Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP strategically continues the expansion of its growing global Private Wealth Services Practice with the addition of a three attorney team from Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP: Shareholders Brian G. Smith and Caitlin C. Fitzsimons and Associate Brianna Johnson-King. They will be based in New York and service clients locally and around the world.
“The increasing number of ultrawealthy individuals, as well as movement of many wealthy individuals and the funds and investments they control, has fueled our desire to maintain and enhance our world class Private Wealth Services Practice – even as much of ‘BigLaw’ has reduced this focus. Our geographical strategies have always been to be located where the growth is going; we have a strong presence in all the locations where wealthy individuals live and conduct business throughout the United States, including New York, Florida, Texas, California, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Colorado, Las Vegas, and even the Hamptons, and across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Since our earliest days, we have served wealthy individuals, the businesses they own, and wealth funds they direct, and this has been a natural evolution,” Greenberg Traurig Executive Chairman Richard A. Rosenbaum said. “Adding Brian, Caitlin, and Brianna in New York, also working from our Bridgehampton location as needed, brings us a highly regarded team of private wealth attorneys and is a testament to our continued growth in this area and the level of talent we attract.”
Smith advises ultra-high-net-worth clients on estate and gift tax planning, estate and trust administration, litigation, family governance, and charitable giving. With deep insight into complex tax planning strategies, he advises his clients on dynasty trusts, leverage techniques with dynasty and other trusts, planning with QSB stock, carried interests and closely held business interests, grantor retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, life insurance trusts, and charitable trusts. Smith counsels clients with the goal of significantly decreasing the wealth transfer tax incurred while transferring wealth to future generations. He also creates traditional wills, revocable trusts, and limited liability companies in accordance with his clients’ estate plans. In the realm of estate and trust administration, Smith’s guidance extends to fiduciaries and beneficiaries involved in estate and trust administration, and Smith has deep experience in representing his clients in audits of estate tax returns and gift tax returns.
Fitzsimons counsels ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families to maximize wealth preservation across generations and to ensure wealth passes in accordance with their wishes. She practices in the areas of sophisticated estate planning, trust and estate administration, and estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxation, as well as charitable giving and family law. She creates wills, revocable trusts, dynasty trusts, life insurance trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, limited liability companies, and other vehicles to implement her clients’ wishes. Additionally, she advises individuals and estates in disputes related to trusts and estates.
Johnson-King advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals on gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax planning strategies, as well as charitable giving. She prepares estate planning documents such as wills, revocable trusts, dynasty trusts, insurance trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, and limited liability companies. She also assists in the administration of estates. Johnson-King’s work focuses on multigenerational planning for the transfer of complex assets, including business interests, hedge fund and private equity interests, and commercial real estate holdings. She collaborates directly with clients, family offices, financial advisors, and corporate lawyers to develop and implement comprehensive estate plans.
“With the national election approaching and the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act’s gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax exemptions sunsetting at the end of next year, this is a particularly opportune moment for ultra-high-net-worth individuals to transfer significant wealth to future generations before there are potential changes to these laws. In addition, given the significant financial success of the baby boomer generation, more wealth will be transferred to future generations in the next few decades than at any time in history. We expect to be busier than ever, and we feel the support and vast resources of Greenberg Traurig’s leading global platform, coupled with our prior experience collaborating as a team, positions us perfectly to counsel our clients, their family offices, and other trusted advisors and also connect with multiple generations of our clients’ families for decades to come. We provide advice on strategizing and implementing thoughtful plans which address not only tax, but family governance and other personal issues that are of paramount importance to clients,” Smith said. “We are excited about the synergies that a multidisciplinary global firm will offer our national clients who do business across the United States and around the world. In addition, our ultra-high-net-worth clients control businesses or have major investments including in private equity, real estate, retail, hospitality, transportation, and entertainment, all practice areas at which the firm excels.”
“We are delighted by this opportunity to grow our practice in collaboration with Greenberg Traurig’s esteemed Private Wealth Services attorneys. It is rare for an ultra-high-net-worth practice to have both a national and global presence, as well as leading attorneys in virtually every practice and location essential to its clients’ professional and personal lives. Our clients will benefit from efficient and seamless service that welcomes the breadth and depth of Greenberg Traurig’s cross-industry capabilities, while continuing to draw on our team’s sophisticated planning experience and multigenerational approach,” Fitzsimons said.
Source: www.gtlaw.com
