Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate

The Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate Group offers clients the full spectrum of trust and estate legal services, ranging from the preparation, implementation and administration of estate plans to the resolution of multimillion-dollar trust and probate disputes over family wealth distribution.

The Group's experience and expertise include:

• Revocable living trusts, wills and powers of attorney for asset management;
• Decedent's estate administration, trust administration, probate and spousal and other property transfer proceedings;
• Representation of institutional fiduciaries;
• Tax planning and audit representation for estate and gift tax matters;
• Succession planning for family and closely held business and real estate interests, including coordination with members of our Business and Real Estate Transactions Group to efficiently establish and beneficially use family partnerships, corporations and limited liability companies;
• Charitable planning, including the formation and use of private foundations, charitable remainder and charitable lead trusts;
• Dispute resolution in trust and probate controversies, including coordination with our Civil Litigation Group regarding will and trust contests, interpretation disputes concerning complex estate planning documents, contested accountings, estate distribution disputes and claims involving fiduciaries;
• Conservatorship establishment and administration;
• Health care decision-making documents;
• Insurance and retirement plan beneficiary designation planning;
• Family property agreements, including premarital, postmarital, community property and tenancy in common agreements; and
• Family gift programs, including the creation and administration of irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts and custodianships and educational planning (including IRC § 529 plans).

Representing individuals, beneficiaries and fiduciaries, the Group is dedicated to providing our clients with effective advice on personal and tax matters relating to estate plans and the use of sophisticated tax planning vehicles.