The firm's estate planning and administration practice centers around providing personal, in-depth counseling to individuals and families on the transfer of their property in accordance with their goals and at the smallest tax cost consistent with these goals. To accomplish the clients' wishes while retaining the greatest possible flexibility, our estate planning attorneys prepare wills as well as revocable and irrevocable lifetime and testamentary trusts. We assist clients in planning for the care of the incapacitated through use of durable powers of attorney, living trusts, appointment of health care representatives and special needs trusts for disabled persons. We also represent family members during the initiation and administration of guardianship proceedings.

Our attorneys assist clients with their lifetime planning, including preparation of prenuptial agreements, gifting programs and programs to preserve family wealth, including family limited partnerships, limited liability companies and recapitalizations, while giving consideration to income, gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes. These plans are frequently accomplished in cooperation with the clients' other professional advisors, e.g., bank trust departments, life insurance agents, accountants and financial planners.

Owners of closely-held businesses have special needs. We often advise them on the use of buy-sell arrangements, corporate restructuring and other planning for the family. Plans are devised to help clients achieve a reduction or deferral of estate taxes to preserve our clients' ability to transfer businesses to intended heirs with minimal disruption to business operations.

Members of the estate planning and administration practice advise corporate and individual personal representatives of descendants' estates, guardians and trustees on how to administer estates, guardianships and trusts. We analyze estates for post-mortem income and estate tax planning opportunities as well as prepare federal and state estate and inheritance tax returns.

Krieg DeVault is often employed by trust departments, other attorneys and accountants to provide expertise in gift and estate tax issues in estates which are not being represented by our firm. In addition, the firm provides tax counsel to other professionals during Internal Revenue Service audits, administrative appeals and before state and federal courts.