What Corporate Counsel Needs to Know About Trusts & Estates

Heidi E. Royal and Jessica Mering Hardin spoke at the Charlotte Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel on January 14, 2015.  The program commenced with a brief overview of estate-planning issues relevant to corporate counsel, executives and business owners. The presentation covered the basics of current estate and gift tax laws, as well as high-level planning techniques that maximize flexibility and minimize transfer taxes.

Corporate counsel learned the benefits of planning with business interests, particularly with respect to:

• management succession and continuity,
• probate avoidance,
• transfer of appreciating assets, and
• identifying and solving securities law issues.

Attendees also learned the potential pitfalls of planning with business interests, such as running afoul of securities regulations, tax elections and transfer restrictions.