Patrick C. Emans

Patrick C. Emans advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families and family offices on sophisticated wealth transfer, estate planning and governance matters. He helps clients preserve and transfer wealth across generations, navigate business succession and coordinate legal, tax, investment and philanthropic objectives. His practice includes domestic and international estate planning, family office structuring and governance, trust and estate administration, business succession and charitable planning. 

Patrick brings a distinctive perspective to this work from his prior experience as in-house counsel to a Forbes 400 family office. He draws on that experience when helping families address the legal and practical considerations that arise when significant wealth, closely held businesses and multigenerational interests intersect.

Family Offices. Patrick assists clients with creating and operating family offices, including strategies to centralize asset management, establish governance frameworks and align investment and planning objectives among key stakeholders. He works collaboratively with clients' legal, tax, investment and other advisers to coordinate strategies across disciplines.

Wealth Transfer and Estate Planning. Patrick develops and implements estate and tax planning strategies tailored to clients' personal, financial and legacy objectives. He advises on wills, revocable trusts, insurance trusts, dynastic trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts and charitable trusts, with an emphasis on preserving flexibility as family, business and financial circumstances evolve.

Trust and Estate Administration. Patrick guides fiduciaries through complex trust and estate administrations, including policies and procedures designed to manage risk and reduce the potential for disputes. He represents fiduciaries in claims involving beneficiaries, creditors and co-fiduciaries, and handles judicial and nonjudicial trust modifications and reformations arising from changed circumstances or tax laws. He also represents financial institutions in trust and estate administration matters.

Business Succession and Charitable Planning. Patrick advises owners of closely held businesses on succession planning, entity structures, tax considerations and transfers of ownership interests to trusts and other planning vehicles. He also counsels donors and charitable organizations on charitable planning, donation agreements, tax-exempt status and the formation and administration of private foundations.