Gould & Ratner LLP is seeking a highly experienced Estate Planning & Wealth Transfer Partner to join its Tax and Wealth Transfer Practice Group. This attorney will have significant experience advising closely held businesses and high-net worth individuals and families in complex and sophisticated estate planning, wealth transfer, business succession planning, philanthropy and all related income tax matters.
Please note that this role allows a flexible work schedule with a hybrid remote/in-office presence.
Job Requirements
Significant portable book of business required.
Significant experience advising high net-worth individuals, families and entrepreneurial businesses on tax efficient ownership structures.
Experience planning for succession of management of family-owned businesses and familiarity with multi-generational wealth transfer techniques.
Experience forming family entities to help with the management and control of family investments.
Experience assisting an executor through the administration of an estate, including preparation of estate tax returns, post-mortem planning for the surviving family members, probate administration, and conducting family meetings regarding the estate administration process.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills. This attorney will serve as a business advisor to clients, guiding them through a full range of financial, business and tax-related matters throughout their life cycle. The ideal candidate will have the confidence and demeanor to interact and build relationships with the Firm's current clients, as well as the drive and ability to develop additional client relationships and business.
Exceptional leadership skills. This attorney must have the ability and desire to step into a leadership role and have the potential to develop into a key member of the Wealth Transfer Group and the Firm.
A degree or background in accounting, business or finance is a plus. CPA, CFP and/or a LL.M. in taxation is strongly preferred.
Candidates must be currently licensed in Illinois or licensed in another state with a UBE score that qualifies in Illinois for comity, be eligible to waive in, or be willing to sit for an upcoming IL bar exam (open to relocation candidates that meet these requirements).
Additional Highlights
Opportunity to step into meaningful client relationships and be a key component of the Firm's succession plan.
This is a leadership role. We are looking for an attorney who has the ability and desire to step into a leadership position within the Wealth Transfer Practice Group.
Emphasis on professional and business development.
Low turnover, collegial and collaborative environment.
Healthcare, life and disability insurance.
Competitive compensation, benefits package and a generous 401k plan.
Employee discounts and wellness programs.
Hybrid in-office/remote role.
About Gould & Ratner
Gould & Ratner is an 80-year old Chicago law firm with a team of over 50 attorneys, representing Fortune 500 corporations, closely held businesses, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and family businesses in diverse and complex matters throughout the world. Our team consists of a deep bench of sophisticated and experienced attorneys that provide exceptional legal services while affording our clients the benefits of working with an agile and entrepreneurial-minded team of result-oriented, well-rounded professionals.
In this ever-changing and complex world, Gould & Ratner remains one of the few truly mid-size law firms in Chicago. Thus, while our work is as sophisticated and complex as the mega firms, our focus on tailored service is something only a smaller firm like ours can deliver. This allows us the unique ability to employ our multi-faceted approach to legal service for clients of every size and in every industry. For example, our attorneys handled the $800 million redevelopment of Chicago's Old Post Office and the $840 million purchase of the Sears (now Willis) Tower. We have handled more than $10 billion in corporate transactions in the past decade and argued cases before a number of appellate forums, including the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Courts.
About Our Estate Planning & Wealth Transfer Practice
Gould & Ratner provides sophisticated estate planning and wealth transfer services for wealthy individuals and their families. Using a multifaceted approach to tax planning, family business succession and intergenerational wealth, we provide counsel on:
Family and Generation-skipping trusts
Gifts of business interests
Family and closely-held co-ownership agreements
Buy/Sell and Shareholder Agreements
Family business succession planning
Philanthropic planning
Tax review, compliance and controversy
Client information management
We have represented Chicago's Crown family and other preeminent families and multigenerational businesses for more than 80 years. Today, we guide nearly 1,000 families, many with estates comprised largely of privately held businesses and illiquid assets. We help clients address their tax, wealth and succession planning wishes to sustain their current lifestyles and to efficiently provide for future generations.
A strong understanding of complex tax structures is critical to preserving a legacy for future generations. Gould & Ratner's wealth transfer attorneys leverage the resources of colleagues in our tax, corporate, real estate and related services to craft estate plans and business arrangements. The resulting trust and estate plans meet our clients' present and ongoing personal and business needs, while minimizing the tax liabilities and risks inherent in the transfer of wealth.
Gould & Ratner is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, creed, medical condition including pregnancy, disability, genetic information, gender identity and expression, marriage or parental status, sexual orientation, or Veteran's status.