Wills, Trusts & Estates

Our estate planning attorneys custom design estate plans to meet our clients’ needs using wills, trusts, family partnerships, and other structures.  An estate plan also generally includes preparation of power of attorney documents and living wills.  We advise clients on lifetime and charitable gifts and other planning strategies to minimize the taxation on wealth transfers and provide assistance with business succession and other transition planning.  We work with your financial planners, accountants and other professionals to determine an optimal strategy to achieve your objectives. 

Under Colorado law, a couple that is about to get married may validly enter into a contract prior to the marriage regarding their rights to property in the event of dissolution of the marriage or the death of one of the parties.  We help individual clients navigate the legal requirements to create effective agreements that are fair and reasonable in the client’s unique circumstances. 

Our firm provides complete probate and estate administration services throughout Colorado.  We work closely with personal representatives to identify, inventory and appraise estate property, prepare and file estate tax returns, and distribute property as directed by a will or state law.  In addition, we assist individuals with uncontested guardianship and conservator appointment proceedings.

Serving as a trustee is an important role, requiring that trustees observe the formalities of administering the trust according to its terms, with fiduciary duties to the trust beneficiaries.  We guide trustees in interpreting trust terms, navigating fiduciary duty requirements, and complying with Colorado law regarding trust administration. 

We assist our clients in achieving their philanthropic goals, while also enabling them to mitigate income and estate taxes. We assess what options best align with our client’s wishes and desired legacy by exploring everything from direct gifting (during life or from the estate) to establishing Donor Advised Funds to more sophisticated strategies including Private (Family) Foundations, Charitable Lead Trusts and Charitable Remainder Trusts.