TRUSTS & ESTATES & ASSET PROTECTION

The Gilbert Firm will provide cutting edge planning advice to clients. We will design and structure appropriate trusts and business succession plans and recommend funding mechanisms to implement them.  We will initiate and litigate contested probate proceedings and administer your trusts and estates.

With the firm's litigation team, we handle estate and trust issues in the courtroom, including probate contests, proceedings to remove fiduciaries, construction proceedings and contested accounting proceedings.

We counsel on business and philanthropic affairs, and handle routine matters such as banking relationships and bill management, the selection of and interaction with investment service providers, and for our clients with family members with special needs and/or disabilities, personal care service providers.

Because many of our clients own family businesses or control large blocks of stock in closely held companies, we regularly counsel in methods of maintaining the "private" status of your company; controlling the operation of the company through shareholder agreements; how to effectively transfer shares within a family and how best to posture a closely held business for sale.

Asset Protection, Special Needs Trusts and Elder Planning

When designing estate plans, we look to meet the personal and financial objectives of our clients. We counsel our clients on the use of trusts and other legal devices to protect family assets, while also anticipating the unique challenges of families that include aging family members and members with special needs.

Fiduciaries

We counsel companies and individuals on executing fiduciary duties in the administration of trusts and estates.

Contests

It is our objective to assist our clients in executing their wishes with minimal family discord and business interruption. Where necessary, our litigation team will counsel and represent our estate clients when controversies arise among family members or among owners of closely held businesses. We also negotiate and draft pre-and post- nuptial agreements.