Overview
The concerns of today’s closely held business owners and high-net-worth individuals are global—both geographically and in the breadth of legal issues that require attention. Such clients have assets, businesses and family members located worldwide. Effective transfer and income tax planning is just the first step in addressing the management and transmission of holdings that may include companies, real estate, farms and ranches, marketable and non-marketable investments, private aircraft, and artwork and other collectibles. Effective implementation of philanthropic goals is also an important objective for many individuals and families. More than ever, wealthy clients need personal legal advisors who provide sophisticated counsel in a complex, dynamic environment, and who offer direct access to the cross-disciplinary resources of a full-service law firm.
The lawyers and non-lawyer professionals in our Private Client & Wealth Management practice have extensive experience providing creative, customized solutions to our clients’ most sensitive and pressing needs. Our guidance is multidimensional—we help clients make critical decisions that affect important personal, business, tax, civic and charitable concerns.
We marshal and deploy the full resources of the Firm to develop and implement effective financial, business and legal strategies. We provide our clients with the tools to tackle challenges and stay ahead of the game, from our rolling thought leadership through to the latest resources, such as our guide to Federal Estate, Gift and GST Tax Rates & Exemptions (international version here). When disputes with family members, business partners, or tax, regulatory and law enforcement officials arise, we help clients achieve resolution through mediation, negotiated settlements and, when necessary, civil and criminal litigation.
Our clients include US and international business owners, executives, families, family offices, fiduciaries, private trust companies, public charities, private charities, closely held businesses, private equity fund partners, investment managers, and publicly traded, family-controlled companies. We provide counsel in a wide range of areas, including wealth transfer and generation-skipping planning, business succession planning, representation of executors and trustees, family office and private trust company structure, creation and operation, charitable gift and family philanthropic planning.
Clients and peers alike praise McDermott for the quality of our personal and business counsel. Year after year, Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Worth, Citywealth, The Best Lawyers in America, and other publications and organizations have recognized our group and individual practitioners in the areas of trust and estate planning and litigation. Members of our team are respected as thought leaders, and frequently speak and write on a wide variety of private client issues.
