More than 200 lawyers and other financial experts from across the United States attended the Joseph F. Rice School of Law’s inaugural Estate Planning Conference last month.
Topics addressed at the Oct. 17-18 event included tax saving opportunities, succession planning for families and small businesses, ethics, Medicare planning, and effective communication with clients, a release from the school says.
The experts who spoke at the program included:
• Jonathan G. Blattmachr, principal of Pioneer Wealth Partners.
• John Goldsbury, retired wealth strategist and tax attorney.
• Kevin Heaton, chief executive officer of i3 Resources.
• Brant J. Hellwig, professor and faculty director of the New York University School of Law Graduate Tax Program.
• Jerome M. Hesch, counsel at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone.
• Judge Adam B. Landy, U.S. Tax Court.
• Thomas Pauloski, national managing director of wealth strategies at Bernstein Private Wealth Management.
• Ellis Pretlow, senior estate administrator at Bessemer Trust.
• Mary Radford, professor of law emerita at George State University College of Law.
• Howard M. Zaritsky, consulting counsel.
Alan Medlin, the David W. Robinson Professor of Law and a member of the school’s conference planning committee, touted the speakers, saying in the release: “These are all-stars. … We’re especially proud of Judge Landy. Being on the United States Tax Court in the tax world is like being on the United States Supreme Court — it’s a huge deal.”
Among the 19 sponsors of the program was the school’s Family and Small Business Program, which shares a key tie to estate planning.
“Family businesses face distinct challenges that often require integrating different fields of expertise, and the FSB program helped curate sessions dedicated to these issues,” the release says.
The conference also offered attendees the opportunity to earn continuing education credits.
Planning committee members who helped organize the program included Kyle Agee, Anne Kelley Russell, Michelle King, Billy Newsome, Jonathan Spitz and Karen Thomas, the release says. Four law professors on the committee also contributed: Tessa Davis, Mark Glover, Ben Means, director of the FSB program, and Clint Wallace, director of the Tax Clinic.