Private Client and Tax DivisionThis practice generates approximately 55% of the partnership's revenues and is the largest in the world with over 300 people. We advise on domestic and international tax, estate planning, succession and mental capacity laws in Europe, the US and Asia, as well as facilitating our client's philanthropic endeavors. We have immigration teams in the major financial centers and are well placed to deal with tax investigation and litigation cases. Real estate is very important to our clients, and we have a specialist residential and rural team.
The Role This role will sit in our New Haven office. We're seeking a sharp, motivated Trust & Estate Planning Associate to join a dynamic legal team in the heart of New Haven. This role offers the opportunity to work with ultra-high-net-worth clients and family offices, learn from experienced partners, and grow within a firm that values excellence and innovation.
- Familiarity with estate planning for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients with complex family structures and complex assets.
- Comfortability structuring charitable organizations and foundations, structuring major and planned gifts, and ensuring compliance.
- Highly skilled in foundational (revocable) estate planning for clients and able to handle planning from start to finish; including, the initial interview, plan design and drafting, review and discussion with the client, execution, and follow up.
- Exposure to estate with irrevocable trusts such as: CRUTs, GRATs, IDGTs, ILITs, and QPRTs.
- Possesses previous gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax skills, and is able to:
- engage with ultra-high net worth clients to design and implement complex estate freeze and charitable planning with technical precision; and
- prepare and review estate and gift tax returns.
- Knowledge of income and transfer tax rules affecting non-U.S. residents with U.S. income and/or assets, and U.S. residents with foreign income and/or assets.
- Including exposure to rules applicable to income taxation of complex non-U.S. trusts and their beneficiaries.
- Exposure to pre-immigration and expatriation planning.
- Ability to independently run a post-mortem trust administration, expertly advising fiduciaries to keep them ahead of milestones, avoiding pitfalls and surprises, and efficiently shepherding distribution to assets to beneficiaries.
- The role will also involve contributing to the team's profile and undertaking business development activities to establish, develop, and maintain long-term relationships; including, writing articles/posts, attending events/conferences and building networks with private wealth contacts/intermediaries including global and peer firms and counsel.
This list of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for the performance of this job, and as such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.
Key Skills and Experience - Strong academic credentials (J.D. required; Tax LL.M. a plus);
- Between 4 - 7 years practicing in a law firm Trusts & Estates group;
- Connecticut bar membership is required;
- Proven ability to stay on top of a busy practice - including time recording, proactive deadline and matter management, and taking ownership of assigned projects - and doesn't require supervision in these areas;
- Demonstrates a genuine interest in contributing to the Firm's success as a whole, including through mentorship of junior team members and development and refinement of firm processes;
- Inspires the confidence of clients, intermediaries and referral sources (internal and external); and
- Takes a practical approach to solving client problems, and is nimble in employing tools to implement these solutions.
