Trusts and Taxes: Hidden Liabilities Every Attorney Should Anticipate

David A. Warren | Bridgeford Trust Company

David Warren is Co-Founder and Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company, President and CEO of Bridgeford Advisors, and Co-Founder of Bridgeford Global. Through his leadership across the Bridgeford Family of Companies, David has been instrumental in developing innovative fiduciary solutions and expanding Bridgeford’s reach, delivering sophisticated planning strategies to families and their advisors worldwide.

An attorney with extensive experience practicing law and working in the financial services industry, David has dedicated his career to serving the trust and wealth management needs of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families. His focus on leveraging South Dakota’s modern trust laws allows him to create personalized solutions that prioritize privacy, asset protection, and tax efficiency, addressing the unique complexities faced by families across the globe. Drawing on his combined legal and financial expertise, David offers strategic insights into navigating the evolving trust and fiduciary landscape.

Before founding Bridgeford Trust Company, David transitioned from a prestigious Mid-Atlantic law firm to serve as Vice President and Senior Trust Administrator in the Wealth Management/Trust Department of a large regional bank. In this role, he worked extensively with affluent families on a range of trust and fiduciary matters. David later joined Bank of New York Mellon, where he specialized in working with ultra-high-net-worth families, addressing their tax planning, asset protection, and legacy planning needs.

William Lipkind | Wilson Elser

William Lipkind, chair of Wilson Elser’s Tax Planning & Controversies practice, concentrates his practice in the areas of wealth preservation, asset protection, and state and federal income taxation.

He is experienced in the laws, regulations and nuances surrounding gift and estate taxation and tax controversies, and he counsels closely held businesses and their owners on optimal tax structures, internal governance, and mergers and acquisitions. Bill is valued for his sensitivity to estate planning issues, counseling corporate entities as well as high-net-worth individuals on asset protection, wealth preservation, asset protection and intergenerational issues.

Bill served as law secretary to Justice Nathan Jacobs, Supreme Court of New Jersey.

I. Foundations of trust taxation, including federal considerations | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

II. State and multistate tax issues, with emphasis on evolving case law | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

III. International and cross-border implications | 2:10pm – 2:30pm

IV. Fiduciary duties, risk management, and emerging planning tools | 2:30pm – 2:50pm

V. Domestic asset protection trusts in conjunction with advanced tax strategies | 2:50pm – 3:10pm