Areas of Practice
Estate Planning
We handle all the elements of estate planning for our clients to accomplish the goals and desires of the clients in the most tax efficient manner. We prepare wills, all types of trusts, including but not limited to revocable living trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, generation skipping trusts, defective grantor trusts, charitable lead and remainder trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, trusts for minors, and many others. We also prepare health care directives and powers of attorney for our clients. In addition, we prepare the documents to fully implement the estate plan such as deeds, beneficiary designations for life insurance, IRA’s, §401(k) plans, other qualified plan benefits, and handle the retitling of assets to accomplish the plan.
Estate Administration
We represent fiduciaries in the administration of estates. We handle the administration of the estates from the date of death of the decedent through all phases of the administration of the estate to its conclusion, including but not limited to the gathering of information in connection with the assets, debts and expenses of the decedent, all tax matters for the estate, including but not limited to income, estate and inheritance tax matters and representation of the estate in any tax audits, the distribution of the assets of the estate to the beneficiaries including any trusts established by the decedent, any accounting of the estate.
Trust Administration
We represent fiduciaries in the administration of trusts created by clients both during their lifetimes and on death. We advise fiduciaries on all aspects of the administration of trusts and the distributions of the assets to the beneficiaries.
Charitable Planning
We are involved with the structuring and planning of charitable gifts and bequests for our clients. These plans include the preparation of charitable lead trusts, charitable remainder trusts, transfers of real property to charity with retained life estates, private foundations, beneficiary designations for life insurance, IRAs and qualified benefits for the benefit of charities. We also assist in the implementation of outright gifts and bequests to charities.
Real Estate and Land Use
We handle the purchase and sale of residential and commercial real estate for our clients in connection with our estate planning and estate administration practices. We also handle land use and development applications and projects, including subdivision and variance applications, and appear before the boards of all local municipal boards.