10 Things New Trusts and Estates Attorneys Need to Know

Agenda / Content Covered

1. What You Need to Know about Asset Types, Ownership, and Transfer
   10:00 — 10:30, Kenneth Peace
2. Intestate Inheritance Laws
   10:30 — 11:00, Kenneth Peace
3. Wills Essentials
   11:00 — 11:30, Kenneth Peace
   1. Beneficiary Designations
   2. Key Provisions Reviewed
   3. Wills vs. Trusts
4. Top Types of Trusts and Their Uses
   11:45 — 12:45, Patti Spencer
   1. Main Trust Concepts and Governing Law
   2. Revocable vs. Irrevocable
   3. Trustee Duties and Powers
   4. Special Use Trusts
   5. Essential Provisions
   6. Tax Considerations
5. Key Tax Laws and IRS Communications
   1:15 — 1:45, Patti Spencer
   1. Federal Tax Update
   2. Key Tax Planning Priorities
   3. Essential IRS Forms and Procedures
   4. How to Keep Up With the Latest IRS Guidance and Enforcement Initiatives
6. Common Client Mistakes and Problems You're Likely to Encounter
   1:45 — 2:15, Sean Robertson
   1. Common Family Dysfunctions
   2. Questionable Tactics Clients May Ask You About
   3. Other Issues
7. Key Helpful Resources (Where to Find Information)
   2:15 — 2:45, Sean Robertson
   1. Finding Property Records
   2. Locating Individuals
   3. Sources of Law
   4. Property Appraisal/Valuation
   5. Sample Forms and Questionnaires
   6. Other Practice Resources
8. Agencies You'll Have to Deal With and How to Navigate their Procedures
   3:00 — 3:30, Caren Jenkins
9. Aging and Disability Issues
   3:30 — 4:00, Caren Jenkins
10. Legal Ethics of Estate Planning Practice
    4:00 — 5:00, Caren Jenkins
    1. Who is Your Client?
    2. Conflicts of Interest
    3. Attorney Fees
    4. Confidentiality
    5. Clients With Diminishing Capacity

Accreditation Details:

Caren C Jenkins is the principal attorney with Nevada Legacy Law, where her practice areas include probate avoidance, family trusts, living wills/end of life care, charitable gifts, valuation assistance, powers of attorney, incapacity planning, asset protection, special needs trusts, business succession, and real property law. Ms. Jenkins regularly speaks on topics from basic estate planning to more complex applications like SNTs and the ABLE Act. She earned her B.S. degree from Pennsylvania State University, and her J.D. degree from Golden Gate University School of Law.

 

Kenneth J Peace is an attorney with Resnick & Louis, P.C., where he has focused his practice on estate, probate, and trust administration; and litigation and disputes, including disputed guardianships and conservatorships. His areas of practice also include business and commercial counsel and litigation and real estate counsel and litigation. Mr. Peace is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, Illinois State Bar Association, The District Court of Arizona, the Supreme Court of Arizona, Valley Estate Planners, Scottsdale Bar Association, Scottsdale Estate Planners, North Phoenix Bar Association, The Central Arizona Estate Planning Council, and the San Carlos Apache Tribal Bar Association. He is judge pro tem for Maricopa County Superior Court. Mr. Peace earned his B.S. degree from the University of Illinois and his J.D. degree from DePaul University.

Sean L Robertson is an experienced wealth management, corporate, and real estate attorney at Gateville Law Firm, with more than 14 years' of experience. Mr. Robertson's legal experience has been varied and has involved issues surrounding divorce, post-divorce, child custody, estate planning, business law, probate and guardianship, and business litigation. During the Great Recession, he litigated issues surrounding people's wealth and business interests ranging from loan disputes, creditor and debtor contracts, and post-judgment law. This background is relevant to estate planning and real estate because asset protection is useful when one understands what happens in a court room. This unique experience adds to Mr. Robertson's estate planning, real estate, and corporate law background. Now, he focuses exclusively on issues involving estate planning, wealth management and asset protection, entrepreneurial and corporate, and real estate law. Mr. Robertson received his B.A. degree from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. degree from DePaul University College of Law.

Patti S Spencer is an attorney with Metzger and Spencer, LLP, and the Spencer Law Firm LLC, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she provides experience and depth in estate planning, trust and estate administration, complex tax consulting, charitable gift planning, wealth transfer vehicles and retirement plan consulting, and expert witness testimony. Ms. Spencer taught estate and gift tax for eight years' as an adjunct professor at Boston University in the LL.M. program, and also was a former professor of trusts and estates at Boston University School of Law. In addition, she has spoken numerous times on topics related to her areas of expertise. Ms. Spencer is the author of a weekly column, "Taxing Matters," which appeared in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal's Business Monday Section for 14 years. She also has written Pennsylvania Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts Library: Forms and Practice Manual, Data Trace, which is updated annually. Ms. Spencer earned her B.A. degree from Dickinson College; her J.D. degree from Boston University; and her LL.M. degree from Boston University. She is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

.