Private Client Services

Our lawyers work with clients to design and implement comprehensive gift and estate planning strategies that reflect their objectives. We advise on every step for a plan addressing privacy, organization, asset management, and business transition planning, in addition to supporting the estate administration process from the moment of death through the last distribution and probate windup. Our advice on plan structure, trust and estate administration, state and federal transfer tax planning, and controversy matters, as well as broader family considerations, will help you formulate and ensure effective long‑term planning.

We advise trustees, executors, and beneficiaries on trust and estate administration, guiding fiduciaries and beneficiaries through court proceedings, distributions, tax filings, and fiduciary responsibilities. Our team helps manage complex assets, address tax and regulatory requirements, and mitigate risk while carrying out decedents’ and grantors’ intent efficiently and thoughtfully.

We advise families and family offices from formation through long‑term management. Our work includes structuring new family offices, addressing succession and governance issues, and navigating securities and regulatory requirements. We support clients in resolving complex legal, tax, and operational challenges in line with their personal and financial goals.

We represent taxpayers in tax controversies nationwide, from audits and administrative proceedings to trial and appeal. Our team helps clients evaluate exposure, respond strategically to government scrutiny, and pursue practical resolutions aligned with their personal and business objectives. When disputes cannot be resolved, we assist taxpayers in settlement negotiations and trial.

We represent trustees, beneficiaries, executors, financial institutions, and family entities. We help clients identify and mitigate risk, advise on complex trust and estate administration, and pursue pragmatic, client-focused solutions. When disputes persist, our litigators advise beneficiaries and defend fiduciaries through trial and appeal.

We help families navigate U.S. and foreign succession, inheritance, and tax laws. We advise internationally connected individuals and families on cross‑border estate and tax planning, aligning global asset structures with succession and tax‑efficiency goals.

We help our clients plan and execute their philanthropic and charitable goals, including support in forming and managing private foundations, charitable trusts, donor-advised funds, planned giving, and alternative philanthropic structures. 

Through Ashurst Perkins Coie Trust Company, we provide in‑house executor, trustee, and investment services—an offering that few law firms provide. A Washington‑chartered affiliate of Ashurst Perkins Coie LLP, APC Trust Company supports clients with estate planning and administration, trust management, and investment oversight. Our professionals provide hands-on support to help clients navigate evolving tax laws, market volatility, and complex investment options.