Attorneys at Dowling Aaron Incorporated assist clients in all areas of individual estate planning and family business succession planning. With the ability to utilize a range of techniques ranging from simplistic and conservative to complex and cutting-edge, Dowling Aaron Incorporated’s estate planners provide services for clients regarding planning for relatively modest to extremely large estates and businesses. Expertise includes preparation of simple and complex wills, living trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts and other long-term irrevocable trusts (e.g., family dynasty trusts), qualified personal residence trusts, charitable lead and remainder trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts and private foundations, among other items. Dowling Aaron Incorporated’s attorneys also have substantial expertise in the areas of estate and generation-skipping transfer tax avoidance or minimization, including family business planning, valuation discount planning, probate avoidance, transfers in trust, including the use of family limited partnerships and family limited liability companies, and probate and trust administration.

This group works closely with clients to explain the advantages and disadvantages of planning techniques in order to ensure each client’s wishes are accurately reflected during the planning process.

Members of this group have also served as counsel in significant matters involving defense of fiduciaries’ conduct, indemnification of fiduciaries, removal of fiduciaries and breach of fiduciary duties. Realizing the difficult nature of estate and trust cases, the group provides counsel to fiduciaries with respect to beneficiary communications and appropriate courses of conduct and action to avoid potential litigation. This group includes three Certified Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust Administration, and Probate Law designated by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact the Practice Group Chair Michael D. Dowling at the Firm’s Fresno office. Mr. Dowling can be reached by telephone at (559) 432-4500, or by e-mail at mdowling@dowlingaaron.com

Practice Group Members: Michael D. Dowling, Richard M. Aaron, Larry B. Lindenau, Russell F. Hurley, Philip B. Laird, Timothy J. Larson, Leigh W. Burnside, Joshua S. Alipaz, Steven M. Matlak, Jared C. Marshall, Mark J. Gleason