Other Estate Planning Matters

When to Use This Service

If you've reviewed our standard estate planning services—Living Trusts, Wills, Probate, Powers of Attorney, and others—but your situation doesn't quite fit into those categories, this service is for you. Estate planning is not one-size-fits-all, and complex family situations, significant assets, unique goals, or sophisticated tax planning needs often require customized legal solutions that go beyond our standard offerings.

Is This Service Right for You?

Consider using our Other Estate Planning Matters service if:

• Your estate planning needs are complex or unusual and don't fit our standard services
• You have high-net-worth considerations requiring advanced tax planning strategies
• You own international assets or have beneficiaries in multiple countries
• You're planning succession for a family business or closely-held company
• You need specialized trusts like dynasty trusts, ILIT, QPRT, GRAT, or charitable lead trusts
• You have a blended family with complex distribution wishes
• You're dealing with special needs planning for a disabled beneficiary
• You need estate litigation support or guidance on trust disputes
• Your situation requires coordination with CPAs, financial advisors, or other professionals
• You simply don't see your specific need addressed in our other service pages

This service provides a direct pathway to have an experienced estate planning attorney review your unique situation and develop a customized strategy tailored to your specific needs.

Advanced Estate Planning Strategies

Our attorneys have extensive experience with sophisticated estate planning techniques for high-net-worth individuals and complex family situations:

• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILIT): Remove life insurance proceeds from your taxable estate while providing liquidity for estate taxes and family needs
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRT): Transfer your home to heirs at reduced gift tax cost while retaining the right to live there
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRAT): Transfer appreciating assets to beneficiaries with minimal gift tax consequences
• Dynasty Trusts: Create multi-generational wealth transfer vehicles that avoid estate taxes for decades or centuries
• Charitable Lead Trusts: Provide income to charity for a term while passing assets to heirs with reduced transfer taxes
• Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts: Freeze estate values while removing future appreciation from your taxable estate
• Family Limited Partnerships: Transfer business or investment assets with valuation discounts for tax purposes
• Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLAT): Remove assets from your estate while maintaining indirect access through your spouse

These strategies can result in significant tax savings and enhanced wealth transfer, but they require careful planning, proper execution, and ongoing compliance. Our attorneys guide you through the complexity to implement strategies that truly serve your goals.

Business Succession Planning

If you own a family business or closely-held company, succession planning is critical for preserving value and ensuring smooth transitions:

• Evaluating and implementing the best ownership transition structure
• Drafting buy-sell agreements that provide fairness and clarity
• Creating governance structures for family involvement in the business
• Planning for estate tax liquidity without forcing business sales
• Balancing interests of active and non-active family members
• Implementing employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) when appropriate
• Coordinating business and personal estate plans
• Preparing for unexpected events like death, disability, or divorce

Business succession is both an emotional and technical challenge. We help you navigate family dynamics while implementing legally sound, tax-efficient succession plans that preserve your business legacy.

International and Multi-Jurisdictional Planning

Cross-border estate planning presents unique challenges requiring specialized knowledge:

• Coordinating estate plans across multiple countries with different legal systems
• Addressing foreign tax treaties and avoiding double taxation
• Planning for assets in multiple U.S. states with different estate laws
• Structuring distributions to foreign beneficiaries
• Navigating FATCA and foreign asset reporting requirements
• Planning for U.S. citizens living abroad or foreign nationals with U.S. assets
• Addressing currency issues and foreign property ownership restrictions

International estate planning requires attorneys who understand both U.S. and foreign legal frameworks. We coordinate with international tax advisors and foreign legal counsel when necessary to create comprehensive cross-border strategies.

How This Service Works

Unlike our standardized services with set processes, this service is fully customized to your situation:

• Detailed Intake: You provide comprehensive information about your situation through our questionnaire, with space to explain complexity and nuances
• Attorney Review: An experienced estate planning attorney carefully reviews your matter to understand all relevant factors
• Initial Consultation: We schedule an extended consultation (typically 60-90 minutes) to discuss your situation, goals, and options in detail
• Custom Strategy Development: We develop a tailored strategy addressing your specific needs, which may involve multiple estate planning tools and techniques
• Collaborative Planning: We coordinate with your CPA, financial advisor, insurance professional, or other advisors as needed
• Implementation: We prepare all necessary documents and guide you through execution
• Ongoing Support: We remain available to adjust your plan as laws, circumstances, or goals change

This personalized approach ensures you receive exactly the legal support your situation requires, not a cookie-cutter solution that doesn't quite fit.