Estate Planning, Probate & Trusts

The lawyers in Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP’s Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Department work closely with clients to identify and achieve their goals, from conserving and transferring family wealth to preserving family businesses, real estate and other assets, all while minimizing administrative costs and taxes. Our clients include individuals, families, businesses and fiduciaries, and our lawyers are regularly involved in planning and administering estates of all sizes.

Estate Planning Related Services

Estate planning techniques vary as the tax laws change. Drawing on the considerable tax and accounting expertise available in our firm, we closely monitor these changes and then tailor our clients’ estate plans with care, always keeping their particular goals in mind, using:

  • Revocable living trusts
  • Wills with testamentary trusts
  • Optimal marital deduction planning
  • Personal residence trusts
  • Irrevocable life insurance trusts
  • Gift and charitable giving programs, including the use of charitable lead and remainder trusts and private foundations
  • Generation-skipping transfer tax planning techniques
  • Estate valuation freezing plans
  • Analysis of available discounts in valuing business assets
  • Family general and limited partnerships and limited liability companies
  • Non-commercial or private annuities, grantor-retained unitrusts and annuity trusts
  • Retirement funding
  • Durable Powers of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directives

The Department also handles all aspects of estate and trust administration, including opportunities for “post-mortem” estate planning using disclaimers, asset allocation decisions, intra-family sales, tax elections and other techniques to achieve optimal tax results and implement family needs and goals.

Finally, we represent our clients in the administration of decedents’ estates (probate), conservatorships and guardianships, and regularly advise individual and corporate fiduciaries on their fiduciary duties. When necessary, we also represent clients in audits, appeals and litigation with the Internal Revenue Service in estate and gift tax matters.

Contact ECJ for Estate Planning, Probate and Trusts

Proper planning can help you not only transfer your wealth more efficiently, it can benefit you in your lifetime. For more information about the Estate Planning, Probate and Trusts Department, please contact us and speak with a probate lawyer today.

Estate Planning Attorneys, serving clients in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, the State of California and across the nation.