Withers Worldwide

• Education: Fairleigh Dickinson University, magna cum laude, B.A. • Rutgers University School of Law, Tax Law, J.D. • Rutgers Graduate School of Management, M.B.A. • New York University School of Law, Taxation, LL.M.
• Admitted: State of NJ, 1993 • State of NY, 1995 • State of CT, 2006 • Registered Foreign Lawyer in the UK, 2007
• Year joined: 2005
• Year became partner: 2007

Overview

Todd’s practice is focused on tax, trusts and estates, and business succession matters for wealthy individuals.  He has significant experience working with clients to structure wealth transfer vehicles such as Family Limited Partnerships, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts, Sales to Grantor Trusts, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts, Buy-Sell Agreements and Freeze Partnerships, as well as advising clients on business succession matters, with a particular emphasis on Chapter 14 issues.  In addition, much of Todd's practice involves the preparation of estate planning documents for clients including "tax-sensitive" Wills and Revocable Trusts, Generation-Skipping Dynasty Trusts and Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts.  Todd also has considerable experience in advising Hedge Fund and Private Equity Fund professionals with respect to transferring carried interests into trusts for the benefit of younger family members in a tax efficient manner.

Todd has been a frequent contributor to Trusts and Estates and Private Wealth magazines.  He has also been published in Estate Planning magazine and other publications and is a frequent speaker on topics such as Family Limited Partnerships, Business Succession Planning and related Chapter 14 issues, and Wealth Transfer Strategies for Hedge Fund and Private Equity Fund principals.

Publications and speaking engagements

• Co-Author with Edward A. Renn, "Sharing the Wealth," Private Wealth Magazine, June/July 2008. 
• Presentation to the Connecticut Estate Planning Council on "International Aspects of Estate Planning," May 2008.
• Presentation to the Lower Fairfield County Estate Planning Council on "Family Limited Partnership Planning Beyond Strangi," December 2007.
• Co-Author with Edward A. Renn, "Section 2703-Keeping Buy/Sell Agreements Intact for Estate Planning and Succession Planning of Family Owned Businesses," Insights Magazine, Autumn 2007.
• Co-Author with Edward A. Renn and William Swindle, "'Beneficiary Withdrawal Powers in Grantor Trusts-A Crumm(e)y Idea?" Estate Planning, October 2007.
• Co-Authored with Frank W. Seneco, "Nothing Succeeds Like Succession," Private Wealth, June/July 2007.
• Presentation on "Leveraged Wealth Transfer Strategies for Hedge Fund Principals," March-June 2007.
• Co-Authored with Edward A. Renn, "Sabotaged-Don’t Let a Buy-Sell Agreement Blow Up an Estate Plan," Trusts & Estates Magazine, April 2006.
• Presentations on "How Buy-Sell Agreements Can Unravel an Estate Plan," Spring 2006.
• Co-Authored with Roy M. Adams and Brit L. Geiger, "The Section 2701 Trap," Trusts & Estates Magazine, October 2004.
• Estate Planning Presentation at The New Jersey Bankers 2004 Financial Management & Trust Conference, New Jersey, October 2004.
• Co-Authored with Roy M. Adams, "Strangi II - Where From Here?," Trusts & Estates Magazine, February 2004.
• Presentation on "Protecting Beneficiaries from Themselves," to the New Jersey Bankers 2004 Financial Management and Trust Conference, October 2004.
• NY CLE Presentation on "Estate and Gift Tax Pitfalls in Business Transactions (Chapter 14)," July 2003.
• Numerous presentations for New Jersey Institute of Continuing Education on Trusts and Estates topics.

Memberships

• Connecticut Bar Association 
• New Jersey Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association

On a personal note

Todd enjoys wine collecting, music composition, cooking and spending time with his wife, Lauretta, and their children, Anna and Owen.  Todd also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, New Haven Chapter.