When providing estate planning services for our clients, we work closely to understand our clients' priorities, goals, family, and philanthropic interests. We carefully analyze the related tax issues and consider the available planning opportunities. Then we create and assist clients with implementing their estate plans. The plans typically include Wills, Trusts, Advance Health Care Directives, and Durable Powers of Attorney and may also include Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Charitable Remainder or Lead Trusts, Minor's Trusts, or other instruments. We provide planning for estates of all sizes and are comfortable working with "complicated assets" such as real estate holdings, closely held businesses, large retirement plans, and unique executive compensation plans.
Representative Experience
Our Trusts & Estates attorneys produced a complicated prenuptial agreement with just a few weeks’ notice and in the midst of the holiday season. We worked quickly to ensure our client could celebrate a New Year’s Eve wedding knowing her legal affairs were in order.
Maine Beer Co. has grown from a small “nano” brewery producing 100 barrels of beer a year to a thriving microbrewery producing over 4000 barrels a year. To support the surge in production they expanded their staff from two to 12 full-time people and moved into a brand new 11,000 square foot production facility. As the company has grown so have its legal needs and Pierce Atwood has been there to help.
MoreWe helped a client to develop a tax efficient charitable giving plan wherein he will leave his estate to numerous charitable organizations. We customize such gifts to maximize value to the charitable organizations and minimize taxes, in this case using a combination of charitable trusts and outright gifts to endowments.