James E Hargrove

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Trusts & Estates

By using the most innovative and sophisticated planning methods available, Stoll Keenon Ogden's Estate and Trust Department strives to achieve our clients' planning goals while minimizing estate taxes and other taxes.

Through the use of the latest technology and a sophisticated practice management system, we are able to provide efficient and timely client communication and services. Our commitment to technology allows us to provide cost-effective service for all of our estate planning clients, whether we are dealing with a simple estate plan or a complex business and tax plan.

Our attorneys and other professionals have, in their many years of experience in estate and trust matters, developed relationships with bankers, accountants, insurance agents, brokers, and appraisers in Kentucky and the surrounding states. These relationships, coupled with Stoll Keenon Ogden's broad legal experience, allow us to offer comprehensive estate, business and tax planning services to our clients.

James E Hargrove
Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC
500 W Jefferson St #2000
Louisville KY 40202
Tel: 502 560-4255
Fax: 502 627-8728
E-mail: jamie.hargrove@skofirm.com

Accredited Estate Planner - National Association of Estate Planners & Councils

Estate Planning / Business and Tax Planning

The attorneys in Stoll Keenon Ogden's estate and trust practice are committed to providing the most innovative and comprehensive estate planning services available. We tailor each client's plan for the accumulation, preservation, administration and tax-efficient distribution of wealth consistent with the client's specific personal and financial goals.

In addition to preparing the appropriate legal documents, we provide the following services to ensure that the planning process is complete and consistent with the client's goals:

Written Planning Communication. We provide written communication in a variety of ways throughout the planning process. We respond to the old adage "put it in writing" with clear, concise and personalized planning correspondence and summary tables to help better communicate the plan.

Illustrative Flowcharts. We prepare personalized (not "canned") color flowcharts that illustrate the distribution of property according to the client's estate plan. Flowcharts are also used to illustrate the cash flow among any business entities that are part of a plan.

Plan Implementation & Follow-up. After the planning documents are signed, we help clients take the appropriate steps to fully implement their estate or business and tax plan. We also help clients consider new planning opportunities as they arise in the future.

What We Provide

As part of the overall planning process, we provide:
* An up-front and exact quote of our fees for most services.
* Planning letters, summary tables and flowcharts for most plans.
* Professionally bound portfolio of all planning documentation.
* The ability to relate all current and future planning efforts to the client's business, personal and financial goals.
* A commitment to producing the highest-quality planning documents, each of which is reviewed by multiple attorneys.
* A full range of estate planning documents, including wills; living trusts; powers of attorney; health care powers of attorney; living will declarations; marital agreements; charitable lead and remainder trusts; insurance trusts; generation-skipping trusts; upper generation dynasty trusts; Delaware trusts; defective grantor trusts; special needs trusts; Medicaid trusts; qualified personal residence trusts; educational trusts; family limited partnerships; limited liability companies; business continuation and buy-sell agreements; and many other estate planning documents and related business agreements.

Estate Administration

The administration of an estate involves dealing with issues ranging from delicate human emotions to complex tax elections and post-death planning opportunities. The attorneys in Stoll Keenon Ogden's estate administration practice have the experience to handle the complex legal and tax issues presented by an estate in a manner that recognizes the emotional stresses our clients feel during the administration process. Listed below are some of the important features of our estate administration practice.

Range of Services. Our services range from providing a do-it-yourself checklist, to acting simply as an advisor, to our handling all aspects of the administration process, or anywhere in between. We help our clients determine the steps that need to be taken in the administration process and the level of our assistance they may need.

Fees. Our fees are based on hourly rates for attorneys, paralegals and accountants. This approach usually yields a significantly lower fee than the percentage-of-estate method sometimes used by attorneys.

Postmortem Planning. We review with our clients the tax elections and other post-death planning opportunities available to minimize estate and other taxes.

Valuation. The valuation of estate property can have a significant impact on the death taxes and income taxes assessed against the estate and estate beneficiaries. We assist in determining what type of valuation should be sought and whether or not professional appraisers should be engaged.

Communication and Timeliness. Open communication with all beneficiaries is critical for a smooth administration process. We strive to keep everyone related to the estate fully informed of the progress being made and, furthermore, to complete the administration as quickly and efficiently as possible.