Goetz Fitzpatrick LLP trusts and estates lawyers carry on a tradition of quality professional service to individual clients and family foundations.

 

The essence of the trusts and estates practice is helping clients preserve personal wealth and plan for and implement its transfer in a manner that achieves the client's personal objectives, while minimizing related tax and other costs. 

 

The Trusts and Estates group serves clients with diverse backgrounds, desires and needs throughout the New York Metropolitan Area. Many of our clients enjoy substantial wealth and have interests in ongoing family closely-held businesses, charitable organizations or distinctive assets, which require sophisticated estate and lifetime giving plans. For them, our trusts and estates lawyers, frequently working with financial advisors and other professionals, create individually tailored asset management, estate and business plans that most effectively achieve their objectives. Many clients, however, are of more modest means, or are in the process of accumulating wealth. They receive the same level of individual attention and care in their planning and in the drafting of appropriate instruments to reflect their wishes, affording them the maximum opportunity for tax and other savings.

 

Our lawyers also assist in the administration of estates and trusts, including handling probate and other judicial proceedings. They are frequently called upon to help resolve disputes regarding wills, trusts or estates, including litigation, when required. In addition, they proved estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer and fiduciary income tax and other advice to fiduciaries or to individuals who have interests in trusts or estates.

 

The lawyers in the Trusts and Estates group have broad experience. They are supported by the other members of a full-service firm of experienced lawyers who provide the entire range of services needed to serve a diverse client base. The firm’s experience encompass all practice areas, including pension, real estate, personal income tax advice and domestic relations law, which are of primary interest to individuals, as well as corporate and partnership tax, business reorganization, and commercial real estate law, which are of primary interest to the entrepreneur.

 

Some of our areas of experience include:

•         preparation of wills and trusts, living wills and powers of attorney

•         establishment of guardianships and conservatorships

•         business continuity planning

•         life insurance and retirement asset planning

•         charitable giving tax planning

•         formation and representation of private foundations

•         preparation of buy-sell agreements

•         grantor retained annuity trusts

•         qualified personal qualified residence trust

•         preparation of interview trusts

•         financial and investment counsel

•         family limited partnerships and family limited liability companies

•         preparation of fiduciary income tax returns

•         representation before the internal Revenue service

•         estate and trust administration

•         probate

•         formation and operation of limited liability companies

•         planning with valuation discounts

•         preparing pre-marital and post-marital agreements

•         preparation of Federal and State estates tax return

•         preparation of gift tax return

•         supplemental needs trusts

•         state domestic relocation