Michael Karlin recently spoke to Forbes about the Russian oligarch, Dmitry Zelenov, who recently passed during a dinner party on the French Riviera. Infighting for control of Dmitry’s assets has already begun in his family. His wife and son claim others in the family are trying to lock them out of many of Dmitry’s assets that they previously had access to.

On the issue of Dmitry’s lack of a will, Michael said, “Where things really go wrong [in estate planning] is where there’s neither a will nor a trust of some sort.” Dmitry had a complicated web of trusts and LLCs surrounding his fortune that only he fully knew. Michael added that the different legal systems that Zelenov’s varying assets reside under could add another layer to this ordeal.

Cynthia Brittain recently spoke to the LA Times about Priscilla Presley’s dispute over control of her recently-passed daughter’s estate. Priscilla claims she was removed from the will without her knowing and that the signatures bearing her name on the related documents don’t match her signature.

“If everything is as they portrayed, the case law is pretty clear,” Cynthia said in response to Priscilla’s position. On the issue of whether Lisa Marie’s daughter, Riley Keough would serve as a co-trustee, Cynthia explained that making Riley and Priscilla co-trustees may not be the best course of action. “We often put corporate trustees in when there’s conflict within the family,” Cynthia explained further, “Because No. 1, the family’s had a tremendous loss and everybody’s grieving. Sometimes people grabbed for control, not because they’re controlling, but it’s some way of remaining close to the decedent. Maybe the petitioner thinks that way she can be closer to her granddaughter.”

Cynthia Brittain spoke to Distractify about Priscilla Presley contesting aspect of her recently deceased daughter Lisa Marie Presley’s will. Priscilla and her business manager, Barry Siegel, were removed as co-trustees of the will, leaving Lisa Marie’s children as the remaining trustees.

"A will can be contested for multiple reasons. Certain contests that we commonly see are (1) the will was changed due to some undue influence or duress; (2) the person lacked capacity to make the changes; (3) there was a technical issue with the execution of the will; or (4) some fraud exists related to the actual document," Cindy said when asked about contesting a will. She added, “There have been instances where a caregiver or some other person signed on behalf of the decedent when they had no authorization to do so. Often, forensic analysts have to be brought in to ascertain if the decedent was the person who actually executed the document.”

On the difficulty of contesting a will after someone’s death, Cindy explained, "The facts of the matter determine how hard it will be to challenge the validity of a will after someone’s death."

Cynthia Brittain has been invited to present on “Ten Pitfalls to Avoid with International Trusts” on April 21, 2023, at the 45th Annual UCLA/CEB Estate Planning Institute. The Institute is offered online via webinar and includes two days of training on sophisticated California estate planning, with 12 hours of MCLE and LSCLE credit available.

To watch Cynthia’s presentation, click here.

Maria-Soledad Otero, Thomas Giordano-Lascari, and Cynthia Brittain presented “Planning for Expatriation from the U.S. or from California, including Exit and Income Taxes” at the prestigious USC Gould School of Law 2023 Tax Institute, held in the Millennium Biltmore Hotel on January 25. Their presentation covered the factors relating to tax expatriation from the United States and the issues of leaving California from an income tax perspective.

Learn more about the event here.

Cynthia Brittain recently spoke with Wealth Management about the sudden and tragic passing of Lisa Marie Presley, who was the sole heir to the Elvis Presley estate, and what challenges may lie ahead in carrying out her final wishes to divide the estate between her three daughters.

“Lisa Marie’s history of financial troubles could certainly slow down the estate administration process, as any resulting litigation against her estate affects the value of her estate,” Cindy said. “It’s likely in this situation that U.S. estate taxes will be due, and her estate will need to be valued in order to determine her estate’s U.S. estate tax liability. A lawsuit against her estate can seriously hamper getting a timely U.S. estate tax valuation.”

Lisa Marie’s three children will ultimately have to decide if the properties and assets remaining in the estate should be sold or preserved, which, according to Cindy, could cause conflict. “The most significant threat to family assets is internal litigation that can arise amongst family members who want different outcomes,” she said. “For example, if one family member wants to sell the assets and go their own way while others want to preserve the pool of family assets. Neither is wrong, these are just preferences among the beneficiaries.”

