Attorneys: Elizabeth Schurig, Amy Jetel, Carolyn Beckett, Michelle Rosenblatt, Morgan Barsi
Practice Managers: Jennifer Anthony, Julie Jones
Paralegals: Cheryl Basheer, Emily Collins, Dyung Sellers
Related Publications and Resources
Given the current economic, legal, and sociopolitical environment, SJBT believes that estate planning attorneys have a duty to advise all clients on the necessity of, and the techniques for achieving, asset protection. Thus, the attorneys at SJBT have extensive knowledge of, and practical experience implementing, the various techniques available to preserve individual wealth from threats such as divorce, litigation, future creditors, and investment risk. These techniques include the optimization of state and federal exemptions for assets, such as homestead, retirement plans, annuities and life insurance, marital property planning, the use of inter vivos marital, dynasty, and children's trusts, and tax and entity planning. In addition, SJBT is one of the leading firms in providing advice regarding wealth preservation and risk management through the implementation of foreign trust and related business, investment, and life insurance structures, and assisting clients with the tax planning and compliance aspects of such structures. The firm’s four-volume treatise, Asset Protection: Domestic and International Law and Tactics, first published by Thomson/West Group in 1995 and updated quarterly, remains the foremost treatise in the area of asset protection. The attorneys at SJBT maintain strong relationships with fiduciaries, money managers, and attorneys in more than eleven foreign jurisdictions, and ensure the continued integrity of international planning by conforming to strict due diligence and "know your client" policies. In the area of "outbound" international estate planning, SJBT attorneys are experienced in assisting U.S. clients with settling offshore trusts and forming various foreign entities that provide clients with a comfortable balance of control and protection of assets, allowing clients to manage their family's wealth risk and accumulate assets for future generations. With respect to "inbound" international estate planning, attorneys at SJBT assist U.S. taxpayers and non-U.S. trustees with managing the complex U.S. tax aspects of foreign non-grantor trusts, and provide advice on the multi-jurisdictional tax and treaty issues applicable to international private clients. In this regard, SJBT attorneys have formulated estate and business plans for individuals and families with ties to Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, China, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Dubai, France, Germany, India, the Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.