Practical Strategies and Drafting in Estate Planning

2 units

This course will focus on practical estate planning and drafting techniques, integrating the basics of the federal transfer tax system (gift, estate, and generation-skipping taxes). Courses in estate and gift taxation and trusts and estates provide a good background for students interested in this practical course. The planning portion of this course will be taught from various sources, including instructor-generated outlines, which cover the basics of estate planning, as well as commonly used estate planning techniques, including marital deduction planning, charitable planning, insurance planning, and advanced trust planning. The drafting portion of this course will focus on basic client estate planning skills, common drafting techniques, and problems and suggested solutions. Students will participate in the design of an estate plan and then review and discuss the various legal documents used in the typical estate planning process. Class time will be devoted to a discussion of the planning techniques. The grade for the course will be based primarily on a final examination, which focuses on the planning concepts discussed in class; and a portion of the grade may be based on student participation and class meetings. Attendance is expected. The examination will cover what is discussed in class. [Any Non-Tax LL.M. Student interested in taking this course must receive special permission from Dean Sarah Narkiewicz. Please note that a course on estate and gift taxation or trusts and estates is a prerequisite for J.D. student enrollment. JD students will receive a letter grade that will not calculate into their GPA.]