Estate Planning for Same-Sex or Unmarried Partners

Optimizing Estate Tax Savings and Inheritance Rights and Preparing for Medical and End-of-Life Decisions

Recording of a 90-minute CLE webinar/teleconference with Q&A


Conducted on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Recorded event now available


This CLE webinar will provide estate planning attorneys with a review of the divergent state and federal laws on relationship recognition of same-sex couples. The panel will outline best practices for drafting key documents and explore opportunities for estate, tax and family planning for unmarried partners.

Description

Same-sex couples and unmarried partners confront many legal uncertainties due to the varying degrees of protection afforded them by the federal and state governments. Changes in state and federal law create a patchwork of protection for these couples.

Comprehensive planning is essential to protect inheritance rights, property distribution, and medical and final arrangement decisions. Tax planning and retitling are necessary to avoid unintended consequences.

Lacking consistent and reliable boilerplate language, practitioners must exercise caution in drafting documents to ensure that their clients’ objectives and goals are met and their interests are protected.

Listen as our authoritative panel examines best practices for counsel to assist their same-sex and unmarried partner clients with drafting key documents, estate planning and tax planning.

Outline

  1. Divergence of states’ relationship recognition and the effect on estate planning
    1. Recognition states
    2. Non-recognition states
  2. Estate planning
    1. Medical directives
    2. HIPAA documents
    3. Hospital visitation authority
    4. Powers of attorney
    5. Wills and trusts
    6. Trusts
    7. Beneficiary designation
    8. Final arrangement documents
  3. Gender change orders
    1. Ethical issues
  4. Family planning with children
    1. Adoption
    2. Pre-birth orders
    3. Parentage
    4. Joint custody orders/conservatorships
    5. Documents
    6. Ethical issues
  5. Wealth transfers,tax planning, retitling and special considerations for legally related couples
    1. Community property states
    2. State planning—married or not
    3. Federal planning—does DOMA still apply?
  6. When DOMA falls

Benefits

The panel will review these and other key questions:

  • What tax planning techniques can be utilized to alleviate disparate tax treatment for same-sex couples and unmarried partners?
  • What estate planning techniques should be considered to optimize the planning for inheritance rights for same-sex couples and unmarried couples whose relationships are not recognized by state and federal governments?
  • What key clauses should be utilized in drafting documents to protect inheritance rights, property distribution, and medical and final arrangement decisions of same-sex and unmarried couples?

Faculty

Deb L. Kinney, Principal
DLK Law Group, San Francisco

Her practice focuses on estate planning, trust administration and probate. She specially serves the needs of and complexity faced by unmarried partners and same-sex couples in regard to estate planning, asset sharing and wealth transfer, and document drafting for medical issues and final arrangements. She provides guidance and services for trust administration and probate of estates.

Michele Zavos, Atty
Zavos Juncker Law Group, Silver Spring, Md.

With over 30 years of experience, her practice is particularly focused on developing legal protections for families, including families headed by same-sex couples. She served on the Board of Directors for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for 3 years and was one of the first co-chairs of the Gay and Lesbian Subcommittee of the D.C. Bar.

Lorie L. Burch, Atty
Law Office of Lorie L. Burch, Dallas

Her practice focuses on trust and estates, counseling both traditional families and unmarried couples. She has authored many articles on tax and estate planning strategies. Lorie currently serves as the District II Vice President of the National Board of Directors for the American Business Women’s Association. She is the immediate past Co-Chair of the DFW Human Rights Campaign Steering Committee and past Chair of the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce.

Ordering

Online CLE - Audio Recording

Includes streaming audio of full program plus handouts (available 24 hours after live program).

CLE: Pre-approved for participatory or non-traditional/alternate format credit in: CA, HI*, NY*, WV*. Pre-approved for self-study credit in: AK, AZ, MO, MT, TX*, VT, WA.
Upon request, also available in: CO, CT*, FL, GA, ID, KY, LA*, ME, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OR*, SC, TN, UT, WI, WY. If you are applying for credit in one of these states, make sure to select those states when placing your order.
(*Indicates that Strafford must report attendance.)

Online CLE Audio $147.00
Available 24 hours after the live event

How does this work?


Recorded Event

Includes full event recording plus handouts (available after live seminar).

CLE: Pre-approved for self-study credit in: AK, AZ, CA, CT, HI, MO, MT, NY, TX*, VT, WA, WV. Upon request, self-study credit is also available in: CO, FL, GA, ID*, KY, ME, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OR, UT, WI, WY. If you are applying for self-study credit in one of these states, contact Strafford CLE at 1-800-926-7926 ext. 35 or CLE@straffordpub.com. (*Indicates that Strafford needs to process the CLE — see below to purchase this option.)

Webinar Download (Slide Presentation with Audio) $147.00
Available three business days after the live event

How does this work?

DVD (Slide Presentation with Audio) $147.00 plus $9.45 S&H
Available ten business days after the live event

MP3 Download (Audio with Slide PDFs) $147.00
Available 24 hours after the live event

How does this work?

CD (Audio with Slide PDFs) $147.00 plus $9.45 S&H
Available ten business days after the live event

Webinar/Teleconference

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Program Materials

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Program Materials

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CLE Credit

Strafford's live seminars qualify for CLE in every state that accredits webinars. They offer you a high quality, cost effective, and convenient CLE option, with no lost travel time or expenses.

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Customer Reviews

I thought the information provided was great.

Erika Gamiz

Law Offices of Marcia L Kraft

The webinar offered excellent insight into some specific areas.

Beth Ann R. Lawson

Virginia Beach Law Group

The program was well organized and discussed the major issues.

Roxy Hammett

Wolff & Samson

The seminar was very informative and easy to understand.

Amy Allison

Anderson Hunter Law Firm

Better than I expected. Well done on both subject matter and production quality.

Jeff Simpson

Gordon, Fournaris & Mammarella

or call 1-800-926-7926

Estate Planning Advisory Board

Brian M. Annino

Partner

Annino & Ligon

L. Paul Hood, Jr.

Consultant, Speaker and Author

Napa, CA

Richard S. Franklin

Partner

McArthur Franklin

J. Leigh Griffith

Partner and Practice Group Leader - Tax

Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis

Susan M. von Herrmann

Partner

Schiff Hardin

or call 1-800-926-7926

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