Underscoring its commitment to new attorneys and attorneys in transition, the
BBA Trusts & Estates Section today announced the launch of an annual 9 part
series that started on October 5, 2011 with a standing room only
program, Estate,
Gift and GST Tax Basics and will conclude on June 2, 2012. Developed by
the BBA's Estate Planning Practice Fundamentals Subcommittee, this initiative
will co-chaired by Matthew Hillery of Edwards Wildman Palmer; Geoffrey Mason of
Ropes & Gray, and Scott E. Squillace of Squillace & Associates.
"Our goal is to provide new and transitioning practitioners a core set of
practice tools that will make them feel confident about beginning to practice in
the area of estate planning and probate administration," said Scott E.
Squillace, Co-Chair of BBA's Subcommittee on Estate Planning Fundamentals.
Through this series, the Subcommittee will identify and educate new
practitioners about potential traps and pitfalls in estate planning. This will
include a basic overview of legal technical knowledge required to be competent
in this area as well as law practice tools, management and marketing concepts to
build a successful Trusts & Estates practice over time. The series will
provide a foundation so that, with interest and experience, new attorneys and
attorneys in transition can benefit from other programming opportunities of the
Trusts & Estates Section.
The series is open to BBA members. All programs will run from 12:30pm to
1:30pm. For more information contact Patricia Johnson at pjohnson@bostonbar.org or
617-778-1918.
11/2/11 Basic Estate Plan Documents: a review of not only
the basic documents with a focus on the various options available particularly
with marital and family trust formula clauses.
12/7/11 Spotting Advanced Planning Opportunities and Keeping
Plans Updated: With a primer on ILIT's and other advanced techniques --
including a discussion of fiduciary income taxes and the grantor trust rules.
1/4/12 How to identify and Engage Clients: setting up and
marketing an estate planning practice.
2/1/12 Post Mortem Administration: Basic steps for the
practitioner including fundamental probate procedures; pitfalls to watch for and
war stories.
3/7/12 706 & 709 Preparation: Practical suggestions on
how to prepare the Gift and Estate tax return forms with highlights of common
pitfalls and insights on how best to liaise with CPA's.
4/4/12 Death Bed Planning: Traps for the
Unwary.
5/2/12 Retirement Benefits: Paying Attention to Beneficiary
Designation Assets.
6/6/12 TBD