Estate Planning and Personal Services

Krieg DeVault estate planning and administration lawyers have earned the confidence of individuals, families, entrepreneurs, business owners, trustees, and professional advisors. Our lawyers are well-versed in assisting families with their estate planning needs from individuals just starting their professional careers to those that have retired or have accumulated significant wealth during their careers or from a significant liquidation event, triggering the need to consider Federal gift and estate taxes. Our sophisticated estate and tax planning strategies help clients provide for their own, current needs as well as the future needs of beneficiaries, by planning techniques designed to minimize transfer taxes, preserve assets, continue or plan for the eventual sale or transition of closely held businesses, and fulfill charitable goals. We customize wills, trust agreements, and succession plans to each client’s specific needs and family circumstances. Our ability to handle complex estate planning, business succession planning, administration, and litigation issues reflects the credentials of an experienced team, with attorneys licensed in Indiana, Florida, Illinois, and Michigan, including multiple Board Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialists, certified by the Trust and Estate Specialty Board with the State of Indiana, nationally recognized certification through the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and CPA certification. Whether an estate plan involves a simple will or a series of complex trusts, our lawyers work to handle all the details while carrying out client wishes with minimum cost and maximum efficiency.

Related Professionals

Practice Contacts

Rodney S. Retzner

Partner
rretzner@kdlegal.com
p: 317-238-6256
f: 317-636-1507

Micah J. Nichols

Partner
mnichols@kdlegal.com
p: 317-238-6375
f: 317-636-1507

Focus Areas

Estate Planning

Last Wills and Testaments
Revocable Trusts
Gift, Estate and Generation Skipping Transfer Tax Planning (including complex trust planning)
Lifetime gift programs
Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs)
Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs)
Marital Trusts and Marital Deduction Planning
Credit Shelter Trusts
Planning with Life Insurance
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs)
Life insurance policy sales
General Durable Powers of Attorney and Advanced Directives for Healthcare Decisions
Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs)
Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs)
Irrevocable Gift Trusts

Trust and Estate Litigation

Will & Trust Contests
Creditors’ claims
Trust disputes
Beneficiary and trust litigation
Undue influence
Mental unsoundness
Breach of fiduciary duty
Abuses in the use of Powers of attorney
Fraud
Fiduciary Litigation
- Will Contest
Probate, Trust and Fiduciary Appellate Law
Tax Litigation (Federal Gift, Estate, and Generation Skipping Tax as well as Indiana Inheritance Tax)
Claim Disputes
Accounting Disputes

Business Succession

Life insurance policy sales
Planning with Life Insurance
Business Reorganization
Transition planning including Complex Trusts
Split-Dollar Life Insurance
Life Insurance Trusts and Partnerships
Buy-Sell Agreements/Cross-Purchase Agreements

Estate and Trust Administration

Estate administration
Probate administration
Estate tax return preparation
Inheritance tax return preparation
Trust administration
Fiduciary income tax
Creditor protection issues
Marital deduction elections and qualified terminable interest property
Closely held business exceptions
Special use valuation for farmland
Installment payment opportunities for the tax on closely-held business interests
Corporate Stock Redemption for Payment of estate taxes and expenses

Personal Services

Guardianships
Prenuptial Agreements
Mental Commitments

Charitable Planning

Charitable Gift Planning
Charitable Lead Trusts
Charitable Remainder Trusts
Charitable Annuities
Nonprofit Incorporation
Application for Exemption
Public Charity Compliance
Private Foundation Compliance
Private Foundation Administration
Evaluation and Due Diligence for Private Foundations
Charitable Gift Planning and Administration

Insights