Stewart Richardson

Stewart is a shareholder in the Trusts and Estates Group. His practice focuses on estate planning and trust law, trust and probate administration, and estate and trust litigation. He provides counseling and designs plans based on the personal priorities, family situations, and financial positions of each of his clients.

Practice Description

• Foundational Estate Planning: Stewart assists families and individuals with their basic planning needs, including directing the disposition of assets in the manner that is most appropriate for specific beneficiaries, tax minimization, incapacity planning, and probate avoidance. As a part of this foundational planning, he prepares living trusts, wills and guardian nominations, financial and medical powers of attorney, and other coordinating documents. He also provides counseling regarding the integration of specific assets (e.g., life insurance policies, retirement accounts, business interests, and real property) into a comprehensive estate plan.
• Advanced Estate Planning: The advanced planning needs of Stewart’s clients involve a variety of goals and sophisticated techniques to accomplish them. These include the transfer of significant wealth through tax-efficient irrevocable trusts and lifetime giving programs, multigenerational planning, and the resolution of planning issues with an international component.
• Trust and Estate Administration: Stewart advises personal representatives and beneficiaries in trust and probate administrations. These frequently involve the creation and funding of sub-trusts for the benefit of a surviving spouse, preparation of estate tax returns, preparation of court petitions on behalf of fiduciaries or beneficiaries, and counseling regarding contentious beneficiary/trustee relationships.
• Estate and Trust Litigation: Stewart’s litigation experience includes controversies in state and federal courts, as well as alternative dispute resolution proceedings (arbitration and mediation). He has been admitted to California state courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and the Washington State Bar Association.

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