The Tools & Techniques of Trust Planning, 3rd Edition

Jonathan E. Gopman is a partner in Akerman LLP’s Naples office and Chair of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Practice Group. He is a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. He currently serves as Chair of the Asset Protection Planning Committee of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section of the ABA (for the 2016-2017 bar year) and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Jonathan is an adjunct professor at Ave Maria School of Law, currently serves on its Curriculum Advisory Committee, and chaired its first annual Estate Planning Day Conference held in April of 2014 and continues to serve on the advisory committee for such conference. He is a member of the legal advisory board of Commonwealth Trust Company and STEP. He is AV rated. In 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 he was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^® and as a Florida Super Lawyer for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and included in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite for 2010 and 2011. In the Dec. 2005 and 2007 issues of Worth Magazine he was recognized as one of the top 100 estate planning attorneys in the US.

Jonathan has authored and co-authored numerous articles on asset protection and estate planning and chapters in books on asset protection and frequently lectures on these topics throughout the world. He is a co-author of the revised BNA Tax Management Portfolio on Estate Tax Payments and Liabilities, and has been interviewed for and quoted in a number of publications such as the New York Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, Wealth Manager, and Elite Traveler. He is the originator of the idea for the statutory tenancy by the entireties trust (STET) in 12 § 3574(f) of the Delaware Statutes. His articles and presentations have served as an impetus for changes to the trust laws of several states. In 2011 he was appointed to a special committee of the Nevis government and Nevis International Service Providers Association to revise the Nevis International Exempt Trust Ordinance. He also provided advice and consultation on the proposed revised charging order statute for the Nevis Limited Liability Company Ordinance and together with his colleague, Linda Charity, provided advice and consultation on the content of the proposed banking ordinance in Nevis. He received his J.D. from Florida State University College of Law and his LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law.

Michael Sneeringer is an associate in Akerman LLP’s Naples office. He practices in the areas of estate planning, probate administration, asset protection planning, and tax law. He serves as a Co-Vice Chair of the Asset Protection Planning Committee of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section of the ABA, and is an Executive Council Member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Washington & Jefferson College, his J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law and his LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law.

The late Stephan R. Leimberg was CEO of Leimberg and LeClair, Inc., an estate and financial planning software company, CEO of LISI, Leimberg Information Services, Inc., an email newsletter service, and President of Leimberg Associates, Inc., a publishing and software company. He was an Adjunct Professor in the Masters of Taxation Program of Villanova University School of Law and former adjunct at Temple University School of Law. He holds a B.A. from Temple University, and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law. Leimberg was the Editor of the American Society of Financial Service Professionals audio publication, Keeping Current.

Leimberg was the author or co-author of numerous books on estate, financial, and employee benefit and retirement planning and a nationally known speaker. Leimberg was the creator and principal author of the entire nine-book Tools & Techniques series, including The Tools & Techniques of Estate Planning, The Tools & Techniques of Financial Planning, The Tools & Techniques of Employee Benefit and Retirement Planning, The Tools & Techniques of Life Insurance Planning, The Tools & Techniques of Charitable Planning, The Tools & Techniques of Investment Planning, The Tools & Techniques of Risk Management, The Tools & Techniques of Practice Management, and The Tools & Techniques of Retirement Income Planning. Leimberg was co-author of Tax Planning with Life Insurance with noted attorney Howard Zaritsky, The Book of Trusts with attorneys Charles K. Plotnick and Daniel Evans, and How to Settle an Estate with Charles K. Plotnick. He was also a contributing author of the American Bar Association’s The Lawyer’s Guide to Retirement.

Leimberg was co-creator of many software packages for the financial services professional, including Estate and Financial Planning NumberCruncher (estate planning), DeCoupleCruncher (estate planning), Financial Analyzer II (financial calculations), Estate Planning Quickview (Estate Planning Flow Charts), Life Settlement NumberCruncher (life settlement buy-hold analysis), Planning Ahead for a Secure Retirement (PowerPoint Client Seminar) and Toward a Zero Estate Tax (PowerPoint Client Estate Planning Seminar).

A nationally known speaker, Professor Leimberg addressed the Miami Tax Institute, the NYU Tax Institute, the Federal Tax Bar, the Notre Dame Law School and Duke University Law School’s Estate Planning Conference, the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, the AICPA’s National Estate Planning Forum, the ABA Section on Taxation, and The Annual Meeting of the American Society of Financial Service Professionals. Leimberg also spoke to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Leimberg was awarded the Excellence in Writing Award of the American Bar Association’s Probate and Property Section. He was honored as Estate Planner of the Year by the Montgomery County Estate Planning Council and as Distinguished Estate Planner by the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council. He was also a recipient of the President’s Cup of the Philadelphia Life Underwriters, a two-time Boris Todorovitch Lecturer, and the First Ben Feldman Lecturer.

Leimberg was named Edward N. Polisher Lecturer of the Dickinson School of Law and 2004 recipient of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils Distinguished Accredited Estate Planner award.

Leimberg’s LISI email newsletter/data base at www.leimbergservices.com is used daily by thousands of estate, financial, employee benefit, charitable, and retirement planning practitioners.