We engage in planning and document preparation for the management and transfer of the wealth of ultra-high-net worth individuals and families and business owners – regardless of whether you are an owner of closely held family company or even a CEO of New York Stock Exchange listed company with strong family influences. We diligently counsel business owners and high net worth executives on the transfer of ownership interests in the business and succession planning, with the use of complex planning techniques such as FLPs, GRATs, IDGTs, ILITs and BCTs.

You need lawyers on your side who understand and address the significant personal and family issues involved in the estate planning process. We endeavor to implement your personal and business goals in the most tax-efficient manner.

Our lawyers integrate both the family and business concerns of our clients into the estate planning process through the preparation of family partnership and limited liability company agreements, shareholder buy-sell agreements, and marital agreements. We take great care to ensure that we address the unique needs of family-owned businesses. We will help you understand and accomplish what is necessary for keeping your business in the family, regardless of life events that may occur – even despite the death or disability of family members who are active in the business. We develop and implement various kinds of agreements and compensation arrangements for you as business owners, including agreements for the economic participation of family members who are not active in the business.

We are equipped to resolve any dispute in connection with an estate, trust, family business, conservatorship or guardianship. Our lawyers can guide you through litigation, or if feasible, alternative dispute resolution, such as arbitration, mediation and settlement agreements, because of their high-level knowledge of estate planning structures as well as their ability to navigate probate and surrogate’s court.

Our capabilities in the estate planning arena and extensive knowledge of estate planning techniques enhance our ability to successfully defend or challenge wills, trusts or other estate planning vehicles.

If a dispute is litigated, we advise and represent you with discretion just as we do with many of the nation’s leading corporate trustees, high net-worth individuals and major charitable organizations. We handle significant trust and fiduciary matters, will and trust contests, will and trust construction actions, accountings, citation actions to recover property, and in trust and estate disputes. We can also help you with claims of breach of fiduciary duty, reformation suits, and creditor’s claims. Additionally, we represent individuals and other interested parties in conservatorships and guardianships.

We are prepared to assist with complex/contested trust and estate administration, wherein we counsel fiduciaries charged with these responsibilities relating to tax, probate, investments, risk management, beneficiary relations and other administration matters. In matters involving individual fiduciaries, we also represent beneficiaries who seek assistance in monitoring complex administration matters to ensure the protection of their interests.

We are equally able to handle administrations of estates and trusts with property across the United States and abroad. We are tremendously skilled in what we do and we endeavor to stay on top of Wealth Planning issues for you and all our clients. As such, six of our lawyers are Fellows of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), and many of our lawyers are active in local, state and national estate planning and tax groups, both as participants and as lecturers.