Charitable Foundations

Tom Whitney, Kristin Abati, Charles Cheever, Brian Monnich, Michael Fay, John Cornish, Nan Giner, Bill Lowell, Jennifer Snyder

Team

  • Choate has announced that the Private Client Practice at WilmerHale has joined Choate’s industry-leading Wealth Management Group.  Read more...

  • Over 60% of equity partners named Best in America by Best Lawyers.  Read more...

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    We work closely with our registered investment advisor subsidiary Choate Investment Advisors to offer clients complete family office services.  Click here to learn more.

  • To learn about Choate's fiduciary and investment services, please click here.

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    Patrick Lavoie
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    Patrick Lavoie Joins Choate
    Patrick Lavoie
    Tax Manager

    Patrick Lavoie, who has joined the firm as a Tax Manager, will oversee tax advisory services for the firm’s Wealth Management clients.

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    World-class economist Nouriel Roubini recently discussed his outlook for the global economy with Todd Millay.

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    Choate attorneys developed diverse funding strategies – including trusts and 529 plan accounts – to allow a grandparent to cover the college education costs of 17 grandchildren.

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    Choate attorneys developed the ownership structure for an extended family that owns a 500-acre island off the coast of the Southern United States, allowing for common ownership and coordinated decision-making.

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    Choate attorneys helped a family sell $20 million of commercial real estate to trusts established for younger generations of the family, avoiding capital gains taxes and saving large amounts of future estate and gift taxes.

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    Choate attorneys advised a client to fund a special type of trust called a grantor retained annuity trust, or “GRAT,” with privately-held stock that later went public at a highly appreciated price.  The GRAT structure results in more than $30 million passing to the client’s descendants, completely tax-free.

 

Wealth Management


One-Stop Shopping    

Sophisticated tax, trust and estate planning and administration, integrated with world-class investment management through registered investment advisory subsidiary, Choate Investment Advisors.

Experience & Stability    

For over 100 years, serving as trustees and managing assets for high net worth individuals and families.

Prominent Trusts & Estates Group

Expert trusts and estates lawyers representing generations of families with sensitivity, creativity and discretion.

Sophisticated Investment Advice Through Registered Investment Advisory Subsidiary

Choate Investment Advisors has approximately $3 billion under investment management:

  • Over 700% growth since 1990
  • Best of both worlds: institutional-quality investment philosophy and personal service strategies tailored to needs of each individual and family
  • Dedicated internal research group of industry and investment analysts, most CFA certified

Wealth Management Services with a Difference    

Independent wealth management services:

  • Experienced, accessible practicing lawyer-trustee
  • Exceptional continuity and longevity of service team
  • Independence/absence of conflicts: Choate Investment Advisors does not sell its own proprietary products
  • Choate Investment Advisors is focused on long-term investment strategy: no commission or other incentive to trade
  • Customized investment model
  • Choate Investment Advisors is focused on long-term growth: not driven by quarterly results
  • Investment and fiduciary expertise integrated with financial, tax and estate planning: all offered under the same roof

Breadth & Expertise  

Team of over 70 persons including lawyers, investment professionals, tax preparers, trust and estate administrators and other support staff.

Nationally recognized as one of the leading practices of its kind by US News & World Report.

Taking Care of Families    

Focused on each family’s unique needs:

  • Arrange estate plans to pass property at lowest possible tax and probate cost
  • Manage financial affairs with minimal probate court involvement
  • Assure privacy as to amount, nature and disposition of assets
  • Fund children’s and grandchildren’s education
  • Carry out charitable wishes in financially advantageous ways
  • Coordinate investments with pension plan, IRA, Keogh and Social Security
  • Manage financial affairs including dependent parent care when incapacitated

Full Range of Personal Financial Services    

Extensive and integrated services for personal tax and financial needs, including:

  • Individual income planning and tax return preparation
  • Bill paying
  • Arranging short-term bank loans
  • Wealth forecasting
  • Developing budgets

Sophisticated Estate Planning Techniques    

Experts in implementing sophisticated tax-planning techniques to save tax dollars and achieve personal goals, including:

  • Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) to transfer future appreciation in value of assets to family members or trusts with little or no gift tax
  • Income Tax Advantaged Grantor Trust to “freeze” estate value and transfer future appreciation in value of assets to future generations with little or no gift tax, while allowing grantor to continue to pay income tax on trust earnings and gains
  • Family Limited Partnerships to pool wealth and pass partnership interests to future generations at reduced tax cost
  • Qualified Personal Resident Trust (QPRT) to transfer residence to future generations at significantly reduced gift tax cost
  • Insurance Trust to exempt life insurance proceeds from estate taxation
  • 529 Plans to save tax-free for college expenses of plan beneficiaries
  • 2503(c) Trust (Minority Trust) for children under 21
  • UTMA or UGMA Accounts Uniform Transfers to Minors Act and Uniform Gifts to Minors Act accounts for children under 21

Specialized International Tax Expertise

Specialized experience advising US and non-US clients with respect to international tax and estate planning involving multinational considerations, including cross-border issues related to the UK, Switzerland, Israel, Canada, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, among other countries.

Family-Owned Businesses    

Highly experienced integrated team, including business and tax lawyers, working closely with family-owned businesses, and expert in identifying and meeting their unique tax and estate planning needs.

Complete Charitable Planning

Complete charitable planning to fulfill personal philanthropic goals while saving taxes, including:

  • Private foundations
  • Donor-advised funds
  • Conservation easements
  • Charitable remainder trusts
  • Charitable lead trusts
 

Thank you for reaching out to contact Choate. Before you send your message, we wanted to make sure you are aware of the following. Please do not send any confidential information in response to this link. Sending an e-mail to Choate does not give rise to an attorney-client relationship, and will not be deemed to disqualify Choate from undertaking any engagement for a current or future client.  Before any attorney-client engagement may be formed, Choate will need to check for possible conflicts of interest, you will need to consider whether you wish to retain Choate as counsel, and we will need to consider whether we wish to accept the potential engagement. In the meantime, Choate reserves the right to represent parties with interests adverse to you.

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