Estate and Tax Planning, Senior Legal Counsel

We are conducting a search on behalf of one of the country's largest and most sophisticated family offices. The Office's Estate and Tax Planning Pillar is responsible for delivering innovative solutions to help the family achieve their financial, philanthropic, and personal goals. This is a cross-disciplinary pillar whose initiatives frequently involve partnership with Internal Trust, Investment, Finance, Legal, and other pillars as well as with external counsel and advisors.

Our Estate and Tax Planning Pillar is seeking an Attorney to support the design and implementation of estate and tax planning strategies including best in class estate plans. The Legal Associate will manage a diverse portfolio of planning projects and work closely with the Pillar Head on tax and planning matters.

• Work closely with the Pillar Head to develop and implement sophisticated estate and tax planning strategies for family members, trusts and other related entities
• Liaise with outside counsel and other external advisors to develop and implement a diverse portfolio of estate and tax planning projects, including:
• Preparing project charters, managing risk and providing regular status updates to Pillar leadership and stakeholders
• Review documents prepared by outside counsel to ensure accuracy and alignment with client goals
• Manage budgeting and related spend along with ensuring engagement letters are fully executed in coordination with Legal Pillar
• Ensure efficient and effective project management tools and practices are deployed
• Support the implementation of strategies
• Ensure that each family member has executed estate planning documents that are updated on a regular cadence or more frequently, if needed
• Lead the administration of any estate planning strategies, such as annual gifts, GRATs and other wealth transfer techniques, and the administration of any estates, including coordination with Trust pillar, trustees, CPAs, attorneys and financial advisors
• Manage the planning needed to incorporate life events, including births and marriages
• Serve on cross-disciplinary teams for special projects, bridging tax planning, tax compliance, finance and accounting, and other business considerations
• Manage library of summaries of significant estate documents, entities or related structures
• Monitor changes in relevant laws and regulations; advise internal teams of potential impact and strategic changes needed to respond to changes

• J.D. from an accredited law school and admitted to practice law in one or more states and in good standing
• At least 5+ years of experience in sophisticated estate and tax planning, including strategy for ultra-high net worth individuals, gained in a law firm and/or related environment
• Strong understanding of estate, gift and income tax principles, trust law, and entity structures
• Experience drafting complex wills and trusts, preparation of client presentations, tax calculations and analysis and administration of estates from probate through closing
• Ability to understand complex legal frameworks, synthesize them for clients and recommend resulting planning strategies
• Exposure to cross-border planning preferred
• Effective at managing outside counsel, including specialized and highly sophisticated providers
• Strong project management experience providing oversight and management of multiple medium-sized projects; critical thinking; strong organizational and prioritization skills
• Collaborative and adaptable team player with a client service mindset

Compensation for the role includes a competitive salary in the range from $300,000 -$385,000 (inclusive of a merit-based bonus, dependent on years of experience, level of education obtained, as well as applicable skillset) and an excellent benefits package, including a comprehensive employer paid medical plan and generous employer match for 401k.