The estate, gift and succession planning practice at Williams, Bax & Saltzman is designed for our high net worth business owner clientele. We help our clients gain an understanding of property law, descent and distribution, and how wills, trusts and business agreements with co-owners can be effectively utilized and structured to help the enterprise and its owners pass their wealth to the generations that follow on an effective, tax-sensitive basis. Two of our partners have tax backgrounds and extensive planning experience for complex, multi-million dollar estates. 

At WBS, we help clients minimize or eliminate estate tax that would otherwise be incurred where clients or their other financial advisors lack tax planning skill, experience and foresight on which WBS estate planning attorneys have built their reputation among their peers.  Through a variety of formats, for example:

• Revocable Trusts
• Irrevocable Trusts
• Insurance Trusts
• Special Needs Trusts
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts
• Family Partnerships
• Charitable Lead Trusts
• Charitable Annuity Trusts
• Charitable Remainder Trusts
• Family Foundations
• Installment Sales

WBS attorneys use their specialized knowledge and experience to assist clients with choosing the wealth transfer device best-suited to achieve their planning goals.  Likewise, by means of advanced directives and powers of attorney for health care or property, WBS estate planning attorneys well-prepare our clients for the realities of disability and other concerns in end-of-life planning.  To our trustee, executor and other estate fiduciary clients, WBS provides guidance and assistance in performing trust and probate estate administration duties.

Supported by expertise of our estate, succession and asset protection planning partners, WBS litigation attorneys are well-experienced and prepared to forcefully protect our clients’ interests in all types of trust and estate disputes, for example:

• Will contests based on undue influence and other grounds
• Recovery of, and defense of claims against, probate estate assets
• Interpretation and reformation of trust agreements
• Special administrator or other fiduciary appointment
• Trustee removal
• Surcharge for fiduciary misconduct

We also assist estates and individuals in routine and complex probate and trust administration in both fiduciary-directed and formal court proceedings, as well as in guardianship proceedings.