We assist clients in developing plans to transfer assets at death with minimum cost and delay. These include various alternatives designed to reduce death taxes, facilitate succession planning for family businesses, avoid probate and other administrative issues at death, and to provide for continued management of assets in the event of incapacity. We also advise our clients on the many non-tax issues to consider when implementing an estate plan including the nomination of legal guardians for minor children and the provision and protection of assets for their use and benefit past the age of majority.

REVOCABLE AND IRREVOCABLE TRUSTS: We frequently assist clients with the design and funding of revocable living trusts as a tool for avoiding unnecessary probate and estate administration costs, avoiding delay in distributing assets at death and in eliminating or minimizing estate and inheritance taxes as well as providing a vehicle for the management of assets in the event of incapacity.

WILLS: Where appropriate we assist clients with the design and preparation of wills, both simple and complex in order to accomplish estate planning objectives.

HEALTH CARE PROXIES & DURABLE POWERS OF ATTORNEY: We assist clients with the preparation of documents designed to designate authority for both financial and health care decisions in the event of incapacity.

ASSET ORGANIZATION: Where appropriate we assist clients with the reorganization of family businesses in order to take advantage of various tax-saving opportunities including the formation of Family Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies. This is often done in conjunction with other estate planning, most commonly the use of trusts.

ESTATE AND GIFT TAXATION: We offer comprehensive advice with respect estate and gift taxation with an emphasis placed on asset allocation and gifting to ensure that the estate planning documents achieve maximum estate tax savings. We also assist our client's by preparing the requisite state and federal estate tax returns.