Estate Planning & Administration
The firm's estates practice serves individuals with estates of all sizes. The firm is particularly sensitive, however, to the planning needs of the principals of the many closely-held businesses that we represent. Although the underlying goal of most business owners is the creation of wealth, failure to plan for transition and for the impact of estate taxes can erode the fruits of a lifetime of otherwise solid business planning. Accordingly, we view estate planning as a key element of business and individual planning. In doing so, the shared goal with our clients is to create greater value, preserve that value and assist in planning to assure that such value is passed on to future generations with minimal tax cost.

While the personal nature of an estate planning practice is obvious, the interface between estates law and tax law often dictates the firm's approach that estate planning be an integral part of business planning for the principal of a closely held business. In addition to the type of complex planning often necessary where an individual also owns a substantial part of a business, the firm also routinely drafts less complex wills. After the death of an individual, the firm stands ready to assist the estate and its personal representative in all aspects of estate administration, including post mortem planning, the preparation and filing of estate and death tax returns, probate and inventory filings, sale and distribution of assets and the preparation of estate accountings.