Practices
Estate Planning, Administration and Asset Protection
Berry Moorman provides a full range of estate planning services to accomplish our clients' wishes and to minimize tax consequences. Our services include the preparation of wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, generation-skipping trusts and charitable unitrusts as well as advice on gifting and custom-design programs for the transfer and protection of assets. The best programs frequently begin during the active life of the client to ensure a secure retirement and a smooth transition of control, especially where closely-held businesses are involved. We design plans that are flexible to meet changing circumstances and to assure security to the clients and their loved ones. The personal and family objectives of the client are the keystone of our estate planning services. Our approach is best described as "creative but conservative".
Often a client's business and personal affairs can be arranged so as to provide increased protection from claims made by third-party creditors or regulatory claims, for example, by reason of environmental contamination. We have established "off shore" asset protection trusts for our clients and successfully defended the trust assets from this type of claim.
We take pride in our long tradition of a strong and active practice in the areas of probate and trust administration. Our concern for the wishes of decedents and trust grantors, together with our sensitivity to the needs of heirs and beneficiaries, has provided reassurance to several generations of our clients and their families.