WebCredenza 2024 Family disputes and trusts: Practical strategies to preserve family wealth

Recording available after original program date, 2/16/2024

Family feuds are the most destructive force in trust and estate planning. When a senior generation of a family dies or decides to pull back from leading a family business, long suppressed interpersonal conflicts rise to the surface and have often a substantially adverse impact on the business’s operations and value. These disputes often place planners in the extremely difficult spot of having gain the trust of warring factions, understand their grievances, and use the tools of planning to help them and the company find a value-preserving resolution of their conflicts. This program will provide you with a guide to identifying and resolving family feuds in trusts.

• Sources of family feuds in trusts and techniques to resolve short of litigation.
• Disputes involving distributions, control of family assets, personal rivalries, lack of communication.
• Techniques for resolution – outside consultants, ongoing family meetings, lifetime gifting, distribution standards. 
• How choosing trustees can provoke or alleviate family disputes.
• How to work with warring family factions while protecting yourself as lawyer.

Opinions and positions stated by presenters of MoBarCLE programs are those of the presenters and not necessarily those of The Missouri Bar. This program is intended as information for lawyers in Missouri, in conjunction with other research they deem necessary, in the exercise of their independent judgment.

Note: This material qualifies for self-study credit only. Pursuant to Regulation 15.04.5, a lawyer may receive up to six hours of self-study credit in a reporting year. Self-study programs do not qualify for GAL Certification, ethics, elimination of bias or Kansas credit.