life insurance arrangements, gifting programs, intra family sales, charitable trusts and private foundations.  Where appropriate, we will also explore emerging areas of tax and land succession planning including conservation easements, wetlands mitigation, and transfer or purchase of development programs, all of which offer a myriad of tax and estate planning benefits.

We also stand ready to assist our clients, and their families, in the event of death, disability, or in the event trust administration is necessary.  To this end, the firm offers a wide variety of fiduciary and estate administration services to aid in the management of a deceased or disabled client's estate.  Again, using a collaborative approach, we will counsel the client with regard to tax planning for the estate and assess litigation risk in our fiduciary representation.  We also have relationships with a broad spectrum of professional advisors, including investment advisors and money managers, appraisers, accountants and actuaries to aid the trustee or executor in administration.

Attorneys for this Practice Area:
Keith C. Troxell
Cassandra L. Kincaid
Marissa R. Bagasra