Our Wealth Management practice group is dedicated to preserving and protecting your family’s assets and facilitating transfers among generations in the most efficient manner possible.  Whether your focus is on minimizing taxes, protecting lower generations from themselves and others, ensuring minor children will be cared for in all events or planning and implementing a business succession plan, our attorneys have the knowledge and experience necessary to make the difference between a good solution and the best solution.  

Our Capabilities

Basic Estate Planning

A basic estate plan includes testamentary instruments (wills and/or a revocable trusts), advance healthcare directives, financial powers of attorney, and related documents.  Our attorneys draft these documents with precision to your specifications.  We also review your assets to ensure that you hold them in the most advantageous manner possible.  We highlight important decisions for your consideration, explain the various alternatives and help you evaluate which is right for you.  Whom should you name as guardian of your children in case one is needed?  Should trusts for children continue for their lifetimes or terminate at specified ages?  We help you make the right decisions, so you can have peace of mind.

Advanced Estate Planning

You may also wish to consider proactive planning techniques to avoid gift and estate taxes.  Families with a high financial net worth can obtain substantial tax savings by implementing financial plans across generations.  Entrepreneurs and key executives who expect to experience a substantial increase in net worth due to an initial public offering or other liquidity event may have one chance in advance of the deal to accomplish tax planning that cannot be achieved afterward.  Business owners should plan for the orderly transition of the business to the next generation or to others and should consider how the transition will be financed.  Our attorneys present the best planning techniques appropriate for your circumstances. 

Trust and Estate Administration

Our attorneys are highly knowledgeable and experienced in the administration of trusts and the probating of wills.  We assist your family in funding trusts to maximize tax savings and honor testamentary desires.  We assist personal representatives in navigating the probate process, ensure that taxes are minimized through post-mortem planning techniques and oversee the preparation of estate tax and fiduciary income tax returns. 

Charitable Planning

Our attorneys provide expert guidance in implementing your charitable desires.  Whether you plan to give under your testamentary instrument or contribute now, we can guide you through the complex planning considerations to ensure that you obtain the maximum tax benefits.  Private foundations, supporting organizations, donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, charitable gift annuities, restricted gifts and other options are presented and explained to interested clients.