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Trusts and Estates
Our members have extensive experience advising entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, families and family offices in all aspects of wealth preservation, business succession planning, charitable giving, tax counsel and controversy work, family and marital law, probate and other legal issues.
In today’s global investment environment, personal assets and business interests are often held in and subject to the laws of multiple jurisdictions. High-net-worth individuals and families need coordinated legal and wealth management counsel that can help maximize and preserve assets across generations, limit tax and other liabilities, protect minor children and dependents, and achieve a wide range of short- and long-term financial objectives.
The presence of our member firms in markets worldwide enables us to better address our clients’ local, national and international needs, provide coordinated solutions, and work directly with governmental and taxing authorities at home and abroad. We understand that every client is unique and faces a distinct set of challenges, opportunities and family dynamics. With this in mind, we work closely with our lawyers from throughout the Alliance to develop flexible, creative and customized estate plans, wealth management services and income tax strategies.
Our member firms include lawyers with extensive tax and estate planning training and certifications in addition to their years of work as legal advisors. For example, Alliance lawyers are also Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in the United States, Accredited Specialists in Succession Law in Australia, or hold similar credentials in their home countries; are active members of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, and similar organizations; have authored treatises, books and articles on estate planning, wealth management and tax issues.
Our member firms counsel clients in the following core areas:
Estate and Succession Planning
- Business succession plans
- Choice of personal representatives, trustees and fiduciaries
- Choice of guardians for minor dependents and incapacitated individuals
- Designation of beneficiaries
- Disability and retirement planning
- Family partnerships and limited liability companies (LLCs)
- Life insurance, gift, charitable remainder, multigenerational, revocable living and other trusts
- Living wills (advance directives) and powers of attorney
- Representation of beneficiaries and heirs
- Wills and contracts of inheritance
International Tax and Wealth Planning
- Gift and income tax obligations
- Life insurance planning
- Generation-skipping and transfer taxes
- Coordination of estate plans across multiple jurisdictions
- Compliance with disclosure of international property and account holdings
- Use of trusts and foreign legal entities wealth management for international families
- Application of provisions of international inheritance estate tax treaties
Trust and Estate Administration
- Preparation of estate tax returns and filings
- Disclaimers, distributions and investments
- Family office administration
- Guardianships and conservatorships
- Interpretation of documents
- Preparation of annual accounts and reports
- Probate
Charitable and Nonprofit Advisory Services
- Charitable gifts and deductions
- Formation and maintenance of tax-exempt entities
- Fundraising and compliance requirements
- Obtaining IRS determination letters
- Private foundation counseling
- Relationships with recipient agencies, individuals and other nonprofit organizations
Family Law
- Prenuptial and asset protection agreements
- Postmarital and domestic partnership agreements
- Divorce and separation agreements
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Trust and estate litigation
- Construction
- Estate and trust settlement disputes
- Fiduciary duties
- IRS and taxing authority examinations
- Trust reformation
- Will challenges
For more information about Ally Law’s Trusts & Estates services, contact us.