Experience

A few examples of Clayton’s experience in directly and personally representing his clients include the following:

  • Prepared and implemented a comprehensive estate plan to minimize estate taxes for a closely-held business owner with assets exceeding $100,000,000, with the use of various irrevocable trusts and entities—including intentionally defective grantor trusts, generation-skipping transfer gifting trusts, and charitable trusts
  • Implemented a comprehensive estate plan for a C-Suite level Fortune 500 executive, using a variety of strategies, including spousal lifetime access trusts (“SLAT trusts”)
  • Developed an estate plan for a middle-aged couple with modest assets, but whose main concern was to ensure the care and well-being of their adopted minor children—one of whom is significantly physically disabled, including the use of a Supplemental Needs Trust
  • Developed a comprehensive “estate freeze” plan for a client involving the use of a family limited partnership and “rolling” GRATs (grantor retained annuity trusts) that is estimated will save very significant future federal and state estate taxes
  • Prepared an integrated “targeted estate plan” for a middle-aged couple with substantial assets in qualified retirement accounts, where probate avoidance and asset protection for adult children were the primary objectives
  • Developed a complex estate plan for the senior executive of a Fortune 500 corporation with significant international financial and family interests
  • Prepared a comprehensive core estate plan with a revocable trust for an elderly client, whose main concern was disability planning
  • Formulated an extensive estate and business succession plan for the owner of a large family agricultural and farm business to pass the business onto the next generation, with the coordinated implementation of trusts, a special board of trustees to manage the succession of the business, and life insurance planning with irrevocable life insurance trusts (“ILITs”)
  • Developed and implemented comprehensive estate plan to minimize estate taxes for a client with substantial international closely-held business and interests, with the use of irrevocable trusts and corporate entities, and working in coordination with foreign legal counsel
  • Worked with the owners of a large closely-held business in a multi-generational family context, in preparing a comprehensive business succession plan involving the use of generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax planning and various trust structures
  • Established a testamentary Charitable Lead Trust (“T-CLAT”) for an estate subject to federal estate taxes, to “zero out” estate taxes.
  • Developed a business succession plan for a large farm business owner, to pass the family farm to the children, with the use of a family limited partnership (“FLP”), limited liability company (“LLC”), and irrevocable trusts for children.
  • Represented client as special counsel in a complex trust and probate court matter involving disputes among beneficiaries
  • Obtained court approval on behalf of client to modify and reform terms of an irrevocable trust relating to S corporation eligibility status
  • Represented large tax-exempt charitable organization to obtain approval of trustee accounts in a complex court matter
  • Settled a dispute among siblings and their surviving parent, regarding a large estate and various trusts established by the deceased parent
  • Implemented a complex plan for US clients with various and multiple Asian and US real property and business holdings, in coordinating planning with Asian legal counsel

Now is the time to secure your financial future with customized strategies that minimize taxes and protect your valuable assets. Contact us for a complimentary consultation to see how we can help you achieve your goals.

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