The focus of Kim’s practice is estate planning and estate administration
ESTATE PLANNING:
Kim takes a holistic approach to estate planning. An estate plan is so much more than just a Will or Trust. It is a comprehensive plan for the management of assets during life and disposition of those assets at death.
Estate planning involves keenly listening to a client’s wishes and goals, thoroughly understanding family structure and assets, having an in-depth understanding of the tax and other legal considerations that will form a backdrop to any dispositive plan and synthesis of this information to produce a plan that accomplishes client’s goals with accuracy, precision and efficiency.
Kim prides herself on delivering creative strategies to help clients accomplish their goals comprehensively yet succinctly.
There is no one-size fits all estate plan; what works for one family might not be right for another. Kim works hard to craft estate plans tailored to the particular needs of her clients, including planning for:
- Federal and New York State estate taxes
- Minor beneficiaries
- Beneficiaries with special needs
- Retirement benefits
- Non-citizen spouses and foreign assets
- Charitable giving
- Family businesses
- Lifetime giving
- Revocable and irrevocable trust planning
- Planning for unique real property, including planning for the preservation and/or conservation of vacation homes, family homesteads, farms and forest land
Kim helps clients to understand their options, to clarify and refine their intentions and to create comprehensible and durable estate plans to achieve their unique objectives.
ESTATE ADMINISTRATION:
Kim understands the grief and confusion that can accompany the loss of a loved one. Estate administration can seem overwhelming for surviving family members and many people don’t know where to begin. Kim approaches all families with compassion and competence to help them understand both the big picture and the many details that must be addressed to ensure the estate administration process runs smoothly. Kim brings an in-depth understanding of all facets of administration, including:
- Surrogate’s Court proceedings
- Retirement account collection
- Estate tax returns
- All stages of trust administration, from funding to termination
- Post-Mortem planning options
Kim is happy to engage with clients at whatever level of legal services they desire; some clients prefer to hire an attorney to manage the bulk of the estate administration process, while others prefer to do much of the work on their own and simply need a consultant for discrete questions or key steps in the process. At whatever level, Kim helps families find practical solutions to make sure the estate administration is handled with skill and expedience.
Regardless of the nature of the work, Kim views every engagement as not only a discrete project but also as an opportunity to build a lasting relationship with clients, so they have an advisor they feel comfortable calling with questions, whenever those questions may come up.
