Dear Colleague:
I hope that spring has found you in a good frame of mind. As the economy continues to grow, even slowly, I am seeing more clients that are considering new business deals. If I can assist you in anything, please let me know.
Winning at Trial
There is no greater thrill for a lawyer than winning a case at trial. Because so many cases are settled today before trial, many lawyers who litigate commercial cases do not often get to trial on these cases.
I was recently involved in an administrative trial before an Administrative Law Judge in Maryland. I thought my client had been unfairly accused of something, and it was important to make sure that her case was properly handled at trial. My witnesses, including my client, made a good presentation, and I felt that my closing argument was persuasive about the State's failure to meet its burden of proof! But, these cases are very often won by the State of Maryland and you can never tell what will happen. I was therefore very pleased when the Judge accepted all of our arguments and dismissed the complaint brought by the State.
If I can help you in any litigation matters, whether personal or business, please contact me.
Estate Planning in a Period of Uncertainty
As you may remember, the Bush tax cuts of several years ago included a gradual phase-out of the estate tax, which is then "resurrected" next year. This has led to a lot of uncertainty among tax planners and clients about how to do estate plans for the future. I am advising all of my clients that, because of the fiscal situation, the federal estate tax is likely to be revived, although I think there will be many changes to it in the near future.
It is important to go on with your planning even in the face of this uncertainty. While estate tax exemptions in the $2M to $5M range are likely to remain in the law, certain techniques for removing assets from larger estate smay well be restricted in the future. This is a difficult subject, but I recommend that persons in their 50's and 60's who are likely to have sizable estates act now to begin planning. I work with a number of estate planners in order to help clients minimize tax effects, both from federal and state estate taxes.
Please contact me if I can assist you in this.
I have appreciated your kind comments about my Newsletter in these past few months, and please let me know about other topics that you would like me to cover.
