Estate Planning and Probate Administration Solutions

The Estate Planning and Probate Administration Group attorneys advise and counsel clients in all aspects of estate planning and probate administration. We work with a broad range of clients, from individuals and families to executives and business owners, to help them reach their personal and business goals.
By utilizing the latest estate-planning techniques and tools, we plan and implement solutions for our clients’ specific needs. We work hard to become trusted advisors for our clients. We are able to draft and implement our planning, unlike estate and financial planners, outside the legal profession.

Areas of practice

Business Succession Planning

Our attorneys understand that closely-held, family-owned businesses are more than places of work for their owners and family members. Our attorneys understand that providing for the next generation is one of the most important aspects of these businesses. Thus, the firm counsels clients with regard to the handling of the business, legal, tax and human relations aspects of transition of ownership and management. Our Estate Planning and Probate Administration Group works with clients on specific and individual plans and uses planning techniques such as gifts, recapitalization, deferred compensation, and employee pension and profit sharing plans.

Employee Benefits

For our corporate and business clients, the firm offers counsel on employee benefit programs from qualified employee pension plans to profit sharing plans and ESOPs. Our attorneys also work in the areas of ERISA compliance and the design, implementation and administration of qualified and non-qualified employee pension and profit sharing plans.

Estate Planning

Our estate planning attorneys work with individuals and families to develop specific plans for their needs. Our attorneys advise clients on the advantages of wills and trusts and then implement the agreed-upon plan.

Tax Planning

The Estate Planning and Probate Administration Group advises and counsels business and individual clients on federal, state and local taxation. Our business clients include corporations, S corporations, partnerships and sole proprietorships. The firm also represents tax-exempt organizations.

Asset Protection Planning

For those of our clients concerned about minimizing risk of loss from lawsuits, the firm provides knowledgeable planning and comprehensive implementation of a variety of asset protection strategies including family transfers, exemption planning, LLC’s, FLIP’s and asset protection trusts. The firm has developed a special technique called The Protected Trust which provides particularly favorable asset protection and tax benefits.

Contact Practice Group Chair: 
Ralph A. Beard