Cynthia Brittain will present on “US-China Planning, What You Don’t Know, Yet You Need To Know,” at STEP Orange County’s 11th Annual Institute on Tax, Estate Planning, and the World Economy on February 9, 2023. The presentation will cover effective cross-border estate and tax strategies and overarching economic factors. Cindy will be joined by a special guest speaker Jane Ren of Fangda Partners in Shanghai.

Learn more and register for the event here: STEP OC 11th Annual Institute on Tax, Estate Planning And The World Economy

Karlin & Peebles has earned the title “Boutique Firm of the Year” in the 2022/23 STEP Private Client Awards, a prestigious awards program that recognizes and celebrates excellence within the private client industry. Winners were announced at the Awards Ceremony on December 13, 2022, at the London Hilton on Park Lane. The event raised over $60,000 for STEP’s charity partner, the World Literacy Foundation.

Judges’ feedback of the firm noted “Karlin & Peebles stands out as a boutique firm with large-firm capability and experience. While it punches above its weight in exceptional service and technical ability, it also has a disproportionately big footprint in its impact on the broader profession.”

Earlier this year, Karlin & Peebles was ranked in the prestigious Chambers High Net Worth Guide in Private Wealth Law. The firm was also recognized as a leading International Tax firm in the 2022 edition of The Legal 500 US, and was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a Tier One firm in Los Angeles for both Trusts & Estates Law and Tax Law.

Cynthia Brittain recently appeared on Global Dragon TV’s “The American Odyssey” with Rose Hong to discuss tax and estate planning for individuals who are planning to move to the U.S. During the interview, Cindy shares sound advice and strategies to address personal, tax, and estate planning issues, especially for high-net worth business owners.

View the episode here: Global Dragon TV

Maria -Soledad Otero recently presented “Coming and Going Part 1: Hello America - What the Well-Advised Immigrant Needs to Know and Do Before They Arrive” at the International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference on November 1, 2022, in Miami, Florida. This in-depth discussion highlighted various tax and non-tax considerations that individuals should consider before becoming a US income tax resident, with a focus on pre-immigration planning to mitigate exposure to US income and estate tax, including stepping up the client’s basis in assets prior to residency, addressing the impact of the various US anti-deferral regimes, creating income tax advantaged structures, and protecting assets from US estate and gift tax.

Karlin & Peebles has been named to the 2022 “Top Boutiques in California” list by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. This prestigious annual list highlights the premier specialty firms in California known for handling sophisticated and complex matters. Karlin & Peebles is one of only twenty firms throughout the state on the list for 2022.

The Daily Journal’s profile of the firm highlights partners Michael Karlin, Jane Peebles, Maria-Soledad Otero, Thomas Giordano-Lascari, and Cynthia Brittain, as well as the firm’s expertise in international and domestic tax and estate planning for individual clients and cross-border philanthropy.

"Our firm is quite unusual, we're a boutique firm and every lawyer here is what I call a large firm refugee," said partner Jane Peebles. "We've had wonderful training but now with a much smaller shop, we offer a much higher level of client service. We specialize in international planning -- not for big multinational corporations but for their owners."

Partner Michael Karlin, who founded the firm with Jane in 2007, described the firm’s focus on the future. Karlin and Peebles is now comprised of five total partners, two of counsel attorneys, and one associate. "Jane and I strongly believe in continuity and in building the future of the firm."

Read the profile below.

Karlin & Peebles is proud to sponsor the California Lawyers Association 2022 Annual Meeting of the Tax Bar and Tax Policy Conference. The conference will be held at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego, California on November 2-4, 2022, and offers an impressive agenda of panels and networking opportunities for financial experts in and outside of the legal profession, along with MCLE credit. Join members of the firm for Casino Night on Thursday, November 3.

Thomas Giordano-Lascari will also be speaking in a panel entitled, "Estate Planning for Multi-National Families with Global Assets," which will discuss the issues financial planners should be aware of when dealing with an estate with assets held outside of the US. The presentation will take place on  November 3, from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m, and will be available for MCLE credit.

Learn more and register for the CLA Tax Conference here.