Overview
Gravel & Shea represents individuals and families on all matters pertaining to the ownership and transfer of wealth. We engage in estate planning for clients at all stages of life, following a multi-disciplinary approach that harnesses the expertise of attorneys throughout the firm. We work with clients to consider how their particular circumstances, goals, and needs can be effectively matched with appropriate estate planning techniques.
From wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives, to trusts and more sophisticated estate planning, we assist each client in developing a plan that is tailored to that client’s personal, financial, charitable, risk management, and other objectives. Our attorneys also focus on the optimal transfer of assets to family members at favorable valuations to minimize tax consequences. We welcome working as a team with clients’ financial advisors, accountants, corporate counsel, and insurance professionals.
Services & Capabilities
Our clients benefit from our knowledge and wide variety of estate planning methods, techniques, and strategies, including:
- family partnerships and limited liability companies (LLCs)
- business succession planning techniques and agreements
- lifetime gift planning
- revocable and irrevocable trust agreements including intentionally defective grantor trusts (IDGTs), irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs), and grantor retained trusts (GRATs and GRUTs)
- sales and related valuation strategies
- charitable planning via foundations, charitable remainder trusts (CRUTs and CRATs), and charitable lead trusts (CLATs and CLUTs)
Philanthropic planning
In the planning process, we also work extensively with clients in fulfilling their philanthropic goals, whether through outright gifts or the formation or support of charitable entities. Many of our clients have created private foundations, private operating foundations, and donor-advised funds. We offer guidance on the best vehicles to meet each family’s charitable goals and assist with the ongoing administration of the family entities.
