Estate Planning

It's a fair assumption that most individuals realize that they should engage in estate planning. Typically, everyone intends on doing so someday. Nonetheless, estate planning seems to be a task that, although deemed important, gets put off for a later day. Unfortunately, delaying too long can have dire consequences on the way your estate is taxed, how your family survives, and where your assets go.

Proper planning ensures that adequate resources are in place for survivors, minimizes tax consequences, and allows you to creatively control where your assets will go to positively influence a future you envision. From simple wills to the most complex plans, our estate planning attorneys can assist you in accomplishing your goals.

The attorneys in our Estate Planning Practice Group provide innovative solutions to the business-succession problems posed by owners of our business clients, and develop estate planning strategies that can provide our clients and their families with significant estate, gift and income tax savings while protecting family legacies and dreams.

Members of the Estate Planning Practice Group include individuals who regularly write and speak on estate-planning issues for local and regional audiences. They are also active in the local community through representation on boards of directors for profit and not-for-profit corporations.

The Group has extensive experience in all aspects of estate planning and business succession, including trusts, probate, trust and guardianship administration, tax planning, representation before the Internal Revenue Service, negotiation of marital agreements and planning for charitable donations. We also have a strong litigation background with experience in trust, estate and guardianship litigation.

JDS&A has expertise in implementing family limited partnerships, various charitable trust arrangements, other irrevocable trust devices, as well as wills, powers of appointment, and both traditional and non-traditional community-property agreements.