Worldwide: Trusts

As the Silent and Baby Boomer generations transfer an estimated $84.4 trillion in wealth through 2045, estate planning attorneys anticipate a surge in probate disputes driven by complex family structures, cognitive decline, and DIY estate documents. This analysis examines the key factors fueling the Great Wealth Transfer litigation wave and explores proactive strategies families can employ to minimize future conflicts.

When multiple family members seek estate planning services together, can one attorney represent everyone? This article examines the complex ethical boundaries that govern attorney-client relationships in family estate planning, exploring when joint representation is permissible and when conflicts of interest require separate counsel.

As the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers prepare to transfer an estimated $84-90 trillion in wealth over the next two decades, families face critical decisions about estate planning, tax strategies, and asset protection. This comprehensive analysis explores how changing tax laws, evolving family structures, and complex asset portfolios require thoughtful planning to preserve wealth across generations while avoiding unnecessary taxes, legal disputes, and family conflicts.

When an aging parent leaves a significant portion of their estate to their caregiver, families often question whether the bequest reflects genuine intent or undue influence. Washington courts have recently addressed this tension, upholding legitimate caregiver inheritances while also recognizing red flags that warrant closer scrutiny, including isolation, control over legal processes, cognitive decline, and dramatic departures from long-standing estate plans.

Washington State's Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act (TEDRA) offers a flexible, efficient framework for resolving trust and estate conflicts without full-scale litigation. This comprehensive guide examines TEDRA's procedural mechanisms, dispute resolution tools, and practical applications for fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and legal practitioners navigating estate-related disputes.

When a trust beneficiary's marriage ends in divorce, those same trusts designed to preserve wealth can become sources of friction and financial disparity. Washington State courts must make a "just and equitable" division of property while considering each party's economic circumstances, including trust interests that may not be divisible but significantly impact financial realities.

Section 1202 of the US tax code offers qualified small business stock (QSBS) holders the ability to exclude significant capital gains from federal income tax, with recent legislation raising the exclusion cap to $15 million per taxpayer for stock acquired after July 4, 2025. Strategic use of properly structured non-grantor trusts can multiply these tax benefits through "trust stacking" while simultaneously achieving substantial estate tax savings. Cross-border families and multinational founders must coordi

While supporters of the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act (the “BTA”) project approximately $20 billion annually over five years, those projections depend on legal, valuation, and enforcement assumptions...

California's Professional Fiduciaries Act imposes heightened duties on licensed fiduciaries to detect and respond to financial elder abuse within trust estates. When vulnerable adults face exploitation from family members, caregivers...