Your estate plan is effective only if it is properly executed and administered. Our Trust and Estate Planning attorneys will work with your executors and trustees in matters of probate, estate and trust administration to see that your wishes are carried out and your loved ones protected.
Focused on Clients
We effectively counsel individual and corporate fiduciaries, executors, administrators, guardians, trustees, and beneficiaries on the estate administration and settlement process, guiding them through the legal requirements imposed by the governing documents and state law as well as the tax compliance obligations for fiduciary income taxes, estate and gift taxes and generation-skipping transfer taxes. We work with fiduciaries and their other tax advisors to determine the optimal post-mortem tax elections and estate tax payment options, and we can assist in the preparation of decedent’s estate and gift tax returns.
Focus on Services
Probate Proceedings - You have the assurance of knowing that we have extensive experience handling probate proceedings for all kinds of estates. The settling of an estate is a process that requires careful compliance with the Probate Code and tax requirements, and we protect our clients’ interests by helping their personal representatives fulfill all of those obligations. We also guide executors through any asset sales that may be required for liquidity or estate distribution, seeking the most favorable terms, and working with appraisal experts to determine the proper methods of asset valuation.
Dispute Resolution - We have proven success representing clients in controversies with the IRS on estate valuation and other tax matters. Also, we regularly help resolve sensitive issues regarding the validity, construction, and administration of wills and trusts, and we handle claims against fiduciaries and probate disputes. When litigation is necessary we collaborate with firm trial attorneys who are recognized as among the best trial lawyers in our state.
Estate Planning - Every client’s estate planning environment and preferences are different, but everyone needs a complete and up-to-date estate plan. We can help you clarify and achieve your goals for the accumulation, preservation, and transfer of wealth in the context of your own unique circumstances. The process often involves creating a variety of lifetime and testamentary trusts and employing strategic wealth transfer techniques to protect and preserve family assets and to minimize the impact of taxes. We customize estate plans to suit your particular needs so that they address all the important aspects of your financial situation:
- Personal tax planning
- Business planning
- Retirement planning
- Life insurance planning
- Planning for disability and special needs
- Risk management and asset protection
- Family legacy and philanthropy
Focused on our Team
Our team of Trust and Estate Planning attorneys are highly ranked by legal publications including Best Lawyers in America, Chambers High Net Worth and Mid-South Super Lawyers. In Best Lawyers, all of the group’s partners are recognized for their work and two were named "2018 Lawyer of the Year" for their work in Trust and Estate Litigation and Non-Profit/Charities Law. Additionally, Best Lawyers/U.S. News ranked the group the highest in the state in Non-Profit/Charities Law. Chambers High Net Worth recognized four of the group’s attorneys for their work in Private Wealth Law and four of the group’s attorneys were recognized as Mid-South Super Lawyers.
Many of the attorneys in the Trust and Estate Planning practice area are Certified Public Accountants (inactive) and all have Master of Laws in Taxation. Six attorneys have been named as a Fellow by the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